Are you looking for ways to speed up your WordPress site so you can stop losing traffic? There’s nothing worse than a web page that won’t load efficiently. Luckily, there are several highly useful performance optimization WordPress plugins that you should be making use of.
From speeding up your cache to image compression, this comprehensive list is sure to improve the front-end optimization of your site.
A list of the Best Performance Optimization WordPress Plugins
1. WP Rocket
WP Rocket is one of the fastest and most powerful WordPress plugins to have been invented. An all-purpose plugin with a user-friendly interface can help you implement page caching, browser caching, and gzip compression. Particularly good for beginners, WP Rocket simplifies optimization explanations.
The cost starts at $49.
Features include:
- Page caching
- Cache preload
- Lazy load images
- Database optimization
- CDN integration
- Minification
- Cloudflare integration
- Delay JavaScript loading
- Host Google Analytics locally
2. Perfmatters
Perfmatters works by disabling built-in features of WordPress that slow down your website. The main factor of slow sites is the unnecessary HTTP requests. Perfmatters enables you to disable these features on a page-by-page basis, as suits your code.
It’s an excellent plugin to pair with caching, for example, with WP Rocket. It is priced at $24.95, though there are Perfmatters coupons available which provide a great discount.
Features include:
- Compatible with caching plugins
- Disable WordPress features that slow the site down
- Page-by-page options
- Lightweight plugin
- Heartbeat control
- Lazy load images
3. NitroPack
Some people love it; some people hate it. NitroPack is another all-encompassing optimization platform that automatically implements caching, minification, compression, and image optimization.
Plus, optimizations are run through their server, saving your own usage.
Costs start around $17.50 a month, although there is a free option available.
Features include:
- Automatic website optimization
- Supports other CMS systems
- Global CDN included
- Page caching
- Delay JavaScript loading
- Minification
- Compression
4. WP Fastest Cache
As one of the most popular plugins, WP Fastest Cache is a premium plugin that enables you to select page caching at the click of your mouse.
The free version offers some basic features, including gzip compression, browser caching, simple minification (not including JavaScript), and the option to disable emojis. However, the premium version boasts many more features and is priced at $59.
Features include:
- Image optimization
- Database optimization
- Lazy loading images
- Delay JavaScript loading
- Advanced minification
5. LiteSpeed Cache
As a LightSpeed server cache plugin, this is faster than most cache plugins because it uses server-level rather than file-based caching. With similar optimization features to WP Rocket, it works in combination with LiteSpeed server, LiteSpeed Cache, and QUIC.cloud CDN. Pricing starts at $65.
Features include:
- Image optimization
- Database optimization
- Lazy loading images
- Minification
- Page caching
6. ShortPixel
ShortPixel bases its optimization on the understanding that images account for around 50% of the file size. Image compression and resizing will speed up your web page imminently. Of all the image compression plugins, ShortPixel wins out in popularity. It costs about $4.99 per month.
Features Include:
- Resizing images to custom maximum dimensions
- Compressing images (using lossy or lossless algorithms)
- WebP conversion
- PNG to JPG conversion
7. WP-Optimize
Starting life as a database optimization plugin, WP-Optimize now functions as a fully servicing optimization plugin for your site. Its most notable feature is the option to clean up (or delete) old plugins, not just disable them.
There is a free version available; however, the premium pricing starts at $39 a year.
Features include:
- Page caching
- Compress images
- Gzip compression
- Schedule database cleanups
- Remove unused images
- Lazy load image
- Database optimization
8. RapidLoad
RapidLoad removes up to 95% of unused CSS from your site automatically, reducing the file size of each of your pages. No coding is necessary, making it a good plugin for beginners. It costs $5.83 a month for the basic package.
Features include:
- Automatic optimization
- Customizable Configuration
- No coding
9. Oxygen Builder
As a page-building tool, it is not as easy as some, but it is powerful. It allows you to take complete control over your website, but with a substantial departure from how some use WordPress. Oxygen Builder is not compatible with many other plugins, but it provides everything you need to optimize your site if you like it.
The pricing starts at a $129 one-off fee. It might require time and patience to learn how to use it.
Features include:
- Offers complete control over your site by disabling built-in WordPress theme
- Output cleaner code
- Integrates with ACF
10. Optimole
Another image optimization plugin, Optimole allows your site to lower image quality when the user’s internet connection is slow. Prices start at $25.
Features include:
- Image optimization
- Lazy loading images
- Adaptive images
- Compressing images
Final thoughts
While no plugin offers everything, using a combination of several plugins that each satisfy different needs is a good rule of thumb. Finding the right plugin for your site might take some trial and error, but this list of performance optimization WordPress plugins is the best places to start optimizing your website.
