If you want to speed your WordPress site up, your journey always requires you to begin with fast WordPress hosting.
But once you’ve nailed the hosting part, you will find several helpful WordPress speed optimization plugins that will help you enhance the site’s front-end optimization.
When we say “WordPress speed optimization plugins”, your brain might immediately leap to caching plugins. And yes, you can find several caching plugins on this list because applying a solid page is an important part of quickening your site.
Nevertheless, there’s more to performance than caching, so we don’t limit this collection to caching plugins. We’ve also included some plugins to help you optimize certain areas of your site, such as exactly how your scripts load, image compression, lazy loading, and more.
Keep reading for a glance at the 10 best WordPress performance plugins.
1. WP Rocket
WP Rocket is among the best WordPress that is all-purpose performance. You can be helped because it implements page caching and many other performance optimization tactics.
Right it immediately implements some performance optimization strategies, including as you activate WP Rocket:
- Page caching
- Browser caching
- Gzip compression
Then, WP Rocket includes a user-friendly interface; it is possible to configure other optimization strategies such as:
- Minification
- Combine files
- Eliminate render-blocking JavaScript
- Heartbeat API control
- Lazy loading
- CDN integrations
- Option to host tracking scripts locally (such as Google Analytics or Facebook Pixel)
- Database optimization
- Cloudflare integration
I think WP Rocket is the WordPress performance plugin that is best for novices because it can do a great job of simplifying everything. For example, the software has explanations convenient what each setting does. Additionally, it is all in a plugin that is single compatibility issues.
Those same factors generally ensure it is best for people looking to save their self-time and streamline things.
However, the “downside” is that WP Rocket is just a premium plugin, starting at $49.
In the end, you’re investing in convenience and simplicity. You can accomplish pretty much everything WP Rocket does with free plugins — it’s likely to be more difficult, and you’ll probably need to use multiple plugins.
You can find out more inside our WP Rocket, a full review.
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2. Perfmatters
Perfmatters helps you optimize plenty of smaller areas of your WordPress site. It does not do page caching; nonetheless, it’s a great option to set up a caching plugin.
First, Perfmatters will help you disable many tiny WordPress settings that most sites don’t need. For instance, the WordPress version quantity, Dashicons, and others, the emoji font.
They are all little tweaks that can collectively remove some unnecessary HTTP demands by themselves.
It also features scripts, a powerful tool that lets you conditionally load JavaScript/CSS on certain pages. For instance, if your contact form plugin loads its scripts sitewide, you can use Perfmatters to change that; therefore, it only loads its scripts on your contact page. This will be another way to cut down on unnecessary sitewide HTTP requests greatly.
Other performance that is useful include:
- DNS prefetching
- Disable Heartbeat API
- Lazy load pictures
- Host analytics locally
- Preconnect
It may help you connect with a CDN.
Overall, for you), this might be a fantastic one to include to optimize many smaller parts of WordPress performance if you’re already using a caching plugin (or your host does cache.
Perfmatters costs just $24.95 for use on a site that is single.
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3. WP Fastest Cache
With a near-perfect score that is 4.9-star over 3,000 reviews, WP Fastest Cache is amongst the best-rated & most popular free caching plugins at WordPress.org.
With the check of the box, it is possible to allow page caching, rendering it pretty easy to start.
Beyond that, the version that is free supports:
- Gzip compression
- Browser caching
- Basic minification for HTML and CSS (although not JavaScript)
- Substitute for WordPress that is disable emojis
- Exclude rules to exclude users/content that is sure to caching
- A tool to assist you in integrating with CDNs
If you want some more optimization features, there’s also a premium version that adds:
- Image optimization
- Database optimization
- More minification that is advanced, including support for JavaScript minification
- A device to eliminate render-blocking resources, which are javaScript
- The choice to load Google Fonts async
- Lazy loading
The version is premium at $59.
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4. WP Super Cache
WP Super Cache is another popular caching plugin that is free. It comes from Automattic, the same company as WordPress.com, WooCommerce, and Jetpack.
Finished. What is best concerning this plugin is its simplicity. You can install it, check just one box, and you’re set to jet if you’re a beginner.
You can configure it if you do wish for only a little more control; there’s also an advanced settings area where:
- Gzip compression
- Browser caching
- How to cache content
- How often to upgrade the cache
Additionally includes a feature to let you preload content into the cache, alongside a tool to help you link to a CDN of choice.
WP Super Cache is 100% free.
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5. W3 Total Cache
W3 Total Cache is yet another popular caching that is free at WordPress.org.
It’s the most feature-rich caching I’ve ever used…but it’s also one of the many complicated caching plugins I’ve used. I’ve written a weblog that is 2,500-word simply on what to set up W3 Total Cache, which is a very different experience from WP Rocket, WP Fastest Cache, or WP Super Cache.
All that is to say, I recommend staying away from W3 Total Cache and making use of one of those other plugins if you’re a beginner or casual user.
However, if you’re a designer or power user who wants to get a handle on every little aspect of caching works on your site, this one can be a great option. For instance, you have access to:
- Page caching
- Browser caching
- Database caching
- Object caching
- Fragment caching
W3 Cache that is total can assist you with file minification and linking to a CDN of your option.
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6. WP-Optimize
WP-Optimize began as a database optimization plugin before morphing as a more WordPress that is full-service speed plugin that can:
- Implement page caching
- Compress pictures
- Enable Gzip compression
It can also optimize your database, of course.
There’s also a premium variation that can:
- Schedule database cleanups
- Remove orphaned (unused) pictures
- Lazy load images
- Optimize specific database
WP-Optimize comes from a team that is the same as the popular UpdraftPlus backup plugin, so it’s got a good team behind it.
