WPThumbs
Themes Plugins By purpose By industry Best-of lists Fix it guides
Free Plugin by kevinweber v2.18.11

Lazy Load for Videos

Boost page speed by replacing embedded YouTube and Vimeo videos with a clickable preview image. Video scripts only load on click.

Lazy Load for Videos

The facts

Rating
4.4★ from 105
Active installs
9k+
Price
Free
Last updated
19 May 2026
Added
Mar 2013
Requires WP
5.6
Tested up to
WP 6.9.7
Requires PHP
7.2
Downloads
462,050

Our analysis

AI-assisted

Lazy Load for Videos is a WordPress plugin designed to enhance page load times and improve Google PageSpeed Scores by replacing embedded YouTube and Vimeo videos with clickable preview images. Videos are only loaded when users click on these previews, which helps reduce unnecessary JavaScript on pages with multiple embedded videos.

The plugin supports existing YouTube and Vimeo blocks, operates in a privacy-enhanced mode, and offers various customization options. It is suitable for users looking to optimise their site's performance while maintaining a user-friendly experience with video content.

Best for: This plugin is best for WordPress site owners who frequently embed videos and want to enhance site performance.

What it does well

  • Improves page load time
  • Increases Google PageSpeed Score
  • Works with existing YouTube and Vimeo blocks
  • Offers privacy-enhanced video loading
  • Customisation options for video display

Where it falls short

  • Limited information on future features
  • No specific details on support or documentation

Verdict

Lazy Load for Videos is a practical solution for improving video loading efficiency on WordPress sites. It offers a range of features aimed at enhancing user experience and site performance.

From the developer

kevinweber's own description of Lazy Load for Videos, lightly tidied.

This plugin improves page load time and increases your Google PageSpeed Score. It works with oEmbed and replaces embedded Youtube and Vimeo videos with a clickable preview image.
By loading videos only when the user clicks on the preview image, no unnecessary JavaScript is loaded. Especially on sites with many embedded videos this will make your visitors happy. Additionally, all Youtube videos are loaded in a privacy-enhanced mode using the “https://www.youtube-nocookie.com” embed URL.

This plugin works for your existing YouTube and Vimeo blocks. No vendor lock-in and no custom shortcodes: Easily turn the plugin on and off anytime.

Plugin review with speed test results on WP Tavern.
Developers can contribute on Github.
More about the author on kweber.com.

Some additional features:

  • Display video titles on preview images
  • Display privacy disclaimer on top of preview images (e.g. for GDPR compliance)
  • Pre-roll and post-roll advertisements: Convert all videos into a playlist and automatically add your corporate video, product teaser or another video advertisement to every video. (Great for branding and video ads!)
  • Hide annotations such as “subscribe to channel” to avoid distractions
  • Add custom CSS via the plugin’s admin panel
  • Choose custom colour for your Vimeo player
  • Hide controls from Youtube player
  • Hide information like the video title and uploader when the video starts playing
  • Even lazy load videos in text widgets (Youtube only)
  • Choose between thumbnail sizes (standard or cover)
  • Choose from several play button styles
  • Choose the traditional red or the alternative white progress bar for the Youtube video player
  • Don’t show related videos at the end of your videos
  • Works with WordPress Multisite and many plugins such as TablePress

Future features:

  • Set a custom preview image per video
  • Track how often the videos have been loaded with Google Analytics
  • … YOU want a new feature RIGHT NOW? Please implement it yourself and contribute on Github, and I’ll publish your enhancements to the official WordPress directory.

Translators

If you have created your own language pack, or have an update of an existing one, you can send me your gettext PO and MO so that I can bundle it into my plugin. You can download the latest POT file from here.

Read the full description on the official page →

Tagged as

Alternatives

Other plugins for making sites fast.

WP-Optimize

Get caching and more with this powerful cache plugin. Cache, optimize images, clean your database and minify f...

Free 1M+ installs 4.8★ (2,606)
LiteSpeed Cache

All-in-one unbeatable acceleration & PageSpeed improvement: caching, image/CSS/JS optimization...

Free 7M+ installs 4.8★ (2,764)
EWWW Image Optimizer

Comprehensive image optimization with WebP, AVIF, Lazy Load, and more. Optimize images automatically for Faste...

Free 1M+ installs 4.8★ (1,838)
Under Construction

Easy to use Under Construction Page & Coming Soon Page. Enable Under Construction Mode in seconds & sh...

Free 600k+ installs 4.8★ (1,285)
Smush

Smush

93

Compress and optimize images, enable lazy load, serve WebP & AVIF, and speed up your site with a global im...

Free 1M+ installs 4.8★ (6,051)
Converter for Media

Speed up your website by using our WebP & AVIF Converter. Optimize images and serve WebP and AVIF images i...

Free 500k+ installs 4.9★ (1,097)