The Top 9 WordPress Cache Plugins (That Actually Work)

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When users visit your website, they expect it to load quickly and perform smoothly. Slow loading times and lagging can result in a frustrating experience, which may lead users to leave your site and take their business elsewhere. Fortunately, one effective solution to improve your website's speed is to use a WordPress cache plugin. Caching works by storing frequently accessed data in a temporary location, which can then be quickly retrieved when a user visits your website again. This reduces the need to process data from scratch each time a user visits your site, resulting in faster loading times and improved performance.

In this article, we will introduce caching and explain how it works, as well as provide a list of the best WordPress caching plugins available. By using one of these plugins, you can significantly improve your website's speed and performance, resulting in a better user experience for your visitors. Let's dive in!


Table Of Contents
1 Intro to WordPress Cache Plugins
1.1 WordPress Cache Plugins Can Boost Performance and SEO
2 The Best WordPress Cache Plugins
2.1 1. WP Rocket
2.2 2. WP-Optimize
2.3 3. W3 Total Cache
2.4 4. LiteSpeed Cache
2.5 5. WP Super Cache
2.6 6. WP Fastest Cache
2.7 7. Hummingbird
2.8 8. Comet Cache
2.9 9. Autoptimize
3 Built-in Caching From WordPress Optimized Hosting
3.1 Cloudways Built-in Cache Plugins
3.2 Flywheel Built-in FlyCache
3.3 SiteGround Built-in SuperCacher
3.4 Pressable Built-in Caching
4 What Is The Best WordPress Cache Plugin?
5 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)


Intro to WordPress Cache Plugins

When a user visits your website, the server receives a request and processes it before sending the content to the user's web browser. This process can be time-consuming, particularly for larger sites that have to process multiple requests for images, menus, and other content. Caching is an effective way to improve website performance by temporarily storing frequently accessed data from the site's files. This allows the data to be retrieved more quickly, resulting in faster loading times for users. A cache is essentially a collection of temporarily stored data that can be accessed quickly when needed. With a WordPress Cache Plugin, you can easily implement caching on your website without the need for manual intervention. These plugins typically provide site-wide caching options that can be set up in just a few clicks. A good cache plugin can significantly reduce the load on your hosting server, resulting in faster site speeds, which can be beneficial for Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

WordPress Cache Plugins Can Boost Performance and SEO

Optimizing the performance and speed of your website is essential for its success. WordPress includes object caching to improve page loading times, which can have a significant impact on SEO, even for high-quality content. Search engines evaluate website speed, and faster websites tend to have lower bounce rates, higher conversions, and better rankings. Improved website speed also enhances user experience, making it more likely for visitors to return to your site.

The Best WordPress Cache Plugins Listed In Order

WP Rocket
WP-Optimize
W3 Total Cache
LiteSpeed Cache
WP Super Cache
WP Fastest Cache
Hummingbird
Comet Cache
Autoptimize

1. WP Rocket



WP Rocket is widely considered the best caching plugin available, and for good reason. Its user-friendly interface enables users of any technical proficiency to control caching functionality, setting it apart from free alternatives. WP Rocket can improve website loading speed immediately upon activation, thanks to key features such as CSS and JavaScript optimization, cache preloading, lazy loading for images, iframes, and videos, database optimization, and Content Delivery Network (CDN) compatibility. Its dashboard is easy to use, and advanced features such as CDN integration and lazyloads are available for those who want to take a more complex approach.

If you're willing to spend the money, WP Rocket is the most robust caching plugin available, with access to high-quality support and an extensive user base. It's an excellent choice for those with larger websites who want a straightforward solution to speed things up. Premium licenses for WP Rocket start at $59 per year.


2. WP-Optimize



WP-Optimize is a comprehensive tool that offers a variety of features, including web page caching, CSS and Javascript minification, photo compression, and database cleanup. It has received a 5/5 star rating in the WordPress directory, and has over a million active users. What sets WP-Optimize apart from other plugins is its ability to cache your website while also optimizing your database, making it a powerful combination of caching and database optimization plugins. In addition, there is a premium version of WP-Optimize that offers additional features, such as multisite support, lazy loading techniques, and more.

Key features of WP-Optimize include CSS and Javascript minification, database cleanup, multisite support, WebP support, image compression, GZIP compression, and an easy-to-use settings page. With just a click of a button, you can enable page caching and generate separate files for mobile devices.



If you're looking for a free, all-in-one solution for optimizing your website, WP-Optimize is a great choice. And if you need even more advanced features, the premium version starts at $49 per year.

3. W3 Total Cache



W3 Total Cache is a popular caching plugin for WordPress, with over one million active users. It comes loaded with a variety of features that make it a powerful caching solution, including page and post caching, CSS and JavaScript caching in memory, and CSS and JavaScript minification. In addition, it supports WebP image conversion and CDN compatibility.

