🆚 DNS Prefetch vs. Preload

Type

Performance optimization technology
Performance optimization technology

About

The rel="dns-prefetch" attribute on HTML <link> elements instructs web browsers to resolve domain names for external resources before those resources are requested.

It is commonly used for third-party domains serving scripts, fonts, analytics, advertisements, or media files, helping reduce DNS lookup latency and improve loading performance for external connections.

The rel="preload" attribute on HTML <link> elements instructs web browsers to fetch important resources early before they are requested during page rendering.

It is commonly used to prioritize fonts, stylesheets, scripts, images, and other critical assets, helping reduce render delays and improve page loading performance.

Headquarters

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Website

Categories

Performance Optimization › Rank #2
Performance Optimization › Rank #4
Standards › Rank #6
Standards › Rank #9

Popularity

Determined by the number of sites using each technology.

DNS Prefetch performance optimization technology is 1.5 times more popular than Preload.
Total websites

Market share

Performance Optimization
Standards

Popularity by country

Determined by the number of sites detected from each country.

DNS Prefetch is more popular in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, while Preload is more popular in Germany, Indonesia, and Austria.
United States
United Kingdom
Germany
France
Japan
Spain
Italy
Netherlands
Australia
Canada

Awards

Popularity by domain category

Determined by the number of sites in each category.

DNS Prefetch is more popular among sites focused on business, marketing and merchandising, and blogs and wiki, while Preload is more commonly used on online shopping and finance and banking sites.
Business
Marketing/Merchandising
Online Shopping
Blogs/Wiki
Education/Reference
Internet Services
Travel
Entertainment
Health
General News

Top sites

Top-ranked sites that use these technologies.

Name
Rank
View more ➝
Name
Rank
#12
View more ➝

See also

🗃️ About This Data