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Top Plug-ins to Help with the Website Performance in 2024

Here is my take on what I have found over the years to be the most popular, best-performing and value-for-money WordPress plugins, which will help with improving website speed and Performance.

WP Rocket

Wp Rocket	Wp Rocket - Key Features and Pricing Page Caching: Creates static HTML files for faster load times. Cache Preloading: Automatically preloads cache for updated pages. Browser Caching: Stores frequently accessed resources locally. GZIP Compression: Compresses files for quicker transmission. Lazy Loading: Delays loading of images/iframes until needed. Minification: Reduces file sizes by removing unnecessary data. Database Optimization: Cleans up and optimizes the database. CDN Integration: Supports integration with CDNs for faster content delivery. eCommerce Optimization: Excludes sensitive eCommerce pages from cache.	4/5 More Info Single Plan: $59/year for 1 website. Plus Plan: $119/year for 3 websites. Infinite Plan: $299/year for unlimited websites.

The WP rocket plug-in is the webmasters tool of choice when it comes to improving size speed and Performance. Popular amongst marketers and website owners the key features you will get are page caching, cache preloading, browser caching and gzip compression.

you can owl also take advantage of lazy loading of images, minification of CSS and JavaScript files, and database optimization. WP rocket is very easy to use and doesn’t require any technical skills for the setting up, will work harmoniously with the majority of themes and plugins.

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W3 Total Cache

Wp Rocket	W3 Total Cache - Key Features and Pricing Page Caching: Creates static HTML files for faster load times. Cache Preloading: Automatically preloads cache for updated pages. Browser Caching: Stores frequently accessed resources locally. Database and Object Caching: Reduces server load and speeds up queries. Minification: Minifies CSS, JavaScript, and HTML files. CDN Integration: Supports various CDNs for faster content delivery. Lazy Loading: Defers loading of offscreen images. SSL Support: Optimizes performance for secure sites. AMP Support: Caching and optimization for AMP pages. WebP Conversion: Converts images to WebP format. Advanced Support: Compatible with shared, VPS, and dedicated hosting.	4.5/5 More Info Free Version: Available with essential features. Pro Version: $99/year for additional features like fragment caching, caching statistics, and more.

When you first start out building your WordPress website W3 total cache is likely probably the first caching plug-in that you would have incorporated into your WordPress dashboard.

It’s has solid caching capabilities. It includes page caching, browser caching, database caching, and object caching. W3 Total Cache also supports content delivery network (CDN) integration, minification of CSS, JavaScript, and HTML, and lazy loading.

Considering W3 Total Cache is free, it provides a surprisingly high level of customisation, which is great for advanced users to get their hands on. It can also work well to assist your website in improving performance.

Smush

Smush	Smuch - Key Features and Pricing Lossless Compression: Optimizes images without losing quality. Lazy Loading: Defers loading of offscreen images. Bulk Smush: Compresses multiple images in one go. Image Resizing: Scales large images to specified dimensions. WebP Conversion: Converts images to WebP format (Pro only). Directory Smush: Optimizes images outside the media library. Automated Optimization: Compresses images on upload.	2.5/5 More Info Free Version: Available with essential features. Smush Pro: Starting at $7.50/month for advanced features like WebP conversion, CDN support, and higher compression levels.

Smush when used correctly can become quite a powerful image optimisation plug-in. what it does is compress and resizes images which combined to help reduce load times.

Features include bulk image optimization, lazy loading, and automated resizing and compression of new images. Smush supports various file formats and integrates with popular media libraries, ensuring optimized images across your website.

Autoptimize

Autoptimize	Autoptimize- Key Features and Pricing Minification: Aggregates, minifies, and caches scripts and styles. CSS Optimization: Injects critical CSS and defers full CSS. JavaScript Optimization: Moves and defers scripts, async non-aggregated JavaScript. HTML Minification: Minifies HTML code for improved performance. Image Optimization: Lazy loads images, supports WebP and AVIF formats. Google Fonts Optimization: Optimizes loading of Google Fonts. CDN Integration: Supports CDN for faster content delivery. Remove WordPress Core Emojis: Reduces unnecessary code for performance boost.	4.5/5 More Info Free Version: Available with core optimization features. Autoptimize Pro: Subscription-based pricing for advanced features like image optimization, CDN, page caching, and premium support.

Autoptimize is a completely free plugin that focuses on optimizing CSS, JavaScript, and HTML.

It aggregates (which simply means combining multiple files into a single file) just in case you is wondering 🙂 as well as minifies, and caches scripts and styles, and it’s can also inject CSS in the page head, and defers the loading of scripts to improve site performance. Autoptimize also offerslazy loading of images and integrates with other caching plugins to provide a comprehensive speed optimization solution.

