Asynchronous Javascript
This plugin is meant to be a drop-in to your wordpress installation with no additional configuration. The goals/features of this plugin are:
Consider an alternative
Asynchronous Javascript shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 100+ sites, is rated 3.7/5 and was last updated 13 years ago, and scores 32/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (100+ active installs)
- No update in 12 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 3.5 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Asynchronous Javascript stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| async | >100 |
| asynchronous | >100 |
| headjs | #3 |
| javascript | >100 |
| JS | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 3.7 from 9 reviews
About Asynchronous Javascript
From the official readme · v1.3.5Description
This plugin is meant to be a drop-in to your wordpress installation with no additional configuration. The goals/features of this plugin are:
- Load javascript files in an asynchronous manner to improve time to DomReady/OnLoad
- Use existing wordpress APIs for backwards compatability and prevent coupling to this plugin
- Leverage dependency model wordpress provides for assets to improve loading performance
Please submit bugs or contributions to the github location and not here on wordpress’ system:
https://github.com/parisholley/wordpress-asynchronous-javascript/
SEO: async js, asynchronous js, async javascript
Incompatibility
This plugin will not work out the box with the following plugins (unless they are modified to support asynchronous loading).
- Jetpack by WordPress.com (social plugin)
- WP Most Popular
Installation
- Upload
asynchronous-javascriptfolder to the/wp-content/plugins/directory - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
Changelog
Dependencies are now honored and it is recommended that you use this version instead of 1.0 wp_enqueue_async_script() is no longer available for use in the theme
1.3.5
- Ability to mark headjs as always in header (thanks DeanStr)
1.3.4
- Fixed notices
- Added filter to alter src location
1.3.3
- Fixed bug introduced in last version
1.3.2
- Ability to specify your own head.js file (thanks to DeanStr)
1.3.1
- Removed PHP warning
1.3.0
- Ability to exclude files by filename or queue id from being loaded asynchronously
For developers
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Best Asynchronous Javascript alternatives
All async plugins →
FAQ
Asynchronous Javascript: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 26, 2026
Is Asynchronous Javascript free?
Yes. Asynchronous Javascript is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Asynchronous Javascript safe to use in 2026?
Asynchronous Javascript shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 100+ sites, is rated 3.7/5 and was last updated 13 years ago, and scores 32/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Asynchronous Javascript?
Asynchronous Javascript is active on 100+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 36,663 times since it launched in January 2013. It was downloaded 193 times in the last 30 days.
Does Asynchronous Javascript work with WordPress 7.1?
Asynchronous Javascript is officially tested up to WordPress 3.5.2, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Asynchronous Javascript last updated?
The latest version, 1.3.5, was released on November 2, 2013 (13 years ago).
Who makes Asynchronous Javascript?
Asynchronous Javascript is developed and maintained by Paris Holley.
What are the best alternatives to Asynchronous Javascript?
The most popular alternatives to Asynchronous Javascript are Async JavaScript (70K+ installs), Async JS and CSS (700+ installs) and Lazy Widget Loader (100+ installs).
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