Smart Image Loader
Smart Image Loader loads images which are visible in the initial viewport of your website before any images whose position is “below the fold”, outside the current viewport. Those images can be loaded as soon as the…
Consider an alternative
Smart Image Loader shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 90+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 8 years ago, and scores 32/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (90+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 8 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 4.9 (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 Smart Image Loader stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| above-the-fold | >100 |
| image | >100 |
| Lazy Loading | >100 |
| performance | >100 |
| speed | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
About Smart Image Loader
From the official readme · v0.5.1Description
Smart Image Loader loads images which are visible in the initial viewport of your website before any images whose position is “below the fold”, outside the current viewport. Those images can be loaded as soon as the visible images are finished loading or “lazy loaded” when they would become visible. This can be useful for bandwidth saving on mobile devices.
There is no need to insert any additional code into your website, just install the plug-in.
The default settings are fine in most cases, but you may want to adjust them for optimization.
Smart Image Loader is tested and works down to Internet Explorer 7, disabled below.
Note: there is currently no support for (CSS) background images.
Installation
- Unzip and upload the contents to your
/wp-content/plugins/directory - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
Changelog
0.5.1
- forcing priority loaded images to be visible by css their properties
- tested with wordpress 4.9.9
0.5.0
- fixed minor bug that would try to write sizes attribute even when none are defined
0.4.8
- fixed error server would throw when HTTP_USER_AGENT isn’t sent
0.4.7
- deactivate plugin completely in wordpress backend
0.4.6
- made enhanced accuracy option mandatory
- very minor performance tweaks
0.4.5
- removed iOS hacks
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best Smart Image Loader alternatives
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FAQ
Smart Image Loader: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 13, 2026
Is Smart Image Loader free?
Yes. Smart Image Loader is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Smart Image Loader safe to use in 2026?
Smart Image Loader shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 90+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 8 years ago, and scores 32/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Smart Image Loader?
Smart Image Loader is active on 90+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 9,645 times since it launched in April 2014. It was downloaded 70 times in the last 30 days.
Does Smart Image Loader work with WordPress 7.1?
Smart Image Loader is officially tested up to WordPress 4.9.34, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Smart Image Loader last updated?
The latest version, 0.5.1, was released on August 9, 2018 (8 years ago).
Who makes Smart Image Loader?
Smart Image Loader is developed and maintained by bypr.nils.
What are the best alternatives to Smart Image Loader?
The most popular alternatives to Smart Image Loader are Inline JS Block for Gutenbe… (60+ installs), Lazy Load Fix for Divi (50+ installs) and AAC Scoring (10+ installs).
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