The 5 Best WordPress Caching Plugins to Boost Site Speed in 2024 (Reviewed and Compared)

Is your WordPress website lagging behind when it comes to loading speed? A caching plugin can help. Here are the best WordPress caching plugins of 2024.

Want to skip the intro part? Click here ⇣ to jump straight to the list of our top picks of the best cache plugins for WordPress.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, and if you decide to buy any of the promoted products, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. By doing this, I might feel more inspired to continue writing on this blog. Read our editorial guidelines too.

As a WordPress user, you know how important it is to have a lightning-fast website. Slow loading times can not only frustrate your visitors but also negatively impact your search engine rankings. That’s where caching plugins come in.

In this blog post, we’ll introduce you to the top five WordPress caching plugins that will transform your website into a lightning-fast powerhouse.

We’ll discuss their features, benefits, and how they can help optimize your website’s performance. Don’t let slow loading times hold your website back in 2024 — read on to discover the power of these caching plugins and watch your website soar to new heights.

Let’s dive in…

What is a Cache and How Does It Work in WordPress?

A cache is a temporary storage area that stores data, files, or web pages so that they can be quickly accessed in the future. In WordPress, a cache plugin creates and stores static versions of your dynamic website pages, which reduces server load and improves page speed.

When a user visits your WordPress website, the cache plugin checks if there is a cached version of the requested page. If it exists, the plugin serves that cached version instead of generating the page from scratch. This speeds up the page loading time and improves overall site performance.

The cache is periodically cleared and regenerated to ensure that users see updated content. Some caching plugins allow you to set expiration times for cached pages, while others automatically clear the cache when changes are made to your site.

Caching plugins also typically offer various features such as minification (reducing file sizes), browser caching (storing static files on user’s devices), CDN integration (delivering content from servers closest to the user), and cache preloading (generating new cached versions in the background).

Why Do You Need a WordPress Caching Plugin?

If you want to optimize the performance of your WordPress website, using a caching plugin is essential. Here’s why:

• Faster page load times: Caching plugins create static versions of your web pages, which are served to visitors instead of generating the page from scratch every time. This reduces server load and results in faster loading times.
• Improved user experience: Slow-loading websites can lead to high bounce rates and lower conversions. By using a caching plugin, you can provide a smooth browsing experience to your visitors, keeping them engaged and increasing the chances of conversion.
• Better search engine rankings: Page speed is an important factor that search engines consider when ranking websites. A caching plugin can help improve your website’s loading times, leading to better search engine rankings and increased organic traffic.
• Reduced server resources: Caching reduces the number of requests made to the server, thereby reducing the server load. This can help save server resources and reduce hosting costs.
• Handling traffic spikes: During peak periods or when a large number of users visit your website simultaneously, caching helps in handling the increased traffic efficiently by serving cached pages quickly.
• Compatibility with other optimization techniques: Caching plugins work well with other optimization techniques like minification and content delivery networks (CDNs). They complement each other to further enhance your website’s performance.

Now that we’ve talked about what cache is and what a caching plugin does, let’s find out which caching plugin is the best for WordPress.

Best WordPress Caching Plugins of 2024 (Free and Premium)

After testing many of the cache plugins available for WordPress, we’ve handpicked the best solutions and reviewed them for you below.

1. WP Rocket — Overall best WordPress cache plugin in 2024 (Premium) ⇣
2. WP-Optimize — Cheapest WordPress cache plugin (Freemium) ⇣
3. W3 Total Cache — Developer-friendly WordPress cache plugin (Freemium) ⇣
4. WP Super Cache — Best free WordPress caching plugin (FREE) ⇣
5. Cache Enabler — Best lightweight WordPress cache plugin (FREE) ⇣

I’ll explain the features, performance test with actual data, pros, cons, ratings, customer support, and pricing of each plugin below.

After the reviews, you’ll find a brief guide that explains the most important factors to consider when looking for a WordPress cache plugin.

