Hi there, thanks for writing!!
Actually we have many users managing databases with thousands of store locations using WP Store Locator. The plugin is designed to handle thousands or even tens of thousands of locations effectively on the backend. However, it’s important to distinguish between backend performance (storing and managing locations) and frontend performance (displaying locations to end users).
If you intend to display all 6k markers simultaneously, this could lead to performance issues. This is a common limitation for any solution using Google Maps with a large number of markers, as the bottleneck typically occurs in the user’s browser.
While desktop browsers may handle a larger number of markers more efficiently, mobile browsers—due to their limited resources—may struggle with more than 1,000 markers at a time.
Many of our users successfully manage tens of thousands of locations by applying practical restrictions on the frontend. For example, they often set a search radius of 100 to 200 miles, so unless all 6k locations are concentrated in a single area, users will only see a few dozen or a few hundred nearby markers at a time.
Additionally, as shown on our demo page, the plugin allows for further optimization using dropdowns or default values for search radius and maximum number of results. These features help prevent frontend bottlenecks in scenarios where a search could potentially return thousands of markers.
As for the console messages that you mention, it is true that Google Maps keeps changing their APIs very often, and we are always on top of that (we will release a major new version with a lot of new features and corrections soon, for example). But in your particular case those warnings you see are not actually affecting performance that much to be honest.
Last but not least, if I may ask, what is the point of showing 6k markers simultaneously? Does this help your users find what they are looking for?
I hope that helps, please feel free to comment on any of the above.
Best regards,
