P2 Header Ad Review: A Speed Score That Holds Up

P2 Header Ad is a WordPress plugin. Places a 468x80 pixel advert inside the header of Automattic's wonderful P2 Theme. Our 3-context benchmark shows it has a small but measurable impact (+11ms TTFB on activation).

Measured Speed Score

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	+11 ms	+0 MB	+3
🏠Homepage	+9 ms	+0 MB	+3
⚙️WP Admin	+5 ms	+0 MB	+0

Low impact

Plugin Overview

Active Installs10

Rating5/5 (1)

Tested Up ToWP 4.9.29

Last UpdatedMay 12, 2018

Downloads5K+

AuthorJay Versluis

WP.orgView on WordPress.org

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Performance Analysis

Performance Impact

P2 Header Ad receives an estimated speed score of . Our real benchmark tests measured the following impact when activating this plugin:

TTFB impact: +11 ms
Memory impact: +0.0 MB
Additional DB queries: +3

Overall activation impact: low. This plugin adds minimal overhead to your WordPress site.

Maintenance Status

Last updated: 2018-05-12. Trusted by 10 active installations.

Benchmark data measured in an isolated Docker environment (WordPress 6.8, PHP 8.3, GeneratePress). See our full methodology.

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Alternatives to P2 Header Ad

Plugin	Speed Score	Active Installs
Elementor Website Builder	D+	10M+
Classic Editor	A-	9M+
Yoast Duplicate Post	A-	4M+

Frequently Asked Questions

Is P2 Header Ad safe to keep activated on production sites?

Based on our 2026 benchmark, yes. P2 Header Ad measured a TTFB delta of +11ms on activation, which earned it a speed score of A. That's well within the range we'd recommend for production WordPress sites.

What makes P2 Header Ad faster than similar plugins?

We measured P2 Header Ad in three contexts (activation, homepage load, wp-admin) and it consistently stayed under our overhead thresholds. The composite score of A reflects all three — not a single cherry-picked number.

Does P2 Header Ad slow down WordPress?

P2 Header Ad has an estimated speed score of . It may noticeably affect your site speed. Consider alternatives if performance is critical.

Is P2 Header Ad still maintained?

P2 Header Ad was last updated on 2018-05-12. It has 10 active installations, indicating it is a functional plugin with a dedicated user base.

What are the best alternatives to P2 Header Ad?

Check our plugin reviews in the Other category for alternatives. We compare plugins side-by-side on speed, features, and user ratings to help you find the best fit.