Did you know that 53 percent of mobile users will leave if the site takes more than 3 seconds to load? It’s thus no secret that site speed is crucial to the user experience. Besides investing in a CDN service and optimizing your images, you can speed up a WordPress site using a WordPress cache plugin.
A cache plugin can help amplify your WordPress site’s performance and improve user experience. It works by storing static versions of your site in a cache for WordPress to skip executing heavy PHP scripts when visitors access your site. Here are five of the best WordPress caching plugins to consider.
1. W3 Total Cache
W3 Total Cache (W3TC) is one of the best WordPress caching plugins designed to improve the core web vitals, SEO, and user experience of a website. It reduces page load times by relying on CDN (content delivery network) integration.
W3TC is the only trusted web host agnostic WPO (Web Performance Optimization) framework. It has been used extensively for over a decade by millions of web hosts, web developers, and publishers worldwide to optimize WordPress sites.
Key Features
- Page Caching
- Database Caching
- Browser Caching
- Object Caching support
- Automatic CDN support
- Minification
- Lazy Loading of Images/Media
Pricing
- W3 Total Cache Pro is priced at $99
- Pricing for additional services such as performance auditing, plugin configuration, and troubleshooting services ranges from $250 to $350.
Pros
- Optimizes websites to up to 80 percent
- Documentation and free tutorials are available online
- Supports all sorts of advanced caching techniques
- Comes with direct CDN integrations
Cons
- Difficult to configure the plugin with Cloudflare
- No lifetime plan
Verdict: W3 Total Cache plugin shines in terms of integration with performance-enhancing software, features, support, and functionality.
2. LiteSpeed Cache
LiteSpeed Cache is a flexible and powerful server-level cache solution available for web apps such as WordPress, Magento, and Joomla. Thanks to its vast collection of optimization features, the WordPress plugin can be used as an all-in-one-site acceleration plugin.
You can count on the plugin to reduce server load and speed up dynamic website content. It also efficiently handles static content.
Key Features
- Image caching and optimization (Lossless/Lossy)
- Automatically generate Critical CSS
- Multiple CDN Support+
- Responsive Image Placeholders
- Database Cleaner and Optimizer
- Free QUIC.cloud CDN Cache
Pricing
The LiteSpeed Cache WordPress plugin starts from $39.
Pros
- Easy to install
- It is up to six times faster compared to Apache
- Excellent security protection
- It amplifies PHP performance by 50 percent
- Many powerful features
Cons
- Expert knowledge is required for configuration
- Full CDN requires LiteSpeed Server
Verdict: LiteSpeed Cache plugin manages aspects of your site’s performance such as CDN, image caching, and purging the cache at no extra cost.
3. WP-Optimize
If you are looking for a way of cleaning your site’s MySQL databases without dealing with them, you can count on the WP-Optimize plugin. As an advanced all-in-one plugin, WP-Optimize thoroughly compresses large images and caches on a site and cleans MySQL databases.
WP-Optimize is a highly efficient, simple, and accessible tool to improve your site’s loading speeds. It lets you achieve more with fewer server resources.
Key features
- Browser cache
- Advanced cache exclusion rules
- Device-specific cache
- Gzip compression
- Cache preloading
Pricing
- Starter (1-2 site licenses) goes for $49 per year
- Business (5 site licenses) goes for $99 per year
- Unlimited (infinite number of sites) goes for $199 per year.
Pros
- Decent minification and server-side caching
- Great image caching/compression in the free version
- Excellent database management
Cons
- No advanced options for minification or caching
- No support for integrating a third-party CDN
Verdict: WP-Optimize is an excellent plugin if you are looking to optimize your site’s databases and improve its load speeds at the same time.
4. WP-Rocket
WP-Rocket is one of the best WordPress caching plugins for beginners that can help improve your site’s performance and speed. It automatically builds the site’s cache with features such as cache preloading, gzips compression, and page cache.
The plugin also supports CDNs, minification and DNS prefetching. It also reduces a site’s bounce rates.
Key Features
- GZIP compression
- Minification and concatenation
- Defer JavaScript loading
- Lazy loading
- Cache preloading (two methods)
- Browser caching
- Database optimization
- DNS prefetching
Pricing
- Single costs $49 yearly for one website
- Plus costs $99 yearly for three websites
- Infinite costs $249 yearly for unlimited websites
Pros
- Great support and extensive documentation.
- Constant updates and new features.
- Easy to configure
- Full refunds offered within 14 days
- Less chance of it crushing your website
Cons
- The preload bot can cause CPU overload
- No free version
Verdict: WP Rocket allows you to automate cleaning processes on your site to improve its loading speeds.
5. WP Super Cache
WP Super Cache is an open-source caching plugin that doesn’t need upgrades after installation. It creates static HTML files and serves them instead of heavy PHP scripts.
The plugin offers two caching modes. The first one, Simple Mode, is less risky and works for the average WordPress user, while the second one, Expert Mode, allows you to modify the super cache for your files and is ideal for advanced developers who need more control.
Key Features
- Page caching
- GZIP compression
- Support for CDN
- Browser caching
- Caching for visitors using mobile devices
- Scheduler to manage re-caching and deletion at given intervals
Pricing
The WP Super Cache plugin is available free of cost.
Pros
- Easy to set up and use
- Comes with dynamic server-side caching and page compression
- Allows for caching on mobile devices
Cons
- Does not allow server-side caching for users who are logged in
- No option to minimize or combine individual CSS or JS files
Verdict: For a free, open-source WordPress Caching plugin, WP Super Cache can speed up your site like other prepaid caching plugins once you set it up correctly.
Frequently Asked Questions About WordPress Caching Plugins
How Do WordPress Caching Plugins Work?
A caching plugin works by instructing the server to store some website files on RAM or disk, based on the configuration. It’s designed to remember and duplicate content it’s been caching in the past. When installed on your WordPress site, it duplicates web pages after they load for the first time and serves visitors the cached version.
Why Do You Need a WordPress Caching Plugin?
WordPress caching plugins take the pressure off WordPress hosting servers to improve a site’s load speeds. They allow you to create a fast website without writing any code. As a result, a fast-loading website encourages people to visit more pages and improves user experience.
Are there any free WordPress Caching Addons?
Though there are several free WordPress caching add-ons, the most advanced features are prepaid. However, you have to ensure that the plugin is published in the WordPress repository and has favorable reviews before installing it on your site. Taking this measure will help reduce your site’s risk of getting hacked.
Final Thoughts
As discussed in this article, optimizing your website’s loading speeds carries various benefits. These benefits include improved user experience, better conversions, and better SEO ranking. WordPress caching plugins are a must-have in a world where user experience and conversions are key to websites looking to make a profit.