While the extensive range of features might seem daunting for beginners, W3 Total Cache is a free, open-source, and mobile-friendly option that promises significant improvements in overall site performance, with a ten times improvement guaranteed. You can use Google Page Speed to test this hypothesis.



The W3 Total Cache plugin settings can be a bit overwhelming, but it's worth exploring as a free solution if you're already familiar with the concepts behind caching. It's especially useful if you're using SSL certificates.

Overall, W3 Total Cache is a great choice for those seeking a free caching solution for WordPress, but it's important to note that there are premium licenses available, starting at $99 per year, for those who need more advanced features.

4. LiteSpeed Cache


LiteSpeed Cache is a popular caching plugin for WordPress, with over three million users and top ratings. It offers a range of optimization features, including a server-level caching system that requires minimal processing power and is highly optimized. In addition, LiteSpeed Cache provides image optimization, lazy loading, and the ability to localize Javascript files, among other features.

LiteSpeed Cache is an all-in-one optimization platform that provides premium features for free, making it a highly accessible and valuable plugin for WordPress users. It's compatible with commonly used plugins like WooCommerce and Yoast SEO, and its key features include accurate caching, CSS/JavaScript/HTML minification, lazy loading of images, browser cache support, and database optimization.



With LiteSpeed Cache, it's easy to toggle options for cache settings via the dashboard, making it a straightforward option for those seeking a free caching solution. It's an excellent choice for those who want server-side caching capabilities and want to support a plugin that prides itself on being free and accessible.

LiteSpeed Cache is available for free, and there is a premium version that starts at $10 per month for those who need more advanced features. Overall, LiteSpeed Cache is an exceptional caching plugin that offers a robust set of features for WordPress users.

5. WP Super Cache



An example of a popular cache plugin that's free is WP Super Cache. It boasts a user base of over 2 million and has a 4.5/5 rating, making it a reliable choice. WP Super Cache operates by generating static HTML files in place of the WordPress PHP code, resulting in faster load times. Key features of WP Super Cache include generating static HTML files, a simple mode for those who are not familiar with editing PHP, preloading, garbage collection, and CDN support.

WP Super Cache's simplicity is a significant advantage over other solutions, as you can enable caching and let the plugin handle the rest or use more advanced features. WP Super Cache is a good option if you're looking for access to three caching methods that suit your skill level, a free open-source solution, and a product from a trusted source like Automattic. Price: Free.

6. WP Fastest Cache



WP Fastest Cache is another free plugin that offers numerous features that can be easily enabled via the dashboard. It boasts over a million active users and has a perfect 5/5 rating, which is a testament to its reliability. With WP Fastest Cache, site administrators can schedule the deletion of all cached files and minified CSS and JS files. The plugin also allows users to enable or disable caching for logged-in users and mobile devices, GZIP tools, minification, and cloudflare, SSL, and CDN support.

Another feature of WP Fastest Cache is image optimization. The settings page is incredibly simple and accessible through your WordPress dashboard, and beginners can easily understand and toggle the settings with a simple checkbox. WP Fastest Cache is a great option if you're looking for a free and easy-to-manage solution with a user-friendly settings page. The plugin is available for free, with premium licenses starting at $49 (one-time fee).

7. Hummingbird



Hummingbird is an all-in-one optimization platform that can quickly speed up your website. It comes in both free and pro versions and has a coveted 5-star review on WordPress.org. It's also compatible with Divi, which can result in significant drops in page load times. The user interface is user-friendly, and in-app tips are available to help you navigate the cache system. With Hummingbird, you'll have control over features like file compression, modification of CSS and JS, lazy loading, and caching, resulting in efficient caching and asset optimization. The key features of Hummingbird include lazy loading of offscreen images, efficient caching, GZIP compression, minification, and asset optimization.

The dashboard is easy to navigate, and you can scan your site to receive optimization recommendations based on the scan results, which can be implemented in just seconds. Hummingbird is an excellent choice if you're looking for in-plugin tips to help you navigate, want to speed up your site in just one-click, need a performance scan to optimize your website, or are looking for a free solution to optimize Divi. The plugin is available for free, with the pro version starting at $7.50 per month.

8. Comet Cache


Comet Cache is a lesser-known but excellent freemium plugin among others on the list. Its user interface is user-friendly, and the descriptions are straightforward, making it easy for users to understand the functionality of each setting. The dashboard is intuitive and easy to navigate, with advanced features such as cache directories, automatic cache clearing, and cache expiration time. However, if you require more advanced features such as HTML compression, you would need to purchase the pro version. Comet Cache's key features include automatic cache clearing, a simple UI, cache directory, user-agent exclusions, and 404 requests.

