Wed, 11th June 2025 | Written by: T.S

They say the first step is admitting you have a problem.

So here goes:

Hi, I’m T.S., and I once installed 47 plugins on a single WordPress site.

I didn’t mean for it to happen. It started innocently enough just a contact form here, a social share button there. A sexy "back to top" arrow. A cookie banner. A pop-up. A security tool. Another security tool because I didn’t trust the first one and then one day...

I loaded my homepage and got hit with the spinning wheel of death.

My site had the reaction time of a tranquilised sloth.

The Plugin Spiral (A Tragedy in Five Acts)

Act 1: Curiosity
“Oooh, what’s This Does Absolutely Nothing but Sounds Cool™? Let’s try it!”

Act 2: Excitement
“It works! My site has a snowfall animation! In June!”

Act 3: Denial
“Sure, it takes 14 seconds to load, but that’s just character.”

Act 4: Rage
“Why is my mobile menu now a picture of a dog?! WHO INSTALLED THIS?! Oh. Right.”

Act 5: Rock Bottom
googles “can I sue a plugin”

When Plugins Attack

Here’s what they don’t tell you:

• One dodgy plugin can break your entire layout.

• Two conflicting plugins can start a civil war inside your dashboard.

• Three unnecessary plugins? That’s just self-sabotage in PHP.

You know it's bad when your site’s backend takes longer to load than your Tesco grocery order on 3G.

How I Got Clean

I did the unthinkable.

I deactivated everything.

It was brutal. My homepage looked like it had been mugged. The fonts went back to default. The buttons turned grey. I saw code I wasn’t ready for.

But in that moment of digital desolation, I found something beautiful:
Speed. Simplicity. Peace.

And then I installed just what I needed. No more.
(Apart from the dancing cat plugin. That one stays. Forever.)

The Good Ones (Plugins That Didn’t Hurt Me)

If you're going to dance with plugins, at least pick good partners:

• WP Rocket – For speed demons with no patience

• Rank Math – For those who want SEO without a PhD

• WPForms – Because contact forms shouldn’t require a minor in engineering

• Advanced Custom Fields – For the brave souls flirting with customisation

• Limit Login Attempts Reloaded – To keep the hackers out and your sanity in

(Notice: no pop-ups, no sliders, no “10-in-1 Magic Toolkit That Also Makes Toast.”)

Bonus: Plugin Hoarder Checklist

Let’s be real, if you’ve ever said:

☑ “Just testing this one...” (for 9 months)
☑ “I’ll deactivate it later” (you won’t)
☑ “The reviews were bad but I’m feeling lucky”
☑ “Yes, I need four gallery plugins, Dave.”

Then congratulations. You’re one of us.

T.S., signing off (plugin-light and emotionally stable)

P.S. Still sniffing themes? Use What’s Hosting Theme Detector
It’s free, fast, and won’t ask for your email in exchange for disappointment.