Let’s go…

1. WP Rocket

WP Rocket is one of the most popular premium caching plugins for WordPress websites, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s very easy to set up compared to other options. Once you install it on your website, you’ll immediately see a speed improvement — thanks to its pre-configured default settings.

In 2013, Jonathan Buttigieg and Jean-Baptiste Marchand-Arvier introduced WP Rocket as a solution for website owners looking to boost their site’s speed and performance with an easy-to-use plugin.

The success of WP Rocket can be seen in its impressive numbers: over 3.8 million websites have been optimized using this cache plugin, and it currently has 311,000 active customers.

Key features of WP Rocket Plugin:

Here are some of the best features and benefits of using WP Rocket :–

• Page Caching: WP Rocket creates static HTML files of your web pages, reducing the server response time and boosting website loading speed.
• Browser Caching: By enabling browser caching, WP Rocket stores certain elements of your website on visitors’ browsers, allowing them to load cached versions instead of requesting fresh content from the server.
• GZIP Compression: WP Rocket automatically compresses your website files, reducing their size and minimizing bandwidth usage, resulting in faster page loading times.
• Database Optimization: WP Rocket includes a database optimization tool that removes unnecessary data like post revisions, spam comments, and transient options from your WordPress database. This helps to keep your database lean and improve overall site performance.
• Lazy Loading: WP Rocket enables lazy loading of images and videos, which means that these media elements are loaded only when they come into view, reducing initial page load time.
• Minification: With WP Rocket’s minification feature, you can optimize your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files by removing unnecessary characters and white spaces, making them smaller in size, and improving loading speed.
• CDN Integration: WP Rocket seamlessly integrates with Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), allowing you to deliver your website content from servers located closer to your visitors’ geographic locations, further enhancing performance.

Putting WP Rocket to the Test – Real Performance Data:

Because WP Rocket aims to make your website faster, it’s important to test it out and see if it really works. I’m going to show you some data from actual tests to see how well WP Rocket performs.

I’ve set up a test website that’s not optimized at all. It’s hosted on a basic shared plan from Bluehost and uses the Astra theme (free version) along with the Elementor page builder plugin to build pages. The Astra theme is lightweight, but Elementor adds some weight, so it’s a good challenge for WP Rocket.

First, I’ll test how the website performs without WP Rocket. Then, I’ll install WP Rocket and test it again to see if there’s any improvement. I’m using the GTMetrix tool to do the tests.

Before WP Rocket

Before installing WP Rocket, the website had a Performance Score of 86% and a Structure Score of 88%. It took 3.4 seconds to fully load, with a total page size of 2.09MB and 99 requests. Not bad, right? But we believed we could do even better with WP Rocket.

After WP Rocket

However, after implementing WP Rocket, we saw some impressive improvements. The Performance Score increased to 100%, while the Structure Score reached 89%. The fully loaded time decreased to 2.3 seconds, with a reduced total page size of 720KB and 60 requests.

I didn’t shrink the images on this site (you can do that using a plugin like ShortPixel), or else the speed could’ve been even faster.

To help you spot the changes more easily, I’ve put together a table that sums up the differences before and after optimizing my test site with WP Rocket:

Metrics Performance	Before WP Rocket	After WP Rocket
Performance Score	86%	100%
Structure Score	88%	89%
Time To First Byte (TTFB)	120 ms	147 ms
First Contentful Paint (FCP)	1.5 s	533 ms
Time To Interactive (TTI)	2.4 s	1.1 s
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)	1.7 s	610 ms
Fully Loaded Time	3.4 s	2.3 s
Page Size	2.09 MB	720 KB
HTTP Requests	99	60

But here’s the thing: we didn’t just install WP Rocket and magically get these results. We had to tweak some settings to make it work its best. It only took us less than 5 minutes to configure WP Rocket for these awesome results, and you can do the same too.

Overall, I had a great experience with WP Rocket. The setup was straightforward, and the plugin worked seamlessly with my WordPress site. The user-friendly interface made it easy to configure various caching options without any technical knowledge.

