WP Pace
Create an automatic page load progress bar. Based on Pace – Automatic page load progress bar. Javascript by Zack Bloom CSS by Adam Schwartz. Themes inspired by Mary Lou
Consider an alternative
WP Pace shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 80+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 12 years ago, and scores 37/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (80+ active installs)
- No update in 12 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 3.6 (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 WP Pace stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| loading | >100 |
| loading animation | >100 |
| pace | >100 |
| progress bar | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 8 reviews
About WP Pace
From the official readme · v2.0Description
Create an automatic page load progress bar. Based on Pace – Automatic page load progress bar. Javascript by Zack Bloom CSS by Adam Schwartz. Themes inspired by Mary Lou
See a working demo here: pace.jamesdbruner.com
Cool Features:
- Customize the color of the progress bar with an easy to use color picker
- Choose which progress bar ‘theme’ you want to use from a dropdown list
- Decide whether you want to have the progress bar on every page or use the shortcode to add it to just a few specific pages/posts
- The shortcode allows you to have different colored progress bars with varying themes on a page to page basis.
How to use the shortcode:
There are two attributes you can use
- color
- theme
Example: [pace color="#29d9dd" theme="minimal"] or just [pace] will work fine. (the default color is #29d9dd and the default theme is minimal)
There are ten themes to choose from
- Minimal
- Flash
- Barbershop
- MacOSX
- Fill-Left
- Flat-Top
- CornderIndicator
- Bounce
- Big Counter
- Center Circle
Installation
How to get started:
- Upload
wp-pace.zipto the/wp-content/plugins/directory - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
- Navigate to the Plugins page and select Settings
- Choose the settings you would like then check the Sitewide option and save
- Alternatively you can uncheck the sitewide option and use the shortcode on any page or post
Changelog
It's better code that's less likely to conflict with other plugins. Also I've reduced the size of all the css and js files and included two more cool effects.
2.0
- Refactored the plugin to work within the pace class now
- Added 2 more effects Big Counter and Center Circle
- Minified the css for all of the efects
- Minified pace.js
1.0
- First commit
- Comes with a global option or you can use the shortcodes
- Customize the color and choose a theme for your progress bar(s)
Screenshots
For developers
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Best WP Pace alternatives
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FAQ
WP Pace: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 29, 2026
Is WP Pace free?
Yes. WP Pace is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is WP Pace safe to use in 2026?
WP Pace shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 80+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 12 years ago, and scores 37/100 on our health check.
How many websites use WP Pace?
WP Pace is active on 80+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 6,892 times since it launched in September 2013. It was downloaded 59 times in the last 30 days.
Does WP Pace work with WordPress 7.1?
WP Pace is officially tested up to WordPress 3.6.1, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was WP Pace last updated?
The latest version, 2.0, was released on April 28, 2014 (12 years ago).
Who makes WP Pace?
WP Pace is developed and maintained by jamesdbruner.
What are the best alternatives to WP Pace?
The most popular alternatives to WP Pace are Preloader (20K+ installs), Native Lazyload (5K+ installs) and Flat Preloader (3K+ installs).
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