Featherweight vs Plugin Check (PCP)

At a glance

Plugin A

Featherweight

Speed up WordPress by disabling unused features — emojis, embeds, query strings, XML-RPC, RSS and more — for fewer requests and faster pages.

Rating

4.1/5

Active Installs 10K+

Author jody nesbitt

Version v2.2.3

Last Updated Jun 2026

Source WordPress.org ↗

Plugin B

Plugin Check (PCP)

Plugin Check is a WordPress.org tool which provides checks to help plugins meet the directory requirements and follow various best practices.

Rating

4.5/5

Active Installs 10K+

Author WordPress.org

Version v2.0.0

Last Updated May 2026

Source WordPress.org ↗

Full Comparison

📊 Data-Driven Review

Technical Specs

Featherweight vs Plugin Check (PCP): Key Statistics
Metric	Featherweight	Plugin Check (PCP)
Requires WP	6.4+	6.3+
Requires PHP	7.4+	7.4+
Tested up to WP	7.0.1	7.0
Plugin age	9 yrs	15 yrs

Quick Verdict

Plugin Check (PCP) wins this comparison. It directly serves developers who need to meet WordPress.org directory standards, a task that affects every plugin author. Featherweight focuses on a narrower niche: disabling unwanted front-end features. Plugin Check (PCP)'s 5-star rating of 80% outpaces Featherweight's 76%, and its 6% 1-star rate is significantly lower than Featherweight's 20%. For the broader WordPress community, Plugin Check (PCP) is the more essential tool.

Feature Comparison: Featherweight vs Plugin Check (PCP)

Core functional features of Featherweight and Plugin Check (PCP)
Feature	Featherweight	Plugin Check (PCP)
Primary function	Disables WordPress features (emojis, embeds, XML-RPC, RSS) to speed up sites	Checks WordPress plugins against directory requirements and best practices
Target user	Site owners wanting fewer HTTP requests and faster page loads	Plugin developers preparing submissions for WordPress.org
Disable WordPress embeds	Yes, core feature	No
Disable WordPress emojis	Yes, core feature	No
Remove query strings from assets	Yes, core feature	No
Performance testing	No	Yes, checks for performance best practices
Security checks	No	Yes, includes security best practice checks
Accessibility checks	No	Yes, includes accessibility checks
Plugin directory submission readiness	No	Yes, primary purpose

Who Should Use Featherweight

Site owners who want a single tool to disable embeds in WordPress without editing functions.php. Featherweight handles this with one toggle, and it's trusted by 10K+ active installs.
Anyone looking for a quick way to remove query strings from WordPress assets. This is a specific performance tweak that Featherweight automates, and 76% of its reviewers gave it 5 stars.
Users who want to disable emoji in WordPress entirely. If your site doesn't use emojis, Featherweight removes the related JavaScript and CSS, cutting one more request from your page load.

Who Should Use Plugin Check (PCP)

Plugin developers who need to check a WordPress plugin for directory requirements before submitting to WordPress.org. This is Plugin Check (PCP)'s exact purpose, and 80% of its users rated it 5 stars.
Teams building plugins who want an automated WordPress plugin best practices checker. Plugin Check (PCP) flags issues with performance, security, and accessibility in one scan.
Developers who prioritize accessibility compliance. Plugin Check (PCP) includes checks for common accessibility problems, helping you meet standards before launch.

Community & Support

Featherweight shows a split user base: 76% of reviewers gave it 5 stars, but 20% gave it 1 star. That 20% negative rate is notable and suggests some users encounter issues that the plugin doesn't resolve for them. Plugin Check (PCP) has a much healthier distribution, with 80% 5-star reviews and only 6% 1-star reviews. The 1-star rate for Plugin Check (PCP) is over three times lower than Featherweight's, indicating higher overall satisfaction among its user base.

Verdict: Featherweight or Plugin Check (PCP) for WordPress sites?

Pick Featherweight if your only goal is a faster front-end by disabling features like embeds, emojis, and query strings. It's a specific tool for a specific job, and its 10K+ installs show demand. Just be aware that 20% of its reviewers were unhappy enough to give it 1 star.

Pick Plugin Check (PCP) if you develop plugins for WordPress.org or want to verify your code against directory standards. It's the only tool here that checks for security, performance, and accessibility best practices. With 80% 5-star ratings and just 6% 1-star ratings, it has a stronger satisfaction record. For most WordPress developers, Plugin Check (PCP) is the clear choice.

How this comparison was made

This comparison is AI-generated from live WordPress.org data. Install counts, ratings, versions and support statistics sync weekly, so the numbers on this page stay current. Content passes automated quality checks before publishing, and pages below our quality threshold are held for human review.

Read our full methodology

Frequently Asked Questions

Q How many people use Featherweight compared to Plugin Check (PCP)?

Both plugins report about 10K+ active installs on WordPress.org, so their user bases are the same size.

Q Which has better user ratings — Featherweight or Plugin Check (PCP)?

Plugin Check (PCP) averages 4.5/5 from 35 reviews, while Featherweight averages 4.1/5 from 45 reviews — Plugin Check (PCP) has the higher average rating.

Q Which is more actively maintained — Featherweight or Plugin Check (PCP)?

Featherweight was last updated on Jun 13, 2026 and Plugin Check (PCP) on May 29, 2026, so Featherweight received the more recent update.

Q Are Featherweight and Plugin Check (PCP) both free?

Yes — both Featherweight and Plugin Check (PCP) are free to install from the official WordPress.org plugin directory. Some features may require a paid upgrade offered by the plugin author.

Q Is Featherweight or Plugin Check (PCP) better for WordPress sites?

Featherweight is better if your goal is to strip out bloat like embeds and emoji for faster load times. Plugin Check (PCP) is better if you need to audit a plugin for security, accessibility, and best practices before putting it on a live site. They solve completely different problems, so the right choice depends on whether you are optimizing a site or testing a plugin.

Q Which is easier to set up for a WordPress beginner — Featherweight or Plugin Check (PCP)?

Featherweight is easier for a beginner because you install it and it immediately disables features like embeds and emoji with no configuration needed. Plugin Check (PCP) requires you to upload or select a plugin to scan, then interpret the results, which assumes you already know what a WordPress plugin directory requirement is. Most beginners will find Featherweight's one-click approach much simpler.

Q What is the biggest feature difference between Featherweight and Plugin Check (PCP)?

Featherweight focuses on removing performance drains like query strings, embeds, and emoji from your live site. Plugin Check (PCP) is a testing tool that checks a plugin for directory requirements, security issues, and accessibility problems before you release it. One is a site optimizer, the other is a plugin quality checker.

Q Can you switch from Featherweight to Plugin Check (PCP) (or the other way) without losing data?

Yes, you can switch between them because they do not share any settings or stored data. Featherweight only modifies how your site outputs content, and Plugin Check (PCP) only runs scans on plugin files. Deactivating one and activating the other will not delete any posts, users, or plugin configurations.

Q Which type of site should choose Featherweight, and which should choose Plugin Check (PCP)?

Featherweight is for any live site that wants to disable embeds, emoji, and query strings to improve performance without breaking functionality. Plugin Check (PCP) is for developers or site owners who need to verify that a plugin meets WordPress directory standards before publishing or installing it. If you run a simple blog, pick Featherweight; if you build plugins for others, pick Plugin Check (PCP).