WP Rocket Pros:

• Easy setup: WP Rocket is known for its user-friendly interface and straightforward setup process. Even if you’re not a tech-savvy person, you can easily configure and activate the plugin without any hassle.
• Automatic optimization: WP Rocket automatically applies many performance optimizations upon activation, saving users time and effort.
• Regular updates: The plugin is frequently updated to ensure compatibility with the latest versions of WordPress and to introduce new features and improvements.
• eCommerce optimization: It’s particularly useful for eCommerce websites, as it can exclude sensitive pages like cart and checkout from caching.
• Compatibility: It works well with various WordPress themes, plugins, and hosting providers, reducing the risk of conflicts.

WP Rocket Cons:

• Premium pricing: Unlike some other caching plugins that offer free versions with limited features, WP Rocket is a premium plugin that requires a paid license for full access to all its features.
• No lifetime license option: WP Rocket offers annual licenses, but some users prefer the option of a lifetime license for long-term use without recurring payments.
• No free CDN: WP Rocket doesn’t offer a CDN for free, but it integrates well with third-party CDNs.

WP Rocket Reviews and Ratings:

WP Rocket is one of the highest-rated caching plugins for WordPress, with an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot. It has been praised for its ease of use, powerful features, and excellent customer support.

Users have reported significant improvements in website loading speed after implementing WP Rocket.

WP Rocket Support:

WP Rocket’s support is quite good. They have a team of experts who are ready to help if you have any questions or run into problems while using the plugin.

You can reach out to them through email or their support ticket system, and they usually respond pretty quickly. Plus, they have lots of helpful resources on their website, like guides and tutorials, to help you out.

My experience with the WP Rocket support team was exceptional. They guided me through the process step-by-step until my problem was resolved. I couldn’t have asked for better customer service. Keep up the great work, WP Rocket.

WP Rocket Pricing:

WP Rocket has three pricing options available:

• Single: for use on one site ($59/year)
• Plus: for use on three sites ($119/year)
• Infinite: for use on an unlimited number of sites ($299/year)

All WP Rocket plans come with one year of updates and support.

The only downside? There isn’t a trial version. If you want to try it, you’ll have to pay right away.

But don’t worry.

They promise to give you all your money back if you change your mind and cancel within 14 days of buying it. If you are interested in trying out WP Rocket, click the link below and sign up using my affiliate link.

–> Visit WP Rocket

2. WP-Optimize

WP-Optimize is the second-best (freemium) caching plugin for WordPress on our list, created by the same people who made UpdraftPlus, a really famous backup plugin.

Over 1 million WordPress website owners trust WP-Optimize to make their sites faster and give users a better experience. It also helps improve your site’s rankings on Google search results pages.

Main features of WP Optimize Plugin:

Here’s what the WP-Optimize offers for caching functionality :–

• Multisite Support: It extends database optimizations to work for multiple WordPress sites simultaneously.
• Flexibility and Control: It allows users to optimize specific individual tables or a combination of tables on one or more WordPress websites, instead of optimizing all database tables at once.
• Deleting unused and unwanted images: It removes unnecessary images, including those of a certain pre-defined size, from a WordPress site.
• Sophisticated Scheduling: Offers various options for scheduling automatic optimization, including daily, weekly, fortnightly, or monthly clean-ups, as well as additional one-time optimizations.
• Seamless Graphical User Interface: Provides a user-friendly interface for scheduling and managing optimizations across multiple sites.
• WP-CLI support: Allows users to manage optimizations through a command-line interface, ideal for handling numerous sites.
• Optimization Preview: This enables users to preview, select, and remove data available for optimization from the database before making changes.
• Preload key requests: Preloads essential assets such as web fonts and icon fonts to improve site performance, as recommended by Google PageSpeed Insights.

Putting WP Optimize to the Test – Real Performance Data:

I wanted to see how well both the free and paid versions of the WP-Optimize plugin work. So, I used the same demo website that I used to test WP Rocket before, but with a different page.

