How MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) Affects Your WordPress Speed
How is this scored?
Our Benchmark Methodology
Every speed score on MakeWPFast is based on real performance measurements, not estimates. We install each plugin on a clean WordPress 6.9 setup (PHP 8.3, MariaDB, GeneratePress theme) and measure two key metrics:
PHP Memory Usage — how much additional memory the plugin consumes per request. Each doubling of memory overhead costs 10 points. High memory usage can cause crashes on shared hosting and limits how many plugins you can safely run together.
Database Queries — how many extra SQL queries the plugin runs per page load. Each 10x increase in query overhead costs 25 points. More queries mean more database work, slower pages, and harder scaling.
The score uses a logarithmic scale — the first few extra queries or megabytes matter more than going from 100 to 110 queries. This reflects real-world impact: the jump from 4 to 14 queries is far more noticeable than 100 to 110.
| Grade | Score | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| A | 90–100 | Negligible impact. Safe to install on any hosting. |
| A- | 80–89 | Very light impact. Minimal overhead on any setup. |
| B+ / B / B- | 65–79 | Light impact. Adds some overhead but manageable on most setups. |
| C+ / C / C- | 50–64 | Moderate impact. May noticeably slow down budget hosting. |
| D+ / D | 35–49 | Heavy impact. Will affect page load times. Consider alternatives. |
| F | 0–34 | Severe impact. Significant resource usage that hurts performance. |
Plugins marked "Not Yet Tested" have not been benchmarked yet. We do not estimate or guess scores — if there is no measured data, there is no grade.
Note: Benchmarks measure a plugin in isolation on a clean install. Real-world impact varies based on your hosting, other plugins, and how the plugin is configured.
| Context | TTFB | Memory | Queries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Activation | +6 ms | +0 MB | +2 |
| Homepage | Measuring — results coming soon | ||
| WP Admin | Measuring — results coming soon | ||
Share This Badge
Add this performance badge to your site or README:
Performance Analysis
MonsterInsights is a free WordPress plugin that wraps Google Analytics with a dashboard built into your site, letting you see where visitors come from, what pages they view, and how they behave without needing to edit code.
It’s aimed at anyone who wants a simple, non‑technical way to track traffic and understand user flow, so you can make data‑driven improvements without hiring a developer.
Skip it if you already have a solid analytics setup, need ultra‑low impact, or are comfortable with a paid add‑on, because the plugin is popular (used by over two million sites) but adds a few milliseconds to page load, uses negligible memory, and introduces a couple of extra SQL queries.
Maintenance Status
Last updated: 2026-02-10. Requires PHP 7.2+. Trusted by 2.0M+ active installations.
Benchmark data measured in an isolated Docker environment (WordPress 6.8, PHP 8.3, GeneratePress). See our full methodology.
Find slow plugins on your own site
WP Multitool scans your WordPress site for slow queries, memory hogs, and performance bottlenecks - in one click.
Alternatives to MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy)
| Plugin | Speed Score | Active Installs |
|---|---|---|
| GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress | A | 700K+ |
| Header Footer Code Manager | A | 600K+ |
| WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative | A | 600K+ |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) slow down WordPress?
Is MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) still maintained?
What are the best alternatives to MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy)?
Plugin reviews, speed optimization guides, and error debugging — straight to your inbox.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. We respect your privacy.