Fast WordPress hosting is the starting point for speeding up your WordPress site. But after the hosting part is appropriately set, you need to focus on some other WordPress speed optimization plug-ins in order to improve the front-end optimization.
WordPress speed optimization plugins are equally as crucial as WordPress searchable database plugins. We know when you read WordPress speed optimization plugins, the first thing that comes to your mind is caching plugins. Dedicated page caching plays a massive role in speeding up your website, but caching is not the only thing you can do to enhance performance.
Top WordPress Performance Speed Plugins
Here are some top-rated WordPress performance speed plugins that are packed with attractive features.
1. WP Rocket
Along with all the caching functionality that you would expect, WP Rocket also offers a bunch of exceptional features that you might not expect. You get all of these with a user-friendly interface. Just after the activation of WP Rocket, a number of performance optimization techniques are automatically implemented. These techniques include:
- Browser Caching
- Page Caching
- Gzip compression
With the help of its user-friendly interface, you can also configure some other optimization techniques.
Features:
- Combine files
- Elimination of render-blocking Javascript
- Lazy loading
- Minification
- Heartbeat API control
- CDN integrations
- Cloudflare integration
- Database optimization
- Hosting tracking scripts locally (like Facebook Pixel or Google Analytics)
Cost:the premium plugin version of WP Rocket starts at $49.
2. NitroPack
Nitropack is more than just a WordPress performance speed plugin; it is a complete speed optimization platform. Nitropack reduces the use of multiple plugins and decides what to optimize manually by doing all the optimization itself. All you need to do is add your website and install the connector plug-in. Your site will start optimizing automatically with NitroPack.
Since all of the optimizations run on their own servers, your own server usage load is reduced. You also can customize the settings for better performance. To learn more, visit Mr doob google.
Features:
- CSS, JS and HTML minification
- CSS, Js and HTML compression
- Defer JS loading
- DNS prefetching
- Conversion of images to next-generation formats
- Automatic image optimization
- Automatic website optimization
- Include global CDN and automatically configured
- Supports WordPress along with other content management systems
- Various caching types, such as browser, page, and more
Cost:the free plan adds a “powered by” badge to the footer. To remove the badge, get a paid plan.
3. Perfmatters
Perfmatters lets you optimize a bunch of smaller parts of your WordPress site. Though it does not help in page caching, it is a great tool to use along with your caching plugin. It allows you to disable lots of WordPress settings that are unnecessary for most sites—for example, Dashicons, WordPress version number, emoji fonts, and some others.
Apart from all these small tweaks, you will be able to eliminate a number of HTTP requests that are unnecessary. The powerful script manager tool that comes with Perfmatters also allows you to load CSS or Javascripts on specific pages with conditions. This is a great way to cut down unnecessary sitewide HTTP requests.
Features:
- Lightweight plugin
- Heartbeat control
- REST API control
- Works great with your existing plugins
- DNS Prefetching
- Host analytic locally
- Preconnect
- Lazy load images
- Diables WordPress options that are responsible for your site slowing
- Disables scripts on per post or per-page basis
Cost:for single site usage, the cost is $24.95.
4. WP Super Cache
This popular caching plug-in is offered by Automatic, the name behind WooCommerce, Jetpack, and WordPress.com. The best thing about this plugin is its simplicity. It is perfect for beginners. You just need to install it and check a single box to get started. With the advanced setting, you also can use the below-mentioned features.
Features:
- Browser caching
- How to cache content
- Gzip compression
- How often the cache updation is needed
- CND support
- Cache preload
- Support for more than one caching types
- Provides static HTML files
Cost:This plugin is absolutely free.
5. WP Fastest Cache
WP Fastest Cache is considered as one of the top-rated and most popular caching plugins for WordPress. It has a 4.9-star rating based on more than 3,000 reviews. This plugin allows you to enable page caching and is packed with a bunch of features.
Features:
- Super easy setup
- Browser Caching
- Gzip compression
- Help to integrate with CDNs
- WordPress emoji disabling option
- CSS and HTML minification (not the Javascript)
- Exclude certain content or user from caching
A premium version is also available with some additional features:
- Database optimization
- Image optimization
- Lazy loading
- Loading option of Google Fonts async
- More advanced minification options with Javascript minifications
- Elimination of Javascript resources
Cost:The basic version is free. However, the premium version starts at $59.
6. W3 Total Cache
W3 Total Cache is a popular caching plug-in that is totally free. It is the best caching plug-in, overflowing with useful features, but is also the most complicated and definitely not recommended for beginners. But, if you are a power user or developer and want to control each small detail of the caching on your site, this is the best one for you. W3 Total Cache has some super-advanced features.
Features:
- Browser caching
- Object caching
- CDN support
- Database caching
- Minifying
- Page caching
- Fragment caching
Cost: You can use this plug-in without spending a single penny.
Conclusion
With these top-rated plug-ins, you will be able to improve the speed of your WordPress website. Other high-quality plugins include:
- WP-Optimize
- Autoptimize
- Asset Cleanup
- ShortPixel
Some of them are free while some have paid premium versions with advanced features. Based on your needs, you can choose one, or multiple plug-ins.
