Perfmatters vs WP Super Cache
Updated 5 Oct 2026. 25 features compared side by side.
Premium performance plugin for script management, delayed JS, unused CSS removal, lazy loading and local fonts. Not a page cache; pair it with one.
Free, lightweight static HTML page cache from Automattic, with preload, CDN URL rewriting and mobile support; no front-end optimisation tools.
Choose Perfmatters if…
- You need defer / delay JavaScript and remove unused CSS
- You also want minify CSS & JS and lazy loading
- You want the more complete feature set (50/100 vs 35/100)
Choose WP Super Cache if…
- You need page caching and browser caching rules
- You also want cache preloading and separate mobile cache
- You want to start with a free version
- You prefer the more widely used option
Perfmatters includes 9 features that WP Super Cache lacks, including Minify CSS & JS, Defer / delay JavaScript and Remove unused CSS; WP Super Cache has 4 that Perfmatters lacks, including Page caching, Browser caching rules and Cache preloading. Both include 4 of the 25 features we track.
At a glance
Feature comparison
Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.
Perfmatters WP Super CacheCaching3/87/8
Not a caching plugin; it is designed to run alongside one.
Generates static HTML files served via PHP (Simple) or mod_rewrite (Expert).
Does not add browser-cache or expires headers.
Supports 304 Not Modified in Simple mode; no expires rules for static assets.
No cache to preload; offers browser-side speculative prerendering instead.
Preload mode builds cache files for posts, categories and tags.
No Redis or Memcached object cache integration.
No object cache integration.
No page cache, so no separate mobile cache.
Optional mobile support appends a mobile key so phones get their own cache.
No cache to exclude pages from, but can disable WooCommerce scripts and cart fragments.
WooCommerce natively stops it caching cart, checkout and My Account.
Front-end optimisation plugin that is not tied to any server stack.
Simple mode runs via PHP on most hosts; Expert mode needs Apache mod_rewrite.
No page cache; multisite settings push is only in the Unlimited plan.
Multisite supported; network activation and Simple mode recommended.
CSS & JavaScript5/70/7
Separate CSS and JS minification with exclusions.
No minification features.
Does not combine CSS or JavaScript files.
No file combining.
Defers JS and can delay it until interaction or a timeout.
No defer or delay JavaScript options.
Removes unused CSS; originals can be delayed, async loaded or removed.
No unused CSS removal.
No separate critical CSS generator; relies on used-CSS output.
No critical CSS generation.
Hosts Google Fonts locally with display swap, subsets and font preloading.
No font optimisation tools.
Preload, preconnect, DNS prefetch, fetch priority and Early Hints.
No preload, prefetch or preconnect controls.
Media & delivery3/71/7
Lazy loads images, iframes, videos and CSS background images.
No lazy loading feature.
Does not compress images.
No image compression.
Does not convert images; only lazy loads existing WebP/AVIF files.
No WebP or AVIF conversion or delivery.
CDN rewrite with directory and file-type rules.
Integrated OSSDL off-linker rewrites wp-content/wp-includes URLs to a CDN.
No Cloudflare API integration; docs only cover enabling Early Hints.
No Cloudflare API integration; docs only advise Simple mode with Cloudflare.
Swaps iframes for a preview thumbnail with an SVG play icon.
No video embed placeholders.
No vendor-run CDN.
No vendor-run CDN included.
Housekeeping2/30/3
Cleans revisions, drafts, spam, transients and tables on a schedule.
No database cleanup tools.
Disable the Heartbeat API or change its frequency.
No Heartbeat API control.
WP-CLI commands cover licence, options and caches but not database cleanup.
WP-CLI commands via the separate wp-cli/wp-super-cache-cli package.
Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?
Pricing compared
Perfmatters Premium
| Personal | $29.95 per year, 1 site |
|---|---|
| Business | $59.95 per year, 3 sites |
| Unlimited Sites | $124.95 per year, Unlimited |
WP Super Cache Free
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Free | Free lifetime, Unlimited |
Downloads trend
Perfmatters
No WordPress.org download data (premium-only plugin).
WP Super Cache
88,298 downloads last week
Verdict
Perfmatters scores higher on our feature checklist (50/100 against 35/100) and includes defer / delay JavaScript, remove unused CSS and minify CSS & JS that WP Super Cache does not. WP Super Cache still has the edge on page caching and browser caching rules. Only WP Super Cache has a free version. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
Perfmatters: not included. WP Super Cache: included. Generates static HTML files served via PHP (Simple) or mod_rewrite (Expert).
Perfmatters: included. WP Super Cache: not included. Defers JS and can delay it until interaction or a timeout.
Perfmatters: included. WP Super Cache: not included. Removes unused CSS; originals can be delayed, async loaded or removed.
Perfmatters: not included. WP Super Cache: partial. Supports 304 Not Modified in Simple mode; no expires rules for static assets.
Perfmatters: not included. WP Super Cache: included. Preload mode builds cache files for posts, categories and tags.
Perfmatters: included. WP Super Cache: not included. Separate CSS and JS minification with exclusions.
Written from the feature, pricing and install data on this page, not from hands-on testing. How we compare.
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FAQ
Which is better, Perfmatters or WP Super Cache?
Perfmatters scores higher on our feature checklist (50/100 against 35/100) and includes defer / delay JavaScript, remove unused CSS and minify CSS & JS that WP Super Cache does not. WP Super Cache still has the edge on page caching and browser caching rules. Only WP Super Cache has a free version. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Which has more features?
Perfmatters includes 13 of the 25 features we track, against 8 for WP Super Cache. Feature count is only part of the picture; check which of the differences matter to you.
Is Perfmatters free?
Perfmatters is premium only. Paid plans start at $29.95/yr.
Is WP Super Cache free?
WP Super Cache has a free version on WordPress.org.
Feature data last changed 5 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit to Perfmatters or WP Super Cache. Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.