Do you struggle with site speed despite using
a quality host and a clean, lightweight theme? Are your SEO rankings not as
high as you feel they should be?
What you need is a quality caching plugin
that’ll generate a static version of your site to serve to visitors rather than
having each one load the entirety of your site every time.
In this post, we’re going to cover seven of
the best caching plugins for WordPress.
The best WordPress caching plugins to speed up your website
1. WP Rocket
WP Rocket is a premium caching plugin that offers a large collection of site optimization features. It’s used on over 1 million websites, and some of its customers include SeedProd, ThemeIsle, MainWP, Beaver Builder, CoSchedule and Codeable.
Its code is clean, commented and filled with
hooks, making it an ideal option for developers. WordPress multisite is also
supported.
What features does WP Rocket have
to offer?
- Page Caching – Caching is enabled in the
plugin by default and is its most essential functionality for improving site
speed. Cart and checkout pages generated by ecommerce plugins are excluded. - Browser Caching – WP Rocket stores static CSS
and JS-based content in your visitor’s browser for quicker load times when they
visit additional pages on your site. - Cache Preloading – Simulates a visit and
preloads the cache after each clearing to speed things up when search engine
bots crawl your website. You can also enable DNS prefetching by preloading DNS
resolutions from external domains. - Sitemap Preloading – Sitemaps generated by Yoast, All-in-One SEO
and Jetpack are detected automatically, and URL’s from sitemaps are preloaded. - File Optimization – Minification for HTML, CSS
and JS files is available as is Gzip compression. Query strings are also
removed from CSS and JS files to improve performance grades in website
performance tools like Pingdom, GTmetrix and Google PageSpeed Insights. You can
also defer JS files. - Image Optimization – Lazy load images on your
site so they’re only loaded when visitors scroll where they’re displayed. - Database Optimization – Clean up your site’s
database on the fly, and schedule regular cleanings to keep things running
smooth automatically. - Google Fonts Optimization – WP Rocket improves
performance grades by combining HTTP requests, including those made by Google
Fonts, into groups. - CDN Compatibility – Integration with numerous
CDN services is available by inputting your CDN’s CNAME record. A direct
integration with Cloudflare allows you to manage Cloudflare’s cache and enable
development mode from the WordPress dashboard.
WP Rocket pricing
WP Rocket is available for as low as $49 for
one website and one year of support and updates. Renewals are offered at a 30%
discount. All plans are backed by a 14-day refund policy.
2. Cache Enabler
Cache Enabler is a free and lightweight caching plugin by KeyCDN, a high-performance content delivery network service optimized for multiple content management systems.
Cache Enabler has support for custom post
types, WordPress multisite and the ability to implement caching via WP-CLI
commands, including clearing the cache for all pages, object ID’s 1, 2 and 3,
and particular URL’s.
Key features of Cache Enabler
- Page Caching – Cache Enabler offers page
caching with automatic and on-demand cache clearings. You can even clear the
cache of specific pages. - File Optimization – Minification is available
for HTML and inline JS. KeyCDN recommends using Autoptimize for full
optimization. Gzip compression is available as well. - WebP Support – Cache Enabler will convert
compatible JPG and PNG files into WebP images when used alongside Optimus,
KeyCDN’s image compression plugin.
Cache Enabler pricing
Cache Enabler is entirely free to use and
available for download from the WordPress plugin directory.
3. Breeze
Breeze is a free WordPress caching plugin developed and maintained by Cloudways, a host that offers flexible plans and support for multiple CMS’s. Cloudways sites have Varnish caching systems built into them by default, which implements caching at the server level. Breeze supports Varnish and complements this with page caching.
WordPress multisite is also supported. You can also optimize your database and defer Javascript loading, etc.
What are Breeze’s key features?
- Page Caching – Breeze is Cloudways’ way of
caching your WordPress site’s pages, but you can also choose to exclude
individual file types and URL’s from caching. - File Optimization – This plugin groups and
minifies HTML, CSS and JS files to reduce file sizes while limiting the number
of requests your server receives. Gzip compression is available as well. - Database Optimization – Breeze allows you to
clean up the WordPress database. - CDN Integration – The plugin operates well
with most CDN services and is designed to allow images, CSS and JS files to be
served from a CDN.
Breeze pricing
Breeze is free to use for Cloudways customers
and general WordPress users alike.
4. WP Fastest Cache
WP Fastest Cache is one of the most popular caching plugins available for WordPress. It’s used on over 1 million sites and has numerous site optimization features for you to use.
While the plugin is simple to set up and use,
there are still a number of different technical settings and features advanced
users can configure to optimize it even further.
What key features does WP Fastest
Cache offer?
- Page Caching – This plugin offers page caching
and the ability to delete cached and minified files manually. You can also
specify a cache timeout rate. Widget caching is included as well as is page
exclusion. - Preloading – Preload a cached version of your
site whenever it’s cleared to prevent search engine bots or users from having
to perform this task unknowingly. - Browser Caching – Like WP Rocket, WP Fastest
Cache stores static content in your visitor’s browser to enhance your site’s
performance as they jump from page to page. - File Optimization – Minify and combine HTML,
CSS and JS for enhanced page speed. Render-blocking JS and Gzip compression is
also available. - Image Optimization – This plugin reduces your
images’ file sizes and converts JPG and PNG images into WebP. Unfortunately,
the former service is charged at a rate of one image optimization per credit.
