Instant Back/Forward vs Speculative Loading
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
These aren’t all alternatives to each other — they do different jobs — so this page compares popularity only, not features.
At a glance
Speculative Loading leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #611, ahead of Instant Back/Forward at #1,672. Over the last 7 days Speculative Loading slipped 1 place and Instant Back/Forward climbed 10 places. Speculative Loading has the largest install base, roughly 7× the next: 70K+ active installs against 10K+ for Instant Back/Forward. Downloads this week: Speculative Loading 2,714 and Instant Back/Forward 967. Ratings: Instant Back/Forward 5★ from 1 and Speculative Loading 5★ from 18 reviews.
| Metric | Instant Back/Forward | Speculative Loading |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,672 ▲ 10 | #611 ▼ 1 |
| Active installs | 10K+ | 70K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 967 | 2,714 |
| Rating | 5★ (1) | 5★ (18) |
| Last updated | Sep 12, 2026 | Aug 26, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.3.3 | 1.7.0 |
| Best rank on record | #1,672 | #602 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jul 2025 | Jan 2024 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
More comparisons
- Instant Back/Forward vs SpinupWP
- Instant Back/Forward vs WP Meteor Website Speed Optimization Addon
- Instant Back/Forward vs Breeze
- Instant Back/Forward vs Cache Enabler
- Instant Back/Forward vs Hummingbird
- Speculative Loading vs Flying Pages: Preload Pages for Faster Navigation & Improved User Experience
- Speculative Loading vs Async JavaScript
- Speculative Loading vs Page Optimize
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Instant Back/Forward or Speculative Loading?
By active installs, Speculative Loading: 70K+ sites run it against 10K+ for Instant Back/Forward, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 17, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Instant Back/Forward or Speculative Loading?
Speculative Loading, at #611 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Instant Back/Forward at #1,672. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Instant Back/Forward or Speculative Loading alternatives to each other?
Not all of them. Some of these plugins do different jobs and many sites run more than one. This page compares their popularity, not their features.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each plugin’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the plugins have moved over time rather than a single day.