Anyone who has ever built a WordPress based website will tell you that one of the best possible features is the ability to integrate plugins. These plugins can offer a wide range of functionality to your site. There are plugins for everything from time management and calls to action to plugins designed to personalize the WordPress dashboard and for creating integrated forums. The level of customization that plugins offer is simply phenomenal. The trouble is that there seems to be an almost magical point where you can reach that point of too many plugins. This leaves many asking, how many WordPress plugins is too many?
The first thing to remember is that if you are looking at site speed a site running bare bones will always outperform one that is running plugins. This is due simply because each plugin you add represents more code that must be loaded each time the site loads. However, for most individuals, this difference in load time is going to be minimal. Unless you are trying to run a double handful of plugins odds are your site is going to load just fine.
The biggest concern you should have is whether the plugins you have chosen are coded properly using WordPress best practices. While some of us may be able to differentiate between properly and poorly coded plugins, many are simply not trained to do so. This is the main reason for limiting the number of plugins you use. That way you reduce the chances of running into a poorly coded plugin that could drag your site down.
One way to ensure that you get the best plugins possible is to closely look at those available on WordPress.org’s plugin directory. Look at the rating for the plugin you are considering. Does it have five stars but only one person has voted? You might want to think long and hard about that one. Also, take a look at the support tab and see what sort of issues other people have reported and the dates. This will give you a further idea if the plugin you are considering is worthy of being used on your site or not.
If you are confident that your chosen plugins will not conflict with one another and that they are all from reputable sources, then the most that should be used on your site is… up to you! While I particularly keep the count under twenty I have talked to individuals who go well above that number. Simply keep in mind that the more you add the greater the chances for coding conflicts along the way.