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Understanding and Addressing HubSpot Plugin Performance Issues

26 threads Sep 9, 2025

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Many WordPress users leverage the HubSpot – CRM, Email Marketing, Live Chat, Forms & Analytics plugin for its powerful marketing tools. However, a common theme in community discussions revolves around its impact on website performance, particularly page load times and speed test scores like those from Google Lighthouse or GTmetrix. This guide explains why these performance hits can occur and outlines the most common solutions and workarounds.

Why Performance Issues Happen

The HubSpot plugin integrates a suite of marketing tools, each of which may load its own external scripts and assets. Common performance-related factors include:

  • Multiple External Scripts: The plugin can load scripts from various domains (e.g., js.hs-scripts.com, js.hs-analytics.net, js.hsforms.net, forms.hsforms.com), each requiring a separate DNS lookup and network request.
  • Script Loading Behavior: While the HubSpot team has stated that some scripts are deferred to be non-blocking, other resources may still load in a way that affects a page's Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) or total blocking time.
  • Plugin State: Evidence suggests the plugin may perform additional checks when it is not connected to a HubSpot account, which can significantly slow down WordPress admin page load times.
  • File Size: Some features, like meetings, can deliver large JavaScript payloads.

Common Solutions and Workarounds

Based on community feedback and official responses, here are the most effective strategies for mitigating these performance concerns.

1. Ensure the Plugin is Updated and Connected

First, always ensure you are running the latest version of the plugin. The HubSpot team frequently releases updates that include performance optimizations. For example, one update specifically addressed admin slowdowns when the plugin was in a disconnected state. Furthermore, connecting the plugin to your HubSpot account can reduce unnecessary checks and improve load times.

2. Verify Scripts are Loading Correctly

The plugin is designed to load its main tracking and form scripts with a defer attribute to prevent them from blocking page rendering. If you are manually embedding HubSpot forms or chat code, avoid adding async or defer attributes to the script tag yourself, as this can break the form's functionality. Instead, use the method provided by the plugin for proper asynchronous loading.

3. Be Cautious with Manual Optimization

Many performance auditing tools will flag the number of DNS lookups or suggest further optimizing the external HubSpot scripts. It's important to note that while these flags can lower a synthetic performance score, the actual real-world impact on user experience is often marginal. The HubSpot team has indicated that consolidating these domains is not always feasible as they are owned by different internal teams.

4. Monitor Known Issues

The HubSpot team has acknowledged investigations into general script performance and payload size. While they work on broader optimizations, staying informed through their update changelogs is recommended. For specific, severe performance regressions introduced in a new version, reporting the issue can help prioritize a fix.

Conclusion

Performance concerns with the HubSpot plugin are a known challenge, often stemming from its architecture as an all-in-one marketing suite. The most effective approach is to keep the plugin updated, ensure it is properly connected, and understand that some performance tool warnings may have a minimal practical impact. The HubSpot team has a history of addressing specific performance issues, like removing unnecessary jQuery dependencies or adding defer attributes, in response to community feedback.

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