Performance Lab
Performance plugin from the WordPress Performance Team, which is a collection of standalone performance features.
Safe pick
Yes — Performance Lab is a safe, well-maintained plugin to use in 2026. It runs on 100K+ sites, is rated 4.3/5 and was last updated 1 month ago, and scores 85/100 on our health check.
- Proven at scale on 100K+ active sites
- Tested with the latest WordPress (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 Performance Lab stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| diagnostics | #5 |
| measurement | #3 |
| optimization | #100 |
| performance | #3 |
| site health | #9 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 4.3 from 51 reviews
About Performance Lab
From the official readme · v4.2.0Description
The Performance Lab plugin is a collection of features focused on enhancing the performance of your site, most of which should eventually be merged into WordPress core. The plugin facilitates the discovery and activation of the individual performance feature plugins which the performance team is developing. In this way you can test the features to get their benefits before they become available in WordPress core. You can also play an important role by providing feedback to further improve the solutions.
The feature plugins which are currently featured by this plugin are:
- Embed Optimizer
- Enhanced Responsive Images
- Image Placeholders
- Image Prioritizer
- Instant Back/Forward
- Modern Image Formats
- Optimization Detective (dependency for Embed Optimizer and Image Prioritizer)
- Performant Translations
- Speculative Loading
- View Transitions (experimental)
These plugins can also be installed separately from installing Performance Lab, but having the Performance Lab plugin also active will ensure you find out about new performance features as they are developed.
Installation
Installation from within WordPress
- Visit Plugins > Add New.
- Search for Performance Lab.
- Install and activate the Performance Lab plugin.
Manual installation
- Upload the entire
performance-labfolder to the/wp-content/plugins/directory. - Visit Plugins.
- Activate the Performance Lab plugin.
After activation
- Visit the new Settings > Performance menu.
- Enable the individual features you would like to use.
Frequently asked questions
What is the purpose of this plugin?
The primary purpose of the Performance Lab plugin is to allow testing of various performance features for which the goal is to eventually land in WordPress core. It is essentially a collection of “feature plugins”, which makes it different from other performance plugins that offer performance features which are not targeted at WordPress core and potentially rely on functionality that would not be feasible to use in WordPress core. The list of available features will regularly change: Existing features may be removed after they have been released in WordPress core, while new features may be…
Can I use this plugin on my production site?
Per the primary purpose of the plugin (see above), it can mostly be considered a beta testing plugin for the various performance features it includes. However, it’s essential to understand that utilizing it comes with inherent risks. Users are encouraged to proceed with caution and understand that they are doing so at their own risk.
Where can I submit my plugin feedback?
Feedback is encouraged and much appreciated, especially since this plugin is a collection of future WordPress core features. If you have suggestions or requests for new features, you can submit them as an issue in the Performance Lab GitHub repository. If you need help with troubleshooting or have a question about the plugin, please create a new topic on our support forum.
Where can I report security bugs?
The Performance team and WordPress community take security bugs seriously. We appreciate your efforts to responsibly disclose your findings, and will make every effort to acknowledge your contributions. To report a security issue, please visit the WordPress HackerOne program.
How can I contribute to the plugin?
Contributions are always welcome! Learn more about how to get involved in the Core Performance Team Handbook.
Changelog
This release introduces two new features: View Transitions which adds smooth transitions between navigations on your site, and Instant Back/Forward which enables back/forward cache (bfcache) for instant history navigations.
4.2.0
Enhancements
- Add
declare( strict_types = 1 )to all PHP files. (2424) - Bump minimum PHP requirement from 7.2 to 7.4. (2469)
- Enqueued Assets audit: treat zero-size and no-store responses as errors. (2481)
- Server Timing – Allow description and make duration optional. (2379)
4.1.0
Bug Fixes
- Fix invalid Server-Timing logic for database query timing when
$wpdb->queriesisnulldue to no query having been done yet. (2346)
Documentation
- Remove Web Worker Offloading from being featured by Performance Lab. (2404)
4.0.1
Bug Fixes
- Add notices and improved type checking for
$wpdb->querieswhen attempting to compute server-timing for database queries. (2159) - Skip stylesheets with empty
hrefattributes in Site Health audit. (2281, 2328) - Use proper escape function. (2246)
4.0.0
Enhancements
- Add Instant Back/Forward to list of performance feature plugins. (2119)
- Add admin pointers to promote new Performance Lab features. (2122)
- Implement opt-in
PERFLAB_PLACE_OBJECT_CACHE_DROPINfor Server-Timingobject-cache.phpplacement. (1996) - Use
wp_is_rest_endpoint()to detect if we are handling a REST API request. (2094)
Bug Fixes
- Fix TypeError in
perflab_aao_query_autoloaded_options()by serializing non-scalar option values. (1934) - Omit admin pointer for new plugin if plugin is already active. (2143)
- Prevent effective asset cache headers audit from running on local/development environments. (2035)
- Use HTML Tag Processor to audit blocking scripts & styles in Site Health’s enqueued-assets test. (2059)
3.9.0
Enhancements
- Remove experimental flags from Embed Optimizer and Image Prioritizer. (1846)
3.8.0
Enhancements
For developers
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Best Performance Lab alternatives
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FAQ
Performance Lab: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 26, 2026
Is Performance Lab free?
Yes. Performance Lab is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Performance Lab safe to use in 2026?
Yes — Performance Lab is a safe, well-maintained plugin to use in 2026. It runs on 100K+ sites, is rated 4.3/5 and was last updated 1 month ago, and scores 85/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Performance Lab?
Performance Lab is active on 100K+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 3,715,216 times since it launched in March 2022. It was downloaded 23,827 times in the last 30 days.
Does Performance Lab work with WordPress 7.1?
Yes. The developer has tested Performance Lab up to WordPress 7.1.2, the latest release. It requires WordPress 6.9 or newer.
What PHP version does Performance Lab need?
Performance Lab requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Performance Lab last updated?
The latest version, 4.2.0, was released on August 26, 2026 (1 month ago).
Who makes Performance Lab?
Performance Lab is developed and maintained by WordPress Performance Team.
What are the best alternatives to Performance Lab?
The most popular alternatives to Performance Lab are Server Info (3K+ installs), Commerza for WooCommerce (90+ installs) and Multisite Usage Scanner (80+ installs).
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