Comet Cache's menu system and user-friendly interface enable users to access its features quickly. Moreover, the plugin's fast installation and setup, coupled with its advanced features, allow users to explore its capabilities to the fullest. If you're seeking a cache plugin that is free, provides clearly explained settings, and supports a lesser-known solution, Comet Cache is the right choice for you. The plugin is available for free, with a premium version starting at $39 (one-time fee).

9. Autoptimize



Autoptimize is a useful WordPress plugin that simplifies the process of caching javascript and CSS on your website. It automatically groups, reduces, and merges scripts and styles into the head of your site, and it can relocate and delay scripts to the bottom of the page to improve loading speed. Additionally, Autoptimize offers several features to further enhance website speed, such as lazy loading images, supporting WebP and AVIF image formats, optimizing Google Fonts, and removing WordPress core emojis.

Autoptimize's key features include aggregating, minimizing, and combining javascript, HTML, and CSS, lazy loading images, optimizing Google fonts, supporting the WebP image format, controlling the order of scripts, and critical CSS optimization. By managing the order in which scripts load, Autoptimize saves time and improves website performance. Moreover, it optimizes critical CSS by identifying the necessary CSS rules for the visible portion of the page and inlining them into the HTML, resulting in faster page rendering.

Autoptimize is a must-have plugin if you need improved page speed and better search engine rankings. It is an easy-to-use plugin that does all the dirty work for you. It is also easy to configure, and you can prioritize loading the most important content by specifying which scripts load first.

Autoptimize is available for free, with the premium version starting at $7.50 per month. If you are hosting your website with Cloudways, you may not need an additional WordPress Cache Plugin as they have built-in caching plugins (Breeze and Object Cache Pro) that are integrated out of the box. This provides layers of caching for all your website site files and database for a massive boost in performance.



Flywheel Built-in FlyCache




Flywheel is a hosting service that provides excellent service to WordPress users and consistently strives to offer the highest performance quality for their websites. Their custom caching technology, "FlyCache," ensures that your site is continually optimized for speed and performance. Flywheel offers various cache options to cater to different website needs.

To learn more about Flywheel's managed hosting service, you can check out our Flywheel Managed Hosting Review.


SiteGround Built-in SuperCacher



SiteGround is an excellent hosting service that prioritizes website performance. They offer a caching solution called SuperCacher that can accelerate website performance multiple times over. This caching tool is available to all SiteGround clients and provides three different caching options to choose from, depending on your website's needs.

If you're interested in learning more about SiteGround's WordPress hosting service, you can check out our

Pressable Built-in Caching



Pressable is a hosting service that prioritizes fast and high-performing WordPress websites. All websites hosted on Pressable have multiple layers of caching capabilities, including object caching, page caching, and CDN caching. These caching options are easily accessible from the WordPress dashboard in your Pressable CM section.

If you want to learn more about Pressable's managed WordPress hosting service, you can check out our Pressable Managed WordPress Hosting Review.


What Is The Best WordPress Cache Plugin?


Improving the speed and performance of your website is crucial for optimizing user experience. One of the easiest ways to achieve this is through caching, but selecting the right plugin can be a challenge. Thankfully, there are many options available to you. Additionally, if you are using a WordPress managed hosting provider, chances are they have robust built-in caching solutions already optimized for your website's better performance.




For our pick of the best WordPress cache plugin, we suggest WP Rocket. Overall, it is the most comprehensive solution with many features to improve your site’s performance. With caching, minification features, and CDN integration, it is a valuable tool for enhancing website speed and user experience.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Sure, happy to help! What are some common questions you'd like me to answer?

What is a WordPress cache plugin?

That's correct! Caching plugins work by saving a static version of your website's pages and delivering them to visitors instead of generating the page dynamically each time a user requests it. This can significantly improve website performance by reducing the time it takes to load pages and reducing the strain on server resources.

What does a WordPress cache plugin do?

That's correct! When someone visits a WordPress website, the server has to process various queries and requests to generate the HTML code that makes up the page. This process can take time and use server resources. Caching plugins work by saving a static version of the page's HTML, so the next time someone visits the page, it can be delivered to them instantly, without having to go through the same process of generating the page from scratch. This can significantly reduce page load times and improve website performance.

Can I use more than one WordPress cache plugin?

It is generally not recommended to install more than one caching plugin as it can cause conflicts and result in performance issues, errors, or even site crashes. Additionally, different caching plugins may use different caching methods or algorithms, leading to conflicts and errors. It's better to stick to one caching plugin and make sure it is configured correctly for your site's needs. However, as you mentioned, some performance plugins do offer additional features that complement caching plugins, and it may be possible to use them together without issues. It's best to consult the documentation and support for the specific plugins to determine if they are compatible.