I found threads on specific ways to display related posts, but did not see a comparison between the methods.
There are three ways to display related posts:
1. Using the related posts plugin available in WordPress.org directory
2. Using custom code in functions.php
3. Using the Elements Module + WP Show Posts Pro Plugin
My question is, which method results in the fastest performance speed?
regarding #1 and #2 – if the related post query is simply the taxonomy term, which is what WP Show Posts would do, then there should be no real difference in performance between any of the three options.