LiteSpeed Cache
Free server-level cache and optimisation suite from LiteSpeed Technologies; full-page caching needs a LiteSpeed web server or QUIC.cloud CDN.
94
WP Fastest Cache
Lightweight page caching plugin with free minify, combine, CDN and Cloudflare support, plus a one-time-fee Premium tier for images and JS.
Free installs1M+WordPress.org, active
Est. Pro installs~84KLikely 42K–170K
Vendor claims1.5M+Vendor's own figure
Rating4.9/54,229 reviews
Price from$49 lifetimeFreemium
Last updated2 Nov 2026Version 1.5.4
Overview
WP Fastest Cache is a long-running WordPress caching plugin that writes static HTML copies of your pages and serves them through Apache mod_rewrite rules, so most visitors never touch PHP or the database. It is one of the most widely installed cache plugins on WordPress.org and is known for a compact, checkbox-driven settings screen that most site owners can configure in a few minutes.
What the free version covers
The free plugin handles the core caching job well: page caching with automatic purging when posts are published, a cache preloader that crawls the site, cache timeout rules, exclusions by page or user agent, and options for logged-in users and mobile visitors. It also includes HTML and CSS minification, CSS and JavaScript combining, Gzip, browser caching headers and emoji removal. CDN URL rewriting (Bunny CDN and others), Cloudflare cache purging via API, Varnish purging, WP-CLI cache clearing and multisite support are all free, which is generous compared with many rivals.
What Premium adds
Premium is sold as a one-time licence rather than a subscription. It unlocks a separate mobile cache, widget cache, JavaScript minification, render-blocking JS deferral and Delay JS, image compression and WebP conversion, lazy loading for images and iframes (including YouTube thumbnail placeholders), Google Fonts async loading and a database cleanup tool.
- Static HTML caching with simple, beginner-friendly settings
- Free CDN rewrite and Cloudflare purge integration
- Lifetime Premium licences instead of yearly renewals
Limitations
WP Fastest Cache does not generate critical CSS or remove unused CSS, has no Redis or Memcached object cache integration, offers no heartbeat control and has no general preload or preconnect manager. On Nginx the rewrite rules must be added manually. Sites chasing top Core Web Vitals scores on heavy page-builder themes may need an additional asset-optimisation plugin.
Who should pick it: blogs, brochure sites and small WooCommerce stores on Apache or LiteSpeed-compatible hosting that want reliable page caching for free, and owners who prefer paying once for extras rather than renewing every year.
Best for: Small to mid-sized sites on Apache-style hosting that want dependable free page caching and an optional pay-once upgrade.
WP Fastest Cache remains a solid, low-friction page cache with an unusually generous free tier, especially for CDN and Cloudflare users. Its asset optimisation lags tools that generate critical CSS or strip unused CSS, so ambitious Core Web Vitals work may need a companion plugin.
Pros
- Free version includes page cache, preload, minify, combine and Gzip
- CDN rewriting and Cloudflare purge are free, not paywalled
- Premium is a one-time fee with no yearly renewal
- Very simple checkbox-style settings page
- Free WP-CLI cache clearing and multisite support
Cons
- No critical CSS generation or unused CSS removal
- JS minify, Delay JS, lazy load and WebP require Premium
- No Redis/Memcached object cache or heartbeat control
- Nginx servers need manual rewrite configuration
Key features
What WP Fastest Cache highlights on its WordPress.org page and its own website, split by version.
Free version WordPress.org
- Static HTML page caching via mod_rewrite
- Automatic cache purge on publish
- Cache preloading across the site
- Minify HTML and CSS
- Combine CSS and JavaScript files
- Gzip and browser caching rules
- CDN URL rewriting incl. Bunny CDN
- Cloudflare cache purge via API
- Varnish cache purge integration
- WP-CLI cache clearing
- Page and user-agent exclusions
- Disable WordPress emojis
Pro / paid adds From $49 lifetime
- Separate mobile cache
- Widget cache
- JavaScript minification
- Defer render-blocking JavaScript
- Delay JavaScript execution
- Image compression for JPEG/PNG
- WebP image conversion
- Lazy load images and iframes
- YouTube thumbnail placeholders
- Google Fonts async loading
- Database cleanup tool
- One-time lifetime licence
Feature checklist
19 of 25 features we track in Caching & Speed, feature score 73/100
Caching 7/8
Page caching Key
Serves pre-built HTML pages.