The version that is free available at WordPress.org. After that, the paid variation starts at $39 each year.
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7. Autoptimize
Autoptimize is a favorite free plugin that helps you optimize your site’s HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It does not do page caching, in any case.
First, it assists you in implementing two techniques being popular.
Minification shrinks the size of one’s site’s rule without changing functionality by eliminating unnecessary characters such as line breaks and whitespaces.
Concatenation shrinks the number of requests on your website by combining separate files into a single file.
Beyond that, it could also help you defer loading particular scripts, async JavaScript, lazy load images, and remove some fundamental things such as emojis.
Autoptimize is another good plugin pairing with a caching plugin or your host’s server-level caching.
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8. Asset CleanUp
Asset CleanUp is another helpful plugin that is free for optimizing your site’s scripts.
Like Perfmatters, you are enabled because of it to load conditionally or reload scripts as required. For example, you can limit many scripts to Load only on certain pages.
Again, this is very useful if you have scripts unnecessarily sitewide Load their scripts. For example, Contact Form 7 loads its scripts on every web page, which can be unnecessary. Asset CleanUp would let you restrict it to your contact page, enabling you to lower the number of requests for every other web page on your site.
Beyond that feature, Asset CleanUp offers a genuine range of other features to greatly help you optimize scripts on your site, including:
- Minification
- File concatenation (combine files)
- Remove emojis and Dashicons
- Preload files that are very important, like fonts
- Defer parsing of JavaScript
- Google Fonts optimization
Asset CleanUp doesn’t, though, do cache, so you’ll need to pair it with one of the best caching plugins on this list (if your WordPress host doesn’t implement caching for you).
The core Asset CleanUp plugin is free, but there’s also a premium version that provides you much more control that is granular in your scripts. The Pro variation begins at $39 for use on a solitary site.
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9. ShortPixel
On average, images account for about 50 percent of the file size associated with the average website. When you can shrink the dimensions of the site’s image files, you can take a large chunk out of your file size, which will speed your site up.
There are many WordPress image optimization plugins, but the best is personal.
As you upload an image to WordPress, ShortPixel will immediately:
Resize them to max dimensions that you can choose
Compress them using either lossy or lossless compression algorithms choice that is(your
It includes other images that are of good use techniques such as:
WebP conversion for browsers that help it
PNG to JPG conversion
ShortPixel also provides a separate ShortPixel Adaptive Images plugin if you want a slightly different approach. This plugin still optimizes your images, but it also acts them from a CDN that is international and delivers adaptive image sizes based on each visitor’s viewport. For example, somebody browsing from a smartphone gets an inferior image than someone browsing from a 4K screen.
This type of real-time image optimization is a newer tactic becoming increasingly popular. It’s similar to services such as instance Cloudinary and imgix.
For both plugins, you get 100 credits at no cost for thirty days. After that, paid plans start at $4.99 per month.
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Which WordPress is the most beneficial Speed Optimization Plugins?
Many of these plugins do different things; therefore, I can’t recommend a single plugin. Rather, it’s more about choosing the best pair of plugins to assist you in speeding your site up.
To start, every WordPress site needs a caching plugin (if your host isn’t caching that is already implementing the server level, that is).
We’ve featured a few high-quality caching plugins in this list — here’s a quick recap
WP Rocket – this is my favorite overall because it’s simple to use and implements a great deal of other performance optimization techniques beyond caching. Nonetheless, it is only available in a premium version, so you shall be required to pay for that convenience.
WP Fastest Cache – this free variation does an excellent job of blending ease of good use while still giving access to important performance optimization techniques beyond caching.
WP Super Cache is an awesome plugin; if you want something free and simple, that is super. Great for non-technical users who are on a budget.
W3 Cache is packed with tons of features and configuration choices. I don’t think it’s a better option for casual users since it’s too complicated, but advanced-level users and developers will appreciate the granular control.
WP-Optimize – this one has an exclusive approach in its integrations of database and image optimization.
Overall, if you’re willing to pay $39 for convenience if you’re a regular WordPress user, I’d say go with WP Rocket. Then I’d suggest WP Fastest Cache or WP Super Cache if you need a free solution.
Once you’ve got quality caching in place, you’ll also want some other plugins to optimize the front-end of your website.
First, I’d say that you should certainly pick one of either Perfmatters or Asset CleanUp. Both give you control to complete your site’s scripts and when/where they load. While managing scripts is complex, that is little; it’s a powerful way to reduce how many HTTP requests are on your site.
Both can also help to have an actual number of other smaller performance optimizations, such as disabling the emoji font.
Autoptimize is also a better option for optimizing scripts, and you can enable/disable scripts like Perfmatters and Asset CleanUp though it does not.
Then additionally, you require some plugins to optimize your site’s images. I want to recommend ShortPixel for compression/automatic resizing if you didn’t choose a plugin that implements lazy loading. g. WP Rocket or Perfmatters), you may use the free Lazy Load by WP Rocket plugin to load lazy images.
Finally, remember that these plugins are mostly centered on optimizing the front-end of your website. However, there are nevertheless other important parts of WordPress performance.
First, you need fast hosting. To locate the most performance-optimized hosting for your financial allowance, always check our collection of the fastest WordPress hosting (with actual performance data).
Second, if you require a fast theme — check out our collection of WordPress themes, which are the fastest (with real performance data).
Are you experiencing any appropriate concerns about choosing between these speed optimization plugins? Ask away into the feedback area!