Here’s what I did before testing WP-Optimize:

First, I removed WP Rocket from the website. Then, I checked how the site was doing without any caching plugins. After that, I installed the free version of WP-Optimize and later the paid version. Finally, I looked at the results to see how the site performed. Let’s get into the details.

Before WP-Optimize

Before I started using WP-Optimize, my website’s performance wasn’t at its best according to GTMetrix. It took around 4.6 seconds to load, and the performance score was at 75%. This sluggishness was partly due to heavy images on the site.

After WP-Optimize (free version)

But, as soon as I activated the free version of WP-Optimize, things started to pick up. The load time dropped to 4.0 seconds, and the performance score soared to 95%.

Seeing this improvement got me curious about how the premium version could further enhance my site’s speed, so I decided to give it a try.

After WP-Optimize (premium version)

After upgrading to WP-Optimize’s premium plan, the load time sped up even more, clocking in at just 3.0 seconds, and the performance scores reached an impressive 99%.

I’ve made it easier for you to see the differences by creating a table that summarizes the changes before and after optimizing my test site with WP-Optimize:

Metrics Performance	Before WP-Optimize	After WP-Optimize (Free)	After WP-Optimize (Paid)
Performance Score	75%	95%	99%
Structure Score	89%	90%	90%
Time To First Byte (TTFB)	285 ms	169 ms	267 ms
First Contentful Paint (FCP)	2.3 s	1.1 s	720 ms
Time To Interactive (TTI)	3.3 s	2.1 s	1.2 ms
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)	2.3 s	1.1 s	720 ms
Fully Loaded Time	4.6 s	4.0 s	3.0 s
Page Size	2.0 MB	1.65 MB	960 KB
HTTP Requests	79	40	40

Overall, WP-Optimize, both the free and premium versions, made a significant difference in speeding up my website and boosting its performance.

WP-Optimize Pros:

• Feature-rich free version: The free version of WP-Optimize comes with many useful features such as basic caching, database optimization, and image compression.
• WP-Optimize has a user-friendly interface and is easy to use even for beginners.
• It can also remove unnecessary data such as spam comments, post revisions, and transient options.
• Automatic cleaning: With WP-Optimize, you can schedule regular automatic cleanings of your website’s database, ensuring that it stays optimized without manual intervention.

WP-Optimize Cons:

• Limited free version: While WP-Optimize offers a free version with basic features, some advanced functionalities are only available in the premium version.
• It does not integrate with Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), which can impact website speed.

WP-Optimize Reviews and Ratings:

When it comes to WP-Optimize ratings on trusted platforms, the plugin has received positive feedback from users. On WordPress.org, it has a 4.8 out of 5-star rating based on over 2,000 reviews.

Users appreciate its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features for cleaning and optimizing databases.

WP-Optimize Support:

WP-Optimize offers good support to its users. They provide assistance through various channels such as email support, documentation, and forums where users can ask questions and seek help from the community. Additionally, WP-Optimize has a knowledge base with helpful articles and tutorials to guide users through common issues and tasks.

WP-Optimize Pricing:

If you want the free version, you can download it here. Otherwise, there are three versions you can pay for:

• Starter plan: $49/year (two licenses)
• Business plan: $99/year (five licenses)
• Unlimited plan: $199/year (unlimited licenses)

But remember, they don’t offer refunds if you’re not happy with it. If you’re looking for something like WP Rocket but free, you should give this caching plugin a try. It has everything you need to make your WordPress website faster.

–> Download WP-Optimize plugin

3. W3 Total Cache

W3 Total Cache stands out as one of the most widely used plugins for caching and optimizing website performance. It’s a go-to choice for WordPress users, offering both free and pro versions.

In the WordPress plugin repository, a quick search for “cache” consistently places W3 Total Cache among the top three listings. With an impressive 4.4-star rating and over a million active installations, its popularity speaks volumes about its effectiveness in boosting website performance.

Upon installation, W3 Total Cache delivers noticeable improvements in website loading times and enhances essential metrics like Core Web Vitals.

