From 1 to 3 seconds is the best time for you to keep users on your website. After 3 seconds, the bounce rate is 32%. And with every second that passes, users’ patience will decrease by 16%. For a business, that means lost revenue, leads, and opportunities. In case you are an E-commerce trader, if the results are displayed too slowly (images, product information), that customer will definitely leave your website to find another better option. It’s definitely a real sales killer.
A specific example of this case: Amazon – the world’s largest online retailer, discovered that every 100ms increase in page load time causes them to lose 1% of revenue. For context, a 1% loss of annual income for Amazon in 2006 would have been around $107 million. Today, this would be about $3.8 billion dollars.
Today, most users choose an available CMS for convenience and operation. We choose WordPress as our content management system. Of course, there are many other types of CMS. However, no matter what CMS you are using, or even if you have a self-coded CMS, your website can face data overload, affecting ít loading speed. And the emergence of caching helped us solve that problem. So, let us learn about cache and which is the best WordPress cache plugin of our choice.
IN THIS ARTICLE
What is Caching?
Simply put, the cache is a copy of the WordPress page on the server. A place to store all information on WordPress ( including HTML files, CSS files, JavaScript files, images, etc) into a temporary storage location. And when a user visits your website, the server will immediately retrieve the information stored in the cache, rearrange it and send it, and send it to the user’s browser as quickly as possible.
How does Caching work?
To understand how WordPress caching works, we first need to understand how WordPress websites work. Normally, when a user requests content from your website, the browser asks the server to download all the relevant information, put it together, and send it to the user. This process takes a lot of time and slows down the page loading, affecting the user experience.
Cache plugin was born to solve this problem. Once the cache is installed, it makes a copy of all the information on the WordPress website. When a user requests information, the cache retrieves it from temporary storage and sends it to the user. This process only takes a few seconds and without affecting page loading speed or consuming too many resources. Most importantly, results returned to users quickly will make them satisfied and stay on your website longer. This is also what any website wants.
Our Top Picks
To evaluate and choose to use a cache for the website, we will rely on the following criteria:
Access Speed and Performance:
- Access speed: Caching needs to retrieve data quickly to reduce website load time. This is especially important for websites with high traffic and require quick responses.
- Overall performance: Caching should improve overall website performance by reducing the workload on the main server, reducing the number of requests to the database, and increasing the loading speed of dynamic web pages.
Scalability and Flexibility:
- The cache needs to be scalable to handle increased access numbers without sacrificing performance. This means that the cache system needs to be easily expanded to additional capacity when needed.
- Flexibility: Caching should be easy to configure and integrate with the different technologies and platforms your website uses. Supports a variety of data types, including HTML pages, API responses, and static resources such as images and videos.
Reliability and Security:
- Reliability: The cache must be reliable and operate consistently over long periods of time. The ability to quickly recover from problems and regular maintenance are important to ensure the website runs smoothly
- Security: The cache should have security features to protect sensitive data and prevent external attacks. This includes data encryption, access controls and other security measures.
Below are 5 cache plugins we have considered and selected based on the above criteria to present to you:
- WP Rocket
- WP Fastest Cache
- LiteSpeed Cache
- WP Optimize
- Autoptimize
WP Rocket
WP Rocket is the first name we call out on this list.
Currently, WP Rocket is activated on over 3 billion websites, which speaks to the popularity and reliability of this plugin.
WP Rocket with its premium caching, integrates many outstanding features that will elevate your website to the next level.
| Pros | Cons |
| Automatic backup into cache | No renewal discount for first-time customers |
| Automatically cleans up data, removing unnecessary items | No free version available |
| Greatly enhances page loading speed |
Features we like:
- With WP Rocket, the plugin comes with a preloading cache mode that is ready to go as soon as it is successfully installed on your site with just one click. The information backed up includes page caching, cache preloading, GZIP compression, minification of CSS and JS files, lazy loading of images and video, and removal of unnecessary JavaScript resources.
- During use, cache automatically removes unused resources and tidy up the database by eliminating bloat and reducing its size.
