I’m trying to figure out how many plugins are too many for a website. I currently have 11 plugins running. The site feels fine when I open it, but Google Site Kit says the load speed is bad. Could it be because I’ve added too many plugins?
Here’s my site: sights-2-see.com
It’s not about how many plugins you have, it’s about what kind of plugins you’re using. Some plugins are heavy and can slow things down a lot. Make sure you aren’t using plugins that do the same thing, like two different cache or security plugins.
@Yan
Exactly. It’s more about the type of plugins. Some can actually help with speed, while others will bog your site down and even create security issues.
@Yan
While the type of plugin matters more, the total number can still be an issue. More plugins mean more points of failure. That said, I’ve seen sites running 40+ plugins that still load perfectly fine.
Just make sure each plugin serves a real purpose. If something can be done with a bit of code, skip the plugin altogether.
Kiran said:
Just make sure each plugin serves a real purpose. If something can be done with a bit of code, skip the plugin altogether.
It’s smart to look for plugins that handle multiple tasks rather than using separate ones for everything.
@Remi
That’s true, but it depends. If you have a few small, well-coded plugins that work without bloating your site, that’s often better than one big plugin that’s overloaded with features you don’t need.
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Kiran said:
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Yeah, you’re not wrong. Also, nice point!
Sometimes it’s not even the plugins. You could have 30 plugins and still be fine if they’re optimized. Check your site console for suggestions like compressing images or minifying files. Poorly coded plugins or themes are usually the real problem.
@Kiran
I manage a site with about 50 plugins, and it runs really fast. When I took over, it was loaded with bad plugins and took forever to load. I removed unnecessary ones, optimized it with caching, and now it loads in under a second.
I’m running around 70 plugins. Many are just integrations. Using WP Rocket and a dedicated server helps a lot.
I know someone with 50+ plugins, and his site works perfectly because all the plugins are well-built. Think of it like this—every plugin could need around 64MB of RAM, and some use even more.
Keep it simple. Only use plugins when absolutely necessary. If you can do something manually, it’s often better.
The more plugins, the higher the risk of security issues. Always ask yourself if you really need a plugin before installing it.
One bad plugin is enough to cause issues.
What are the 11 plugins you’re using?
Zem said:
What are the 11 plugins you’re using?
Here’s my list:
@Davi
I’d remove Jetpack immediately. Also, ditch Site Kit and use Tag Manager instead.
@Davi
If you’re using Rank Math, you don’t really need Site Kit.