10 Must-Have Speed Optimization Plugins Compared - 2023

What is caching and why does it matter?

It is temporarily stored data. The purpose is to allow WordPress to skip steps in the loading process by having often requested pages ready to load. Essentially, it stops WordPress from loading a page every time it’s requested because there is already a “copy on file”.

This process reduces load time and makes your website faster.

WP Super Cache is one of the best free caching plugins there is. Not only is it free, but it’s easy to use and there are a ton of basic tutorials on YouTube. It has over 2 million installs and is frequently updated.

This free plugin is similar to WP Super Cache. However, it is a bit more advanced.

Just like Super Cache, it allows for CDN integration and features to set up all caching, gzip compression, and some minification.

W3 Total Cache is used by businesses like AT&T as well as professional WordPress sites like WP Beginner.

If you’re a WordPress expert who builds sites for high ticket affiliate marketing, this is the perfect Cache plugin for you.

Google is now implementing its core web vitals update into its ranking factors. One of the biggest hurdles you’ll face, if your website is slow, is going to be optimizing your images so they load faster.

WP Smush has you covered. This is a free plugin that is updated multiple times a year.

What does it do?

It reduces the overall size of your images without sacrificing quality. You can smush up to 50 images at a time. One of the coolest features is a detection program that locates images that are too big and slowing down your website and it “smushes” them.

WP Smush has over a million downloads and plays nice with other optimizer tools like WP Super Cache and W3 Total Cache.

RabbitLoader is an all-in-one performance optimization plugin that handles everything you need to optimize your WordPress website’s performance. With RabbitLoader, you no longer need to use 10 different plugins to achieve your desired results. It simplifies the process by offering a comprehensive set of features.

One of the key benefits of RabbitLoader is its ability to optimize images, cache your website, utilize a Content Delivery Network (CDN), and modify assets. By optimizing images, you can reduce their size without compromising quality, resulting in faster loading times for your pages. Caching allows frequently accessed data to be stored, reducing server load and improving overall performance. The integration of a CDN ensures that your website’s content is distributed across multiple servers, delivering it to users more efficiently.

In addition to these features, RabbitLoader also offers lazy loading, which delays the loading of images and other media until they are needed, further enhancing your website’s speed and performance. By implementing RabbitLoader, you would easily reach a page speed score of 95+ for all your pages, significantly improving the user experience.

Furthermore, RabbitLoader focuses on improving core web vitals, which are crucial for search engine optimization. By optimizing your website’s performance, you can positively impact metrics such as Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), ensuring your site meets the standards set by search engines.

Moreover, RabbitLoader excels in improving mobile loading time, which is vital considering the increasing number of users accessing websites through mobile devices. By optimizing your website for mobile devices, you can enhance the loading speed, reduce bounce rates, and provide a seamless browsing experience for mobile users.

The best part about RabbitLoader is that it offers a free plan, allowing you to optimise up to 500 pages without any cost. This free plan should cover the needs of approximately 90% of websites out there. Additionally, the free plan also provides you with access to quick and responsive customer support, ensuring you receive assistance whenever needed.

With RabbitLoader, you can streamline your optimization efforts, achieve exceptional page speed scores, improve core web vitals, and enhance mobile loading time. It’s an all-in-one solution that simplifies the process while delivering outstanding results for your WordPress website.

NitroPack is a freemium plugin that focuses on speed. Its sole purpose in this world is to make your website as fast as possible.

It accomplishes this goal using many of the same methods WP Rocket uses. Its features include:

• Caching – Pretty much any time of caching you want, this plugin is doing it
• Image Optimization – Compression, lazy loading, and preemptive sizing
• Built-in global CDN
• Its own speed algorithm
• Code minification
• Tech support

NitroPack is a solid choice, but there are some cons to this plugin. The free version only covers you if you have a site with less than 5,000 views a month. On top of that, you are forced to use a “powered by” badge in the footer of your website.

The pricing isn’t bad. They charge by pageviews. The most expensive plan is for a website with one million page views and is just under $150.00 a year. However, this only covers one website.

This plugin combines and compresses code. The idea is that doing so will help to reduce load times.

Super Minify is a great free plugin to use to accomplish this goal. However, if you have a premium plugin like WP Rocket, you won’t need this one.

The biggest issue with free minification plugins is they don’t always play nice with various WordPress themes.

WP-Optimize is a solid choice as far as free plugins go. It cleans up databases and optimizes them so they run smoother, decreasing your load times.

You can also schedule automatic cleanups to get rid of spam comments and trashed content so you don’t have to do everything by hand.

Like many of the plugins on this list, it also offers caching and image compression features. While the plugin is free, they do offer a premium plan that’s reasonable so you can have access to technical support. The cheapest option is $49 a year with the unlimited version being $199.00.

Sometimes plugins slow you down. Sometimes they just underperform. But how do you know which ones are doing more harm than good?

There’s a plugin for that.

Query Monitor finds problems and helps you fix them. It works by telling you what the problems are and which plugins are causing the issues. Something as small as deleting a plugin can fix some site speed problems.