While the free version suffices for the majority of users, delivering up to an 80% boost in website performance, there’s also a paid option for those seeking additional features and customization options.

Key features of the W3 Total Cache Plugin:

Here’s a quick look at some of our favorite features of W3 Total Cache.

• Compatibility with various types of hosting, including shared hosting and dedicated servers.
• Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) support.
• Secure Socket Layer (SSL/TLS) support for website security.
• Versatile caching options for pages, posts, CSS, JavaScript, feeds, search results, database objects, and fragments.
• Support for various caching methods, including Disk, Redis, Memcached, and others.
• Minification of CSS, JavaScript, and HTML for faster page loading.
• Deferment of non-critical CSS and JavaScript to prioritize rendering speed.
• Lazy loading of offscreen images.
• Browser caching using cache control, future expire headers, and entity tags (ETag).
• JavaScript grouping by template for optimized loading.
• Non-blocking JavaScript embedding for improved performance.
• Integration with multiple CDNs.
• WP-CLI support for cache management and updates.
• Caching statistics for performance insights.
• Extension framework for customization and integration with other services like Cloudflare and WPML.
• Reverse proxy integration via Nginx or Varnish.
• WebP Converter extension for converting images to the WebP format.

Putting W3 Total Cache to the Test – Real Performance Data:

I wanted to compare these caching plugins thoroughly, so I tested W3 Total Cache on my test website, which is hosted on Bluehost’s basic shared plan.

First, let’s see how the website did without W3 Total Cache.

Before W3 Total Cache

Before W3 Total Cache: The page took 4.8 seconds to fully load, was 1.94MB in size, and had 77 requests.

Now, let’s see after installing W3 Total Cache.

After W3 Total Cache

Wow! What a difference. The page loaded in just 3.1 seconds, was only 682KB and had just 34 requests. That’s a big improvement from before.

Here is the full breakdown of the test:

Metrics Performance	Before W3 Total Cache	After W3 Total Cache
Performance Score	80%	91%
Structure Score	90%	93%
Time To First Byte (TTFB)	37 ms	187 ms
First Contentful Paint (FCP)	1.9 s	1.3 s
Time To Interactive (TTI)	3.2 s	2.0 s
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)	2.0 s	1.5 s
Fully Loaded Time	4.8 s	3.1 s
Page Size	1.94 MB	682 KB
HTTP Requests	77	34

Note: I used the free version for this test which is enough. But if you want to upgrade to their paid plan which costs $99 per year, you can get a license of WP Rocket instead, and it’ll only cost you $59 per year, with all the same features included.

W3 Total Cache Pros:

• Various caching options: It supports different types of caching techniques, from basic to advanced, giving you more control over how your website’s content is cached.
• Free to use: W3 Total Cache is available for free, which is great for those on a budget or just starting out with website speed optimization.
• CDN integration: It seamlessly integrates with Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), allowing you to deliver content to users more efficiently across the globe.
• Compatibility: Works well with many other plugins and themes.

W3 Total Cache Cons:

• Complexity for beginners: W3 Total Cache has lots of settings and options that might overwhelm users who are new to WordPress or website optimization.
• Expensive plugin: This plugin is expensive compared to others which is not affordable for beginners.

W3 Total Cache Reviews and Ratings:

As of September 2024, W3 Total Cache is rated 4.4 out of 5 stars on WordPress.org. The plugin has been reviewed by over 5000 users, with the majority giving it a positive rating.

Users appreciate its easy setup process, extensive customization options, and ability to optimize various aspects of their website’s caching process.

W3 Total Cache Support:

W3 Total Cache provides different types of support, like online guides, FAQs, and forums where you can ask questions and get help from other users.

They also offer premium support options if you need extra help directly from their team (Mon-Fri 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM).

W3 Total Cache Pricing:

They offer a free version with basic features and also have a Pro edition available for $99 per year (for a single site), which includes advanced features and priority support.