WP Super Cache

Wp Super Cache	Wp Super Cache- Key Features and Pricing Page Caching: Generates static HTML files for faster page loads. Three Caching Methods: Supports Expert, Simple, and WP-Cache caching modes. CDN Support: Integrates with CDN for faster content delivery. Compression: Compresses pages for quicker loading. Cache Rebuilding: Rebuilds cache without slowing down the site. Garbage Collection: Cleans up outdated cache files. Preload Mode: Preloads posts, categories, and tags for quick access.	3/5 More Info Free Version: Available with ALL core features.

Another popular choice amongst WordPress websites, again often because it’s one of the first plugins you may see when you first start up your own website is the, WP Super Cache which is a is a free caching plugin by Automattic, who are actually the team behind WordPress.com.

To keep things simple what it does is generate static HTML files from your dynamic WordPress site, which are served to users, reducing server load and improving load times. The plugin offers multiple caching modes, including simple, expert, and WP-Cache, catering to both beginners and advanced users. It also supports CDN integration and cache preloading.

Often, many new WordPress users, including myself I’ve usually chosen between WP Super Cache and W3 Total Cache.

I’m not going to necessarily advise here which at one I found to be the best, I have used both at different times and both have made a positive impact to my website speed and performance.

Perfmatters

Perfmatters	Perfmatters - Key Features and Pricing HTTP Requests Reduction: Disables unnecessary scripts and plugins. Code Optimization: Strips out unnecessary code to speed up the site. Database Optimization: Cleans up and optimizes the database. Lazy Loading: Defers loading of images and videos. Script Manager: Disable scripts on a per-page basis. Google Analytics: Hosts Google Analytics locally for faster loading. Delay JavaScript: Delays non-critical JavaScript to improve performance. Remove Unused CSS: Eliminates unused CSS for faster load times.	4.5/5 More Info Personal License: $24.95/year for 1 site. Business License: $54.95/year for 3 sites. Unlimited License: $124.95/year for unlimited sites.

Perfmatters is a well designed and lightweight performance optimization plugin which goes towards disabling unnecessary features and scripts to speed up your site, Ultimately improving your performance.

It focuses on reducing HTTP requests, disabling emojis, removing query strings, and optimizing Google Analytics.

ShortPixel Image Optimizer

ShortPixel Image Optimizer	ShortPixel Image Optimizer - Key Features and Pricing Image Compression: Lossy, glossy, and lossless compression methods. Bulk Optimization: Optimize all your images with one click. Next-Gen Formats: Supports WebP and AVIF conversions. Automatic Resizing: Resizes images on upload. CDN Integration: Serves images through a global CDN. Adaptive Images: Delivers appropriately sized images based on the visitor's device. Multiple Formats: Optimizes JPG, PNG, GIF, and PDF files. API Access: For developers to integrate with custom workflows.	3.5/5 More Info Free Plan: 100 images/month. One-Time Plan: Starts at $9.99 for 10,000 images. Monthly Plans: $3.99/month for 7,000 images. $8.33/month for 16,000 images. Annual Plans: $39/year for 7,000 images/month. $83/year for 16,000 images/month.

As the name suggests ShortPixel is an image optimization plugin that compresses and resizes images, as mentioned this is often one of the key factors in reducing load time, and this optimizer Focuses on that.

Supporting both lossy and lossless compression, just so you know..:)

Lossy compression reduces file size by permanently eliminating some data, causing a slight loss in quality, while lossless compression reduces file size without any loss of data, preserving the original quality.

it is able to optimise images whilst keeping the quality of the imaging place. ShortPixel can optimize all image types, including WebP, and also compresses PDF files.

Lazy Load by WP Rocket

Lazy Load by WP Rocket	Lazy Load by WP Rocket - Key Features and Pricing Image Lazy Loading: Defers loading of images until they are visible on the screen. Iframe and Video Lazy Loading: Delays loading of iframes and videos for faster initial page load. CSS Background Images: Supports lazy loading for CSS background images. Compatibility: Works well with various themes and plugins. Customization Options: Allows enabling/disabling lazy load on specific posts, images, and iframes. Performance Improvement: Reduces initial page load time and saves bandwidth.	3/5 More Info Free Plugin: Included with the WP Rocket plugin.

Lazy Load by WP Rocket is a lightweight plugin that improves site performance by loading images and iframes only when they come into view. This reduces initial page load time and saves bandwidth. an easy addition to any site looking to enhance performance.

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