9 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.

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.