WP Preloader
A simple, responsive and customizable WordPress preloader with CSS spinners, logo, progress bar, gradient backgrounds, exit animations and more.
Use with caution
WP Preloader works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. It runs on 100+ sites, is rated 4/5 and was last updated 5 months ago, and scores 50/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (100+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.9 (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 WP Preloader stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| loading screen | #42 |
| page loader | #44 |
| preload | #41 |
| preloader | #8 |
| spinner | #11 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 4 from 4 reviews
About WP Preloader
From the official readme · v2.1.1Description
WP Preloader displays a beautiful loading screen while your website loads — and removes it smoothly once the page is ready.
Version 2.1 adds major new features including logo display, loading text, gradient backgrounds, progress bar, 5 new spinner styles, exit animations, and once-per-session control.
✨ What’s New in v2.1
- Custom Logo — display your site logo above the spinner
- Loading Text — show custom text below the spinner (e.g. “Loading…”)
- Gradient Background — two-color gradient instead of solid color
- Progress Bar — animated progress bar along top or bottom of screen
- 5 New Spinners — Bounce, Spiral, Flip Card, Clock, Heartbeat
- Exit Animations — Fade (default), Slide Up, Zoom Out
- Show Once Per Session — preloader shows only once per browser session
- Tabbed admin settings — General, Design, Logo & Text, Progress Bar, Timing
🎨 All 10 Spinner Styles
- Circle (Rotating Arc)
- Ring (Dual Ring)
- Dots (Bouncing)
- Bars (Wave)
- Pulse (Ripple)
- Bounce Ball — New in v2.1
- Spiral (Double) — New in v2.1
- Flip Card — New in v2.1
- Clock — New in v2.1
- Heartbeat — New in v2.1
⚙️ All Settings
- Enable / disable sitewide
- Disable for logged-in users
- Disable on mobile
- Show once per session
- Exclude specific pages
- Background: solid color or gradient (2 colors + direction)
- Background opacity
- Spinner type (10 styles) and color
- Custom image / GIF upload
- Logo upload with width control
- Loading text with color and size
- Progress bar with color, height, position
- Exit animation (fade, slide up, zoom out)
- Minimum display time
- Exit animation duration
- Live preview in admin panel
Installation
- Upload the plugin or install via Plugins → Add New.
- Activate the plugin.
- Go to Settings → WP Preloader to configure.
- No theme file editing required — auto-injects automatically.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to edit my theme files?
No. WP Preloader auto-injects using WordPress hooks. No shortcode or header.php editing needed.
What is “Show Once Per Session”?
When enabled, the preloader only shows once per browser session. After the visitor has seen it once, it won’t appear again until they close and reopen their browser.
Can I use my own logo on the preloader?
Yes. Go to Logo & Text tab, enable Show Logo, and upload your logo image.
Can I still use a GIF?
Yes. Upload your GIF under Design → Custom Image. It replaces the CSS spinner.
The legacy shortcode [new_loader] still works?
Yes, for backward compatibility. But it’s no longer required.
Changelog
Bug fix release. Loading text color/size now works correctly. Re-save your settings once after upgrading to enable the optimized page-exclusion check.
2.1.1
- Fixed loading text color and size settings not applying on the frontend
- Fixed duplicate “should show” logic — extracted to wpp_should_show() helper
- Fixed page-exclusion queries firing on every request — IDs now resolved once at save time
- Fixed excluded pages check to cover posts and custom post types, not only pages
- Added load_plugin_textdomain() so translations can be loaded
- Added aria-hidden=”true” on preloader dismiss for better screen reader support
- Added prefers-reduced-motion CSS support — disables animations for users who prefer it
- Moved inline admin JavaScript to assets/js/admin.js with proper dependencies
- Enqueue frontend script with defer strategy (WordPress 6.3+)
- Removed icon-128×128.png from plugin folder (must be in SVN /assets directory)
- Internal: replaced global $wpp_injected with static variable
2.1.0
- Added custom logo display above spinner
- Added loading text with color and size control
- Added gradient background option (2 colors + direction)
- Added animated progress bar (color, height, top/bottom position)
- Added 5 new spinner styles: Bounce, Spiral, Flip Card, Clock, Heartbeat
- Added 3 exit animations: Fade, Slide Up, Zoom Out
- Added “Show Once Per Session” option
- Reorganized admin into 5 tabs: General, Design, Logo & Text, Progress Bar, Timing
- Updated tested up to WordPress 6.9
2.0.0
- Complete rewrite for WordPress 6.x and PHP 8.x
- Added auto-injection via wp_body_open / wp_footer
- Added 5 CSS spinners, live preview, color pickers
- Added disable for logged-in users, mobile, excluded pages
1.0
- First Release
Screenshots
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 WP Preloader alternatives
All loading screen plugins →
FAQ
WP Preloader: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 30, 2026
Is WP Preloader free?
Yes. WP Preloader is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is WP Preloader safe to use in 2026?
WP Preloader works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. It runs on 100+ sites, is rated 4/5 and was last updated 5 months ago, and scores 50/100 on our health check.
How many websites use WP Preloader?
WP Preloader is active on 100+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 5,775 times since it launched in April 2016. It was downloaded 193 times in the last 30 days.
Does WP Preloader work with WordPress 7.1?
WP Preloader is officially tested up to WordPress 6.9.9, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does WP Preloader need?
WP Preloader requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was WP Preloader last updated?
The latest version, 2.1.1, was released on May 14, 2026 (5 months ago).
Who makes WP Preloader?
WP Preloader is developed and maintained by forgeo.dev.
What are the best alternatives to WP Preloader?
The most popular alternatives to WP Preloader are Safelayout Cute Preloader (10K+ installs), Preloader Awesome (1K+ installs) and PageLoader Lite (700+ installs).
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