Here are the complete details of its paid plans:

• $99 per year for 1 website
• $350 per year for 5 websites
• $500 per year for 10 websites

A 100% money-back guarantee is offered if you cancel within 30 days of purchase. If you’re interested in W3 Total Cache, you can sign up here.

–> Download W3 Total Cache plugin

4. WP Super Cache

With over a million active users, WP Super Cache is another well-liked caching plugin for WordPress. It is developed by Automattic, the same team behind popular platforms like WordPress.com and WooCommerce.

WP Super Cache provides three caching modes to optimize website performance. The first mode, Simple, is recommended for its ease of use; it doesn’t require editing PHP files or configuring the .htaccess file.

Then there’s Expert mode, which is very fast. It serves up cached HTML files really quickly to people who visit your site. But, you do have to change your .htaccess files for this one.

Lastly, there’s WP Super Caching. This method caches pages for regular users, like those who log in or leave comments. It’s really flexible, but it’s a bit slower than the other methods.

Key features of WP Super Cache:

Again I have a huge list of features for WP Super Cache, but here are the most important ones:

• Supports CDNs.
• Uses mod_rewrite to show static pages.
• Automatically cleans up old files you don’t need anymore.
• Cache preloading.
• Works with Rest API endpoints.
• Custom caching configurations.

Putting WP Super Cache to the Test – Real Performance Data:

I ran a test on a fresh WordPress setup both with and without the plugin on GTMetrix, which is known for its accuracy in measuring website speed. Take a look at the results below.

Before WP Super Cache

After WP Super Cache

The loading time dropped significantly in just a few seconds, and the overall performance score skyrocketed from 72% to an impressive 93%. That’s a fantastic outcome for a free cache plugin.

Metrics Performance	Before WP Super Cache	After WP Super Cache
Performance Score	72%	93%
Structure Score	89%	90%
Time To First Byte (TTFB)	123 ms	117 ms
First Contentful Paint (FCP)	1.7 s	1.1 s
Time To Interactive (TTI)	3.3 s	1.9 s
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)	2.0 s	1.4 s
Fully Loaded Time	5.8 s	3.8 s
Page Size	1.82 MB	637 KB
HTTP Requests	88	49

WP Super Cache Pros:

• It’s completely free to use.
• It offers advanced caching settings, including options for handling high traffic and custom caching.
• It automatically removes old cached pages to keep your website up to date.
• It provides basic support for Content Delivery Networks (CDNs).

WP Super Cache Cons:

• You have to go through a bunch of settings if you want to use all of its features.
• There’s no “pro” version available, so you can’t upgrade to get more features.

WP Super Cache Reviews and Ratings:

WP Super Cache is beloved by WordPress users for its straightforward and easy-to-use settings, free of any unnecessary frills. It has a solid 4.3 out of 5-star rating on the WordPress Plugin Directory, with over one million active installations.

WP Super Cache Support:

If you need support for WP Super Cache, here are a few options available to you:

• WP Super Cache FAQs
• WP Super Cache support forum
• Debug mode (available inside the plugin)

WP Super Cache Pricing:

WP Super Cache does not have any pricing as it is completely free to use and does not offer any premium version or paid features.

You can simply download and install the plugin from the WordPress repository and start using it on your website without incurring any costs.

–> Download WP Super Cache Plugin

5. Cache Enabler

Cache Enabler is a free caching plugin for WordPress developed by KeyCDN, a leading provider of content delivery network (CDN) services for WordPress websites.

Upon activation, the plugin interface may appear straightforward, yet it offers robust functionality. Users have the flexibility to customize the cache duration according to their specific website requirements, rather than adhering to preset timeframes.

Furthermore, Cache Enabler provides various cache-clearing options. For instance, users can set up automatic cache clearance whenever a particular type of post is published, updated, or deleted so that your website’s content stays current and up-to-date at all times.