Writes static HTML files and serves them via mod_rewrite; purges on publish.
Included
Browser caching rules
Sets cache headers for static files.
Free option adds leverage-browser-caching rules for static files.
Included
Cache preloading
Builds the cache before visitors arrive.
Free Preload feature crawls and caches the whole site automatically.
Included
Object cache
Redis or Memcached object caching.
No Redis or Memcached object cache integration is offered.
Not included
Separate mobile cache
Different cache for mobile devices.
Free can skip caching for mobile; a separate mobile cache is Premium.
Paid version Premium
WooCommerce-aware caching
Excludes cart, checkout and account pages automatically.
Listed as compatible with WooCommerce; dynamic store pages are not cached.
Included
Page cache on any server
Page caching works on Apache, Nginx and LiteSpeed alike.
Works on Apache and IIS; Nginx supported with manual rewrite config.
Included
Multisite support
Works on WordPress multisite networks.
WordPress Multisite is listed as supported in the free plugin.
Included
CSS & JavaScript 4/7
Minify CSS & JS
Strips whitespace from CSS and JavaScript.
Free minifies HTML and CSS; JavaScript minification needs Premium.
Partial
Combine files
Merges CSS/JS files.
Free Combine CSS and Combine JS; Premium adds Combine JS Plus.
Included
Defer / delay JavaScript Key
Loads scripts after the page renders or on interaction.
Render-blocking JS deferral and Delay JS are Premium features.
Paid version Premium
Remove unused CSS Key
Generates only the CSS each page uses.
No unused CSS removal feature is listed on WP.org or the vendor site.
Not included
Critical CSS
Inlines above-the-fold CSS.
No critical CSS generation is offered.
Not included
Font optimisation
Self-hosts or preloads web fonts.
Premium Google Fonts Async loads fonts without blocking render.
Paid version Premium
Preload and prefetch
Preload fonts, images or links and prefetch DNS.
No preload, prefetch or preconnect controls for assets are listed.
Not included
Media & delivery 6/7
Lazy loading
Defers off-screen images and iframes.
Premium lazy load for images and iframes with placeholder options.
Paid version Premium
Image compression
Compresses uploaded images.
Premium compresses JPEG and PNG images while keeping quality.
Paid version Premium
WebP / AVIF delivery
Serves next-gen image formats.
Premium converts images to WebP; AVIF is not mentioned.
Paid version Premium
CDN integration
Rewrites asset URLs to a CDN.
Free CDN tab rewrites asset URLs for Bunny CDN and other providers.
Included
Cloudflare integration
Purges or configures Cloudflare.
Connects to Cloudflare API to purge its cache automatically.
Included
Lazy-load video embeds
Replace YouTube and Vimeo embeds with a lightweight preview.
Premium lazy load swaps YouTube embeds for a thumbnail until needed.
Paid version Premium
Included CDN service
A CDN is part of the product or plan, not just URL rewriting.
No vendor-run CDN; integrates with third-party CDNs only.
Not included
Housekeeping 2/3
Database cleanup
Removes revisions, transients and spam.
Premium cleans revisions, trash, spam, transients and orphaned meta.
Paid version Premium
Heartbeat control
Limits the WordPress Heartbeat API.
No Heartbeat API control is offered.
Not included
WP-CLI commands
Clear or warm the cache from the command line.
Free WP-CLI commands for clearing the cache.
Included
Pricing
Free
$0On WordPress.org
Bronze
$49lifetime1 site
One-time payment; updates and support included; 30-day money-back guarantee.
