How to improve loading speed in Bubble

The fastest way to improve loading speed in Bubble is to reduce how much data Bubble has to load on page load, simplify searches with good constraints, send heavy work to backend workflows, and avoid loading repeating groups until the user actually needs the data. Most speed problems come from loading too much data too early.

Main Techniques That Actually Improve Speed

• Load less on page load. Any element that is visible when the page loads will fetch its data immediately. Hide repeating groups by default and show them only after a user action (like clicking a button).
• Use proper search constraints. A constrained search like Search for Orders where User = Current User is far faster than searching everything and filtering with :filtered.
• Move heavy work to backend workflows. Anything that loops, processes many things, or updates lots of records should run in backend workflows instead of on the page.
• Keep data types clean. Avoid huge fields (like giant Lists of Things). Instead, connect things with linked fields (parent-child structure).
• Use privacy rules correctly. Bubble loads data and then applies privacy rules. Good privacy rules mean the database only returns the fields the user needs.
• Use “Lazy load” on repeating groups. This loads items only as the user scrolls instead of all at once.
• Preload only what’s truly needed. Remove “Do Search for” expressions from the page header or element conditions unless required.

Example: Fixing a Slow Repeating Group

If you have a repeating group showing thousands of Items, you can speed it up with constraints and lazy loading.

// Repeating Group Data Source
Search for Items  
  // GOOD: use constraints, so Bubble fetches only what’s needed
  where Category = Dropdown’s value  
  and Owner = Current User

// In the RG property editor:
"Vertical scrolling" or "Ext. vertical scrolling" // enables lazy load

Example: Offload Work with Backend Workflow

Instead of modifying hundreds of Things on the page:

Schedule API Workflow  
  thing = current thing  
  new_status = "archived"  

Extra Tips That Matter

• Avoid :sorted on the page. Sorting large lists in the browser is slow; instead sort in the “Search for”.
• Avoid nested “Do Search for”. If you need something repeatedly, save it to the parent Thing or use a backend workflow to pre-compute.
• Use Option Sets for static data. They load instantly and don’t touch the database.