Key features of Cache Enabler:

These are some of the best features that Cache Enabler offers :–

• Fast and efficient cache engine
• Automatic smart cache clearing
• Manual cache clearing
• WP-CLI cache clearing
• Cache expiry
• WebP support (convert images to WebP with Optimus)
• Mobile support
• Minification of HTML excluding or including inline CSS and JavaScript
• Real-time cache size display in the WordPress dashboard
• 304 Not Modified support
• Works perfectly with Autoptimize

Putting Cache Enabler to the Test – Real Performance Data:

I decided to test out Cache Enabler on my website to see if it could help improve its performance.

First, I disabled my current caching plugin and cleared both my browser and server cache. Then, I used GTMetrix, a free tool, to check my website’s loading times.

Before Cache Enabler

Without any caching, my site took a sluggish 6.9 seconds to load, which is far too long for today’s impatient web surfers.

After Cache Enabler

After activating Cache Enabler and tweaking some settings like minification, my site’s loading time dropped to 4.4 seconds, a noticeable improvement with just a few minutes of effort. But I wasn’t done yet.

I discovered some advanced features that made my website even faster by bypassing the PHP server. I had to make a few adjustments in the .htaccess file, but it was totally worth it. Now, my site loads in just 2.8 seconds, less than half the time it took without any caching plugin.

Here is a table that neatly compares how things were before and after I optimized my test site using Cache Enabler:

Metrics Performance	Before Cache Enabler	After Cache Enabler (w/ Advanced settings)
Performance Score	39%	97%
Structure Score	85%	90%
Time To First Byte (TTFB)	219 ms	45 ms
First Contentful Paint (FCP)	2.0 s	623 ms
Time To Interactive (TTI)	6.3 s	1.6 s
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)	3.0 s	1.1 s
Fully Loaded Time	6.9 s	2.8 s
Page Size	1.85 MB	726 KB
HTTP Requests	116	77

It’s clear that Cache Enabler is doing wonders for my site’s performance, and with a bit of tweaking, I’m confident I can make it even faster.

Cache Enabler Pros:

• It’s really easy to use, even if you’re just starting out.
• Supports Gzip and Brotli compression to reduce file size.
• Works nicely with custom post types like portfolios, online stores, and membership sites.
• Provides real-time display of cache size in the WordPress dashboard for easy monitoring.

Cache Enabler Cons:

• Its features may seem limited compared to other caching plugins on the list.

Cache Enabler Reviews and Ratings:

It has received positive ratings from users, with an average of 4.4 stars out of 5 on the WordPress.org plugin directory. Users appreciate its simplicity, effectiveness in speeding up websites, and compatibility with other plugins.

Cache Enabler Support:

Cache Enabler doesn’t offer direct customer support itself, but it’s backed by the KeyCDN team, who provide excellent support for their products.

If you have any questions or issues with Cache Enabler, you can reach out to the KeyCDN support team, who are available 24/7 to help you through the ticket-based system. They also have a dedicated support page where you can find helpful documentation, tutorials, and FAQs.

Cache Enabler Pricing:

The plugin itself is free to use. But if you decide to also use KeyCDN, then you’ll start paying from $0.04 per GB you use per month, up to the first 10 TB of data (for North America and Europe region).

The price might change depending on where you are, but you can figure out how much it might cost using their pricing calculator.

–> Download Cache Enabler by KeyCDN

What To Look For When Choosing a Cache Plugin?

When choosing a cache plugin, there are a few key factors to consider:

• Compatibility: Make sure the caching plugin is compatible with your website platform (such as WordPress) and any other plugins or themes you have installed.
• Performance: Look for a caching plugin that offers features like page caching, browser caching, and minification to optimize your website’s loading speed.
• User-friendliness: Choose a plugin with an intuitive interface and easy-to-configure settings.
• Customization options: Look for a caching plugin that allows you to customize the cache settings to suit your specific needs. This could include options for excluding certain pages or files from caching.
• Support: Consider the level of support offered by the plugin developer. Look for documentation, forums, or email support options in case you encounter any issues or need help.
• Regular updates: Your cache plugin should stay up-to-date with the latest best practices and keep adding new features regularly.
• Price: You’ll want a cache plugin that’s affordable and really delivers on its promise. Make sure there are no hidden fees to catch you off guard. Look for one that offers a money-back guarantee and a pricing plan that suits what you need.

