How to Make Jetpack Plugin Light in Your WordPress

Despite its versatility, the widely used Jetpack plugin has a negative side, which is that it burdens the performance of your WordPress site.

The reason is simple: too many modules are installed.

At the time this article was written, there are 45 modules in Jetpack (and can add up – see list).

I’m pretty sure you don’t use all of them. Some modules are only present as additional features that are not really significant.

Instead of letting the modules overload resources hosting, it’s a good idea to disable it so that your WordPress site is lighter.

Check out the secret trick below!

(Spoiler: not in the Settings menu )

How to make the Jetpack plugin lightweight

1. Log in to your WordPress (site address.com/wp-admin), then click Jetpack Dashboard.

2. Scroll the page to the very bottom then click menu Debug.

3. Next, click Access the full list of Jetpack modules available on your site.

4. In the right sidebar in the View column, select Active.

This command will list all the active modules in Jetpack.

5. Check which modules you want to disable. In Bulk Actions select Deactivatethen click Apply. You can also turn off modules one by one.

TIPS: If you’re confused about a module’s function, click on its name to see full information on the Jetpack page.

The Guide.ID site itself uses the Jetpack plugin with customized modules to provide the best WordPress performance.

Fewer modules means less requests and resources, which indirectly lightens the load when the site loads, resulting in faster pages.

Which modules should be left active?

There are no special rules. It all depends on the needs of the site.

As for Hint.ID itself, I rely on the five most outspoken Jetpack modules in their field. Among others…

• Contact Forms – A simple solution to bring up a contact form instead of having to install another contact plugin.
• Extra Sidebar Widgets – I admit some of the widgets from Jetpack are very useful, such as Authors, Contact Info, and Top Posts.
• CDN images – Suitable for international sites that want their images to load faster because image files are stored on Jetpack servers.
• Lazy Images – Its function is to speed up the site by only displaying images when visitors start scrolling to the image.
• Site Stats – Daily visitor statistics that are very easy to understand and full of features.

Again, that’s just an example of my favorite module. There is no requirement regarding which modules should be turned off or used.

Updates: I no longer use the Jetpack plugin on all of my WordPress sites. Meanwhile, for speed features such as Lazy Images and Image CDN, I replaced it with premium service from WP Hummingbird Pro and WP Smush Pro.

Why is my WordPress site still slow?

There are so many factors that affect the speed of WordPress. For example server capabilities, website content content, to writing code.

Disabling some Jetpack modules is just one of the many tasks that must be done to speed up website loading.

The one I recommend the most is with compress images in WordPress where in a case study I managed to reduce the image size by 74%.

Besides, it’s best leave shared hosting and start switching to cloud hosting. I use Cloudways, a much higher performing semi-managed cloud hosting service. Register Cloudways here to get the best price.

Are there alternative Jetpack plugins?

Unfortunately, I didn’t find a plugin that came close to Jetpack. Not its features or popularity.

The massive number of modules makes it difficult for anyone to replicate similar plugins with better performance.

So, if you can’t get rid of Jetpack’s features but don’t want to be burdened by it either, turning off the module and using a high-end server is the best solution.

That’s how to lighten the Jetpack plugin on your WordPress site.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to write them in the comments column.