Credit rates are $0.01 for one, $1 for 500, $2 for 1,000, $8 for 5,000 and $15 for 10,000. You can also
implement lazy loading for images. - Database Optimization – Cleans your site’s database
by removing post revisions, trashed pages and posts, comments labelled Trash or
Spam, trackbacks and pingbacks, and transient options. - Google Fonts Optimization – This features
loads Google Fonts on your site asynchronously to increase site speed and
improve performance scores. - CDN Support – WP Fastest Cache supports CDN
services, especially Cloudflare.
WP Fastest Cache pricing
WP Fastest Cache is a freemium plugin, which
means you can get started with it free of charge by installing it from the WordPress
plugin directory. The premium version costs a one-time fee of at least $59.
5. Comet Cache
Comet Cache is a freemium caching plugin by WP Sharks. It offers automatic caching for general WordPress users but includes numerous features for developers. These include an advanced plugin system developers can play with alongside WP-CLI cache commands. There are also numerous ways to customize the plugin’s cache settings.
Comet Cache is also compatible with WordPress
multisite, ManageWP and InfiniteWP.
What are some of Comet Cache’s
best features?
- Page Caching – Comet Cache’s page caching does
not serve cached pages to logged-in users or recent commenters by default nor
does it cache admin pages, login pages, POST/PUT/DELETE/GET requests or WP-CLI
processes. You can also disable automatic cache clearings for specific post
types and taxonomies (home page, blog page, author pages, individual categories
and tags, etc.). 404 requests and RSS feeds are also cached. - Auto Cache Engine – This tool preloads your
site’s cache in 15-minute intervals to ensure a cached version of your site is
not generated by a search engine bot. - Browser Caching – Serve additional pages to
visitors quicker by storing static content in their browsers. - File Optimization – An HTML Compressor tool
combines and minifies HTML, CSS and JS files. Gzip compression is also
available. - CDN Compatibility – Comet Cache supports
multiple CDN hostnames and allows you to serve some or all of the static files
on your site from a CDN.
Comet Cache pricing
You can get started with Comet Cache’s basic
page caching, browser caching and advanced plugin system for free. Additional
features are available in a premium version for as little as a one-time fee of
$39 for a single-site license. This fee includes three years of support, after
which you’ll be required to pay $9 for each additional year of support.
6. W3 Total Cache
W3 Total Cache is a popular WordPress caching plugin with over 1 million active installations. It’s one of the most widely-used caching plugins available for the CMS, even if it is one of the most technical.
Speaking of which, W3 Total Cache is
compatible with WordPress multisite, and caching via WP-CLI commands is
available as well.
What are some of W3 Total Cache’s
best features?
- Page Caching – W3 Total Cache’s page caching
provides caching for pages, posts and feeds for posts, categories, tags,
comments, and search results. Caching for database objects as well as objects
and fragments in memory is available as well. - Browser Caching – Browser caching is available
with cache control, future expires headers and entity tags. - File Optimization – Minify and combine HTML,
CSS and JS files. Minification is also available for posts and pages as well as
inline, embedded and third-party CSS and JS. You can also defer non-critical
CSS and JS. - Image Optimization – Lazy loading is available
to prevent large images from having a negative affect on page speed. - CDN Integration – This plugin also makes it
easy to connect your site to a CDN service and have your HTML, CSS and JS files
served from there.
W3 Total Cache pricing
The vast majority of W3 Total Cache’s settings
are included in the free version, which you can download directly from the
WordPress admin. W3 Total Cache Pro costs $99/year and includes fragment
caching along with access to W3 Total Cache’s extension framework, two features
meant to entice advanced users and developers.
7. WP Super Cache
WP Super Cache is a popular WordPress caching plugin officially developed and maintained by Automattic themselves. It’s a free and simple caching plugin you can activate and leave as is, but it also has numerous settings you can configure to your liking.
WP Super Cache is also compatible with WordPress
multisite, and there are plenty of hooks and features built in for developers
to play around with and optimize.
What key features does WP Super
Cache offer?
- Page Caching – This plugin caches your site by
generating different static HTML files (or cached versions of your site) based
on a user’s actions. These include whether or not they’re logged in and whether
or not they’ve commented recently. There are also three different forms of
caching you can choose from to control the way the plugin caches your site. It
ranges from a simple “set-it-and-forget” mode to a more technical
version that enables PHP editing for developers. - Cache Preloading – Preload a cached version of
your site in regular intervals (after the cache is cleared) to prevent search engine
bots or visitors from bearing the brunt by generating new files. - CDN Integration – WP Super Cache allows you to
serve cached versions of your site’s HTML, CSS and JS files through your choice
of CDN service fo better performance. - .htaccess Optimization – This plugin updates
your site’s .htaccess file. It recommends creating a backup of it prior to
installation.
WP Super Cache pricing
WP Super Cache is a free WordPress caching
plugin available for download from the official WordPress plugin directory.
How to choose a WordPress caching
plugin for your site
Choosing a caching plugin for your site can be
difficult. They’ll only conflict with one another if you use two or more at
once, and they each offer similar features in different ways. Plus, caching is
a highly technical topic, which can make it even more difficult to determine
which option to go with.
Check with your host first. They may implement
caching for you at the server level. Some even limit the types of plugins you
can install. Kinsta, for instance, disallows all caching plugins except WP
Rocket on its servers. It disables WP Rocket’s caching functionality by default
but allows you to use its other features.
You should also ensure the plugin has starting
and renewal rates that match your budget.
Because site speed is so imperative for SEO
and user experience, it’s best to choose a plugin that offers several different
ways for you to optimize your site. These plugins include solutions like WP
Rocket, WP Fastest Cache and Comet Cache.