- Automatically, it reduces render-blocking issues by delaying the loading of non-essential JavaScript
- This code is very developer-friendly.
After testing, we are very pleased with the features integrated into this cache, they are truly impressive
We observed a noticeable improvement immediately after installing the cache on our site, without needing much customization
It is no exaggeration to say that this is currently the best plugin for boosting website performance
Of course, with these great features, we find the price of $59/year to be completely reasonable.
WP Fastest Cache
With over 1 million active installations, WP Fastest cache is a popular caching plugin created by Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com.
WP Fastest Cache is also the highest-rated caching plugin in the official WordPress directory.
Like other caching plugins, it creates static HTML files from your dynamic WordPress content.
Overall, WP Fastest cache is known for its ability to speed up websites and improve performance, rivaling any other caching plugin.
| Pros | Cons |
| Uses Mod-Rewrite method to store files | Limited features in the free version |
| Provides a simple, easy-to-use setup | |
| Supports CDN linking | |
| Free version available |
Features we like:
- The free version features are enough to make great improvements on your website.
- WP Fastest cache has an easy-to-understand settings page, simply a list of checkboxes for users to quickly select options.
- This cache allows users to integrate CDN without much configuration
- Automatically optimizes for users with a separate caching process
Unlike some other high-performance caching plugins, WP Fastest cache offers a free version. Of course, the free features are limited, but at least you can test it before fully committing.
The upgraded version includes many attractive features that we highly appreciate
- Minify JavaScript – This can reduce payload size and script parsing time, thus delivering results to the user’s browser faster
- Delay JaveScript – Removes render-blocking JavaScript resource. However, consider distributing critical inline JS and deferring all non-critical JS
Both the free and paid version, you only need about $49 to start using it. WP Fastest cache truly deserves user’s love.
LiteSpeed Cache
LiteSpeed Cache is one of the caches we particularly love
LiteSpeed is highly rated on WordPress, with over 3 million active installations.
LiteSpeed stands out from other plugins because it requires users to utilize the LiteSpeed Web Server to access all features.
Yes, this can be somewhat inconvenient.
But honestly, once you use this cache, you’ll be hard-pressed to switch to another cache.
| Pros | Cons |
| Server-level caching | Requires LiteSpeed web server |
| Easy Mode and Guest Optimization for better first-time user experience | |
| LQIP for faster image loading |
Features we like:
- LiteSpeed has server-level caching, making it faster than Nginx, and it integrates both Redis and Memcached, doubling web application speed.
- It features Guest Mode and Guest Optimization, improving load times for first-time visitors.
- Image optimization with LQIP ( Low-Quality Image Placeholder) reduces CLS ( Cumulative Layout Shift ) by using low-resolution placeholders, enhancing page load speed.
You know, we used to recommend WP Rocket to customers. However, after using LiteSpeed cache and having an amazing experience, we decided to migrate our entire infrastructure to LiteSpeed.
Unexpectedly, our cache hit rate increased by 10-30% across many of our websites.
I have advised and supported my own clients in using it, and they achieved impressive results (cache hit rates close to 98%)
From a performance standpoint, LiteSpeed truly benefits both our clients and us as a hosting service provider.
Therefore, LiteSpeed Cache definitely earns our strong recommendation.
WP Optimize
WP-Optimize is truly an all-in-one solution for website optimization
In the WordPress directory, WP-Optimize is a five-star caching plugin with over 1 million active installations.
With an attractive interface and integrated features in the cache that works smoothly and aimed at helping users optimize their websites, WP-Optimize has truly won the trust of users.
| Pros | Cons |
| The free version has many great features | Does not integrate with CDN |
| User-friendly interface, suitable for many people | No file optimization feature yet |
| Powerful database optimization | |
| Easy and simple image optimization |
Features we like:
- WP-Optimize allows users to clean and optimize the WordPress database ( including deleting unnecessary data, cleaning MySQL tables, scheduling cleanups, etc.)
- The cache provides many image editing options in both free and paid versions with varying levels. This feature not only speeds up the website but also greatly impacts user experience and SEO performance.
