WP Rocket vs WP Super Cache
Updated 5 Oct 2026. 25 features compared side by side.
Premium all-in-one caching and performance plugin for WordPress that applies page caching, file optimisation and lazy loading as soon as it is activated.
Free, lightweight static HTML page cache from Automattic, with preload, CDN URL rewriting and mobile support; no front-end optimisation tools.
Choose WP Rocket if…
- You need defer / delay JavaScript and remove unused CSS
- You also want minify CSS & JS and critical CSS
- You want the more complete feature set (89/100 vs 35/100)
- You prefer the more widely used option
Choose WP Super Cache if…
- You want to start with a free version
WP Rocket includes 15 features that WP Super Cache lacks, including Minify CSS & JS, Combine files and Defer / delay JavaScript. Both include 8 of the 25 features we track. 1 feature is not yet verified for one or both plugins.
At a glance
Feature comparison
Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.
WP Rocket WP Super CacheCaching7/87/8
Static HTML page cache is active as soon as the plugin is enabled.
Generates static HTML files served via PHP (Simple) or mod_rewrite (Expert).
Adds browser cache rules for images, CSS and JS automatically.
Supports 304 Not Modified in Simple mode; no expires rules for static assets.
Sitemap-based preload rebuilds the cache after changes; link preloading also available.
Preload mode builds cache files for posts, categories and tags.
No Redis/Memcached object cache feature; use a separate object-cache drop-in.
No object cache integration.
Separate mobile cache files are on by default (phones only; tablets treated as desktop).
Optional mobile support appends a mobile key so phones get their own cache.
Cart, checkout and account pages are excluded from cache automatically.
WooCommerce natively stops it caching cart, checkout and My Account.
Works on Apache, Nginx and managed hosts; not tied to a specific server stack.
Simple mode runs via PHP on most hosts; Expert mode needs Apache mod_rewrite.
Supported; vendor advises per-site activation so each sub-site keeps its own settings.
Multisite supported; network activation and Simple mode recommended.
CSS & JavaScript7/70/7
Separate options to minify CSS files and JavaScript files.
No minification features.
Can combine JavaScript files; the old CSS combine option has been retired.
No file combining.
Load JavaScript deferred plus Delay JavaScript execution with one-click exclusions.
No defer or delay JavaScript options.
Remove Unused CSS generated by WP Rocket's cloud service, with a safelist.
No unused CSS removal.
Load CSS asynchronously generates critical CSS per page, with fallback CSS.
No critical CSS generation.
Self-host Google Fonts and preload chosen font files.
No font optimisation tools.
Font and link preloading plus automatic preconnect to external domains (since 3.19).
No preload, prefetch or preconnect controls.
Media & delivery7/71/7
Lazy load images and CSS background images, with exclusions.
No lazy loading feature.
Compression is provided by the separate Imagify plugin (free tier, paid plans).
No image compression.
WebP compatibility serves next-gen files created by Imagify or other plugins; no conversion itself.
No WebP or AVIF conversion or delivery.
Rewrites asset URLs to any CDN CNAME you enter.
Integrated OSSDL off-linker rewrites wp-content/wp-includes URLs to a CDN.
Built-in Cloudflare add-on for purging, dev mode and optimal settings.
No Cloudflare API integration; docs only advise Simple mode with Cloudflare.
Option to replace YouTube iframes with a preview image until clicked.
No video embed placeholders.
RocketCDN free for 3 pages; whole-site RocketCDN Pro is $7.99/month.
No vendor-run CDN included.
Housekeeping2/30/3
Cleans revisions, drafts, trash, spam, transients and optimises tables on a schedule.
No database cleanup tools.
Reduce or disable Heartbeat separately for backend, editor and frontend.
No Heartbeat API control.
Free official wp-rocket-cli package adds purge, preload and settings commands.
WP-CLI commands via the separate wp-cli/wp-super-cache-cli package.
Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?
Pricing compared
WP Rocket Premium
| Single | $59.95 per year, 1 site |
|---|---|
| Plus | $119.95 per year, 3 sites |
| Multi | $299.95 per year, 50 sites |
WP Super Cache Free
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Free | Free lifetime, Unlimited |
Downloads trend
WP Rocket
No WordPress.org download data (premium-only plugin).
WP Super Cache
90,685 downloads last week
Verdict
WP Rocket scores higher on our feature checklist (89/100 against 35/100) and includes defer / delay JavaScript, remove unused CSS and minify CSS & JS that WP Super Cache does not. Only WP Super Cache has a free version. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
WP Rocket: included. WP Super Cache: not included. Load JavaScript deferred plus Delay JavaScript execution with one-click exclusions.
WP Rocket: included. WP Super Cache: not included. Remove Unused CSS generated by WP Rocket's cloud service, with a safelist.
WP Rocket: included. WP Super Cache: not included. Separate options to minify CSS files and JavaScript files.
WP Rocket: included. WP Super Cache: not included. Load CSS asynchronously generates critical CSS per page, with fallback CSS.
WP Rocket: included. WP Super Cache: not included. Lazy load images and CSS background images, with exclusions.
WP Rocket: via add-on. WP Super Cache: not included. Compression is provided by the separate Imagify plugin (free tier, paid plans).
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, WP Rocket or WP Super Cache?
WP Rocket scores higher on our feature checklist (89/100 against 35/100) and includes defer / delay JavaScript, remove unused CSS and minify CSS & JS that WP Super Cache does not. Only WP Super Cache has a free version. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Which has more features?
WP Rocket includes 23 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 WP Rocket free?
WP Rocket is premium only. Paid plans start at $59.95/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 WP Rocket 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.