Introduction
Using a preload animation is an excellent way to maintain your website's users' engagement while they wait for content to load. Waiting for content to load can be tedious, but there are many loading plugins available that can help resolve this issue. They can be used to create captivating loading screens that make the wait time more engaging while the site loads in the background. We researched for you and created a list of the top ten preloader plugins for WordPress websites.
What is a preloader plugin?
In web development, a preloader plugin is a script or piece of software that displays a loading animation or message while a web page loads. Its purpose is to enhance the user experience by giving the impression that the website is actively loading and preventing users from seeing a partially loaded page. You can read our blog guide to adding a preloader animation to WordPress for more details.
Top 7 preloader plugins for WordPress
If you want to improve the style and professionalism of your WordPress website, we have some great options for you! Our article has the top 7 preloader plugins for WordPress. These plugins can significantly improve your website's loading speed and enhance the user experience. Don't hesitate to explore the features and choose the perfect preloader plugin for your site today!
1. VW Preloader
If you're looking to add a preloader to your WordPress site, VW Preloader is a popular plugin that can help. It's compatible with all major browsers, making it easy to create a seamless user experience. The purpose of a preloader is to make your website more user-friendly for visitors.
Features:
- Customization: It has plenty of customization options.
- Compatibility: It is compatible with the latest version of WordPress and many themes.
2. Preloader for Website
Preloader for Websites is the best preloader plugin for WordPress websites. With this plugin, you can give your WordPress website an animated loading screen.
The Preloader for Website plugin is customizable and comes with 17 pre-built spinners for special animation effects for the loading screen. It has been tested on desktop browsers and iOS, Android, and Windows devices. With 1000+ installations, Preloader for Websites is compatible with the latest version of WordPress.
Features:
- High Customizability: The plugin comes with customization options.
- Integration: It works well with your favorite page builders, such as WPBakery, Elementor, and Gutenberg.
- Lightweight: The plugin doesn’t load Javascript, HTML, or CSS.
3. LoftLoader
With LoftLoader, a powerful WordPress plugin, you can easily customize your website's preloader animation without any coding skills. The plugin offers 19 different CSS3 animations that work well on various browsers, making your preloader animation look great on all devices.
Furthermore, there are four ending animations and seven loading animation effects, two of which you can customize for your specific needs.
This plugin allows you to fully customize your loading screen by choosing any color, adding progress bars and counters to display the page's loading progress, or simply adding a simple animation in the background for a minimalist approach.
The free version offers basic features, but the Pro version offers even more features, such as device control and an enhanced settings panel. You can also customize your loading screen's look further with unlimited background options.
Features:
- Color Options: The plugin comes with the ultimate color loader option.
- Background: Ultimate background options to customize the background
- compatibility: LoftLoader is compatible with the latest version of WordPress.
4. Flat Preloader
With more than 5,000 active installations, Flat Preloader is another popular preloader plugin for WordPress websites. The Flat Preloader plugin is highly responsive and lightweight, ensuring that it won't slow down your website. It contains numerous retina-ready GIF images to choose from. However, it's worth noting that this plugin doesn't support advanced customization. Here are a few more features and benefits of the Flat Preloader:
Features:
- Lightweight and Responsive: It appears beautifully on various devices.
- Customization: It comes with many customization options.
5. Preloader Plus
Preloader Plus is another freemium-level pageloader plugin for WordPress websites. Engage users with a preloader while the website page is loading. The Preloader Plus plugin is integrated into the WordPress Customizer. Therefore, changing settings is easy. On top of that, the plugin works on all major browsers, and you can use it on any theme and device.
Features:
- Affordable: It is available for free to download.
- Time: It allows you to set the animation duration.
6. MAZ Loader
With MAZ Loader, you can effortlessly integrate diverse styles of preloaders into your website and ensure your users have a pleasant waiting experience. You don't need to hire a developer to set it up.
The plugin has been designed with ease of use in mind. With fields available, MAZ Loader offers endless possibilities for customizing your preloader's style, animations, and transitions. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced user, MAZ Loader is customer-focused, user-friendly, accommodating, simple, and complex for preloader needs.
Features:
- Price: It is available for free to use.
- Customization: Many customization options are available.
7. Preloader Matrix
Last but not least, Preloader Matrix is another Preloader Plugin For WordPress. It is a freemium-level plugin that allows you to set up a website in no time. The plugin lets you add images, background color, and opacity.
Features:
- Lightweight, responsive, and fast.
- Cross-Browser Compatible.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why do we need a preloader?
They let users know they have to wait for the entire page to load. Using preloaders improves the user experience by making loading time feel shorter and eliminating confusion about whether the website is responsive.
- Is preload useful?
Preloading resources can be powerful, but excessive usage may have negative effects due to modern browsers' ability to prioritize resources.
- Which is the best preloader plugin for WordPress websites?
The best preloader plugin for WordPress websites is Loftloader.
Conclusion
We are glad to have provided helpful information on the must-have preloader plugin for WordPress websites. In addition to the preloader, integrating premium WordPress plugins can significantly enhance the functionality and aesthetics of your site. These premium plugins offer advanced features and top-notch support, ensuring a seamless user experience.