- The cache includes many features such as cache preloading, GZIP compression, and preloading key requests.
- Minifying CSS and JavaScript helps improve website speed.
Unlike other plugins, the creators of WP-Optimize focus only on essential features to achieve optimal website speed.
We consider this a very wise decision that has led to the success of this cache.
As a long-time user of WP-Optimize, we have used and recommended it to our clients to improve user experience and increase SERP rankings on Google
WP-Optimize offers three upgrade packages with incremental improvements at each level. You can start with $49 to experience the premium version.
Autoptimize
Autoptimize is a popular WordPress plugin with over 1 million active installations and around 1,200 five-star reviews at WordPress.org.
Using WordPress in conjunction with Autoptimize is one of the better ways to optimize your website from the start fully.
| Pros | Cons |
| User-friendly plugin | Autoptimize does not have an out-of-the-box CDN integration |
| Provides a wide range of optimization options | The features are not too diverse |
| Allows excluding specific scripts and styles from optimization | With advanced features in paid versions, configuration is required |
| The plugin is available in a free version, with most powerful features |
Features we like:
- Autoptimize can combine, minify and cache scripts and styles which reduces the number of HTTP request and file sizes, resulting in faster load times.
- This plugin can optimize your HTML, including removing unnecessary spaces and comments to make your pages load faster.
- Autoptimize supports lazy loading for images, meaning images are only loaded when they appear in the viewport, reducing initial load time.
- Provides various optimization options, such as excluding specific scripts from being aggregated, optimizing CSS loading, and delaying JavaScript loading until after the main content has loaded.
Autoptimize is a great option for increasing your website’s speed and performance without requiring complicated configurations.
Once we used Autoptimize, we saw a marked improvement in load times and user engagement on our websites.
Autoptimize offers great value, especially since it’s free, with optional premium add-ins available for those who need more features.
Disadvantages such as not integrating CDN or lacking diversity in Autoptimize’s feature set are things that product developers need to improve in the future to enhance the plugin’s differentiation.
Autoptimize is a reliable and effective plugin worth considering to improve website performance. You can start with 79 €/$ per year to experience the premium version.
Things to note when choosing cache plugin
A few small notes for you when choosing a cache plugin:
- Compatible: Make sure the cache plugin is compatible with your website content management system (CMS) (e.g WordPress, Joomla) and other plugins or themes you’re using.
- Ease of use: Cache plugin should be easy to use and easy to configure, even for those with limited technical knowledge.
- Improve performance: Test the plugin effectiveness in reducing page load times and improving overall site performance. User reviews and performance tests can provide information on this.
- Cost: Consider the cost the plugin, including premium features or ongoing subscription fees. You should weigh this against the performance benefits it provides. However, we still prioritize the free versions.
This article is our recommendation for you of the best WordPress caching plugins that you can use to speed up your website. Hopefully with this sharing article, you can choose the most suitable plugin for your website.
FAQs
Does every website need a WordPress cache plugin?
Not all websites need a WordPress cache plugin. But compared to not using it, using the Padding Plugin will help your website benefit much more. If you are concerned about the cost, you can install the free version to try it out.
And of course, installing a plugin will only make your website better and will not affect its operation.
Can I use multiple WordPress cache plugins?
No, you should not install multiple caching plugins. It is technically possible to use multiple caching plugins in WordPress, but it is not recommended.
Installing multiple caching plugins does not bring any benefits, and it can lead to many problems.
Caching plugins work by creating static copies of your WordPress pages, which can be delivered to visitors faster than dynamic pages.
However, using multiple caching plugins can cause conflicts, which can lead to performance and other issues.
How do I clear my WordPress cache?
In case you no longer want to use can choose to delete them manually.
Every WordPress caching plugin will have a button that you can click to clear the cache.
This process will be a little different depending on the type of web host you’re using, but you can usually access this option from your host’s admin area.
Some web hosts also add a cache-clearing option to your WordPress dashboard when you set up your site.
If you want us to test any plugin, please comment below.