Remember, every website is unique, so it’s a good idea to try out different caching plugins to see which one works best for you.

Try WordPress Optimized Hosting’s Built-in Caching Features

Did you know that some companies that host WordPress websites make their servers faster by offering built-in caching features? If your website is hosted by one of these companies, like the ones listed below, you might not need to use another WordPress Cache Plugin.

1. Hostinger built-in LiteSpeed cache

Hostinger is a very popular WordPress hosting company for small businesses that has been growing fast lately. They offer you two ways to do caching: the LiteSpeed Cache plugin and the Object Cache.

The LiteSpeed Cache plugin comes with all plans. It helps speed up your website by storing pages, preloading cache, and compressing images. Hostinger automatically updates your cache every 30 minutes.

On the other hand, the Object Cache saves your website’s data searches. This is only for users with a Business plan or higher. This can make your website load up to 3 times faster.

2. WP Engine built-in cache plugin

WP Engine is a managed WordPress hosting company that handles the majority of your back-end maintenance tasks so that you don’t have to worry about them as much.

While WP Engine might be a bit pricey, it offers many great caching features to speed up your website. These include page caching, CDN caching, object caching, and local browser caching.

3. Cloudways built-in Breeze and Object Cache Pro

With Cloudways as your hosting provider, you don’t have to worry about setting up caching plugins — they come pre-installed with options like Breeze and Object Cache Pro, giving your site optimal performance.

4. Pressable built-in caching

Pressable (read my review) is yet another fantastic managed hosting service that aims to optimize your WordPress website for lightning-fast performance. That’s why all the websites hosted by Pressable use different kinds of caching. This helps your website load quickly and without any hiccups.

The caching types they use are object caching, page caching, and CDN caching. You can find all these caching options in the WordPress dashboard of your Pressable account.

Comparing The Best Cache Plugins for WordPress

We have just discussed the five best WordPress cache plugins to boost your site speed, let’s now take a look at the comparison chart of key features offered by each plugin.

Plugin	Page Caching	Browser Caching	Database Optimization	Load Times	Price (Starting From)
WP Rocket	Yes	Yes	Yes	2.3 s	$59/yr
WP-Optimize	Yes	Yes	Yes	3.0 s	Free + $49/yr
W3 Total Cache	Yes	No	No	3.1 s	Free + $99/yr
WP Super Cache	Yes	Yes	No	3.8 s	Free
Cache Enabler	Yes	No	No	2.8 s	Free

Keep in mind that the effectiveness of a cache plugin can also depend on factors like your hosting environment, website setup, and specific requirements.

#1 WordPress Caching Plugin: Our Pick for 2024

After looking at all the choices, we think WP Rocket is the best WordPress caching plugin on the market. It is known for its excellent performance, user-friendly interface, tremendous support, and requires minimal configuration on your end. This is what I’m using on Mastery Blogging.

One more reason to pick WP Rocket is that when we tried out different caching plugins on our test website to see which one worked the best, WP Rocket came out on top of all.

With features like page caching, file compression, and lazy loading, WP Rocket can significantly improve your website’s loading speed and overall user experience.

If you’re looking for a free WordPress caching plugin that works well, consider W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache. They are updated regularly and have a user base of over a million websites.

Furthermore, don’t forget to check if the hosting provider you choose, like Hostinger or Cloudways, offers any free caching tools. These tools can really speed up your WordPress website and are specifically designed to work well with your chosen host.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Before we finish, let’s tackle some of the questions people often ask about WordPress cache plugins. If you have more questions, just leave a comment and tell us.

In the course of preparing this article, we conducted an examination of various WordPress cache plugins and solutions, including WP Fastest Cache, Hummingbird, and LiteSpeed.

However, our selection process focused solely on identifying the most exceptional WordPress caching plugins to prevent decision overload. I hope you enjoyed this list of the best WordPress caching plugins. Which one do you use and recommend?