Silver
$125lifetime3 sites
One-time payment for 3 licences.
Gold
$175lifetime5 sites
One-time payment for 5 licences.
Platinum
$300lifetime10 sites
One-time payment for 10 licences.
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 14 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use WP Fastest Cache?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
1M+
Active installations reported by WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
1.5M+
Sites/users claimed on the vendor's website. source
Estimated Pro / paid installs
~84K
Our estimate, see method below.
How we estimated this: WordPress.org shows 1M+ free installs, which could mean anything from 1M to 2M. The vendor says 1.5M+ sites, so we put the free count halfway between the middle of that range and the vendor figure, at about 1.5M. About 1.5M free installs x 5.6% (the usual share of free sites that also run the paid version when some key features are paid, lower for very large free bases) gives 84K. Likely range: 42K to 170K. This counts sites running the paid version, including sites whose licence has lapsed. Estimates are rough and based on public figures as of 14 Oct 2026.
Stats & health
Weekly downloads
86,323 downloads last week, 68.8M all time
Rating breakdown
| Version | 1.5.4 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 2 Nov 2026 (1 days ago) |
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4 |
| Requires | WordPress 5.7+ |
| Support threads (2 months) | 7 of 14 resolved |
| On WordPress.org since | 4 Aug 2013 |
Company & policy
| Refund policy | 30-day money-back (source, 5 Oct 2026) |
|---|
WP Fastest Cache compared
Hummingbird/WP Fastest Cache
NitroPack/WP Fastest Cache
FlyingPress/WP Fastest Cache
WP Fastest Cache/xSpeed Cache
Perfmatters/WP Fastest Cache
WP Fastest Cache/WP-Optimize
Autoptimize/WP Fastest Cache
Jetpack Boost/WP Fastest Cache
Cache Enabler/WP Fastest Cache
Breeze/WP Fastest CacheLiteSpeed Cache/WP Fastest Cache
W3 Total Cache/WP Fastest Cache
WP Fastest Cache/WP Rocket
WP Fastest Cache/WP Super Cache Alternatives to WP Fastest Cache
xSpeed Cache
Free WordPress cache plugin with static page caching, Redis and Memcached object cache, database cleanup and a built-in MCP server.
100
FlyingPress
Premium all-in-one WordPress speed plugin: page cache, used-CSS generation, delayed JS, image optimisation, Redis and an optional FlyingCDN add-on.
97
WP Rocket
Premium all-in-one caching and performance plugin for WordPress that applies page caching, file optimisation and lazy loading as soon as it is…
89
NitroPack
Cloud-based speed optimisation service with caching, critical CSS, image optimisation and a built-in Cloudflare-powered CDN, billed by pageviews.
87
Hummingbird
WPMU DEV's performance plugin with page, browser and Gravatar caching, asset optimisation, Cloudflare tools and Redis; Pro adds critical CSS and a…
86
FAQ
Is WP Fastest Cache free?
Yes. WP Fastest Cache has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $49 lifetime.
How many sites use WP Fastest Cache?
WordPress.org reports 1M+ active installations of the free version. The vendor claims 1.5M+ sites in total. We estimate around 84K sites run the paid version.
Does WP Fastest Cache have page caching?
Yes: included. Writes static HTML files and serves them via mod_rewrite; purges on publish.
Does WP Fastest Cache have defer / delay javascript?
Yes: paid version (Premium). Render-blocking JS deferral and Delay JS are Premium features.
Does WP Fastest Cache have remove unused css?
No: not included. No unused CSS removal feature is listed on WP.org or the vendor site.
Is WP Fastest Cache Premium a subscription?
No. Premium licences are sold as a one-time payment (from $49 for one site) with ongoing updates, and the vendor offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Does the free version support a CDN or Cloudflare?
Yes. CDN URL rewriting (for example Bunny CDN) and Cloudflare cache purging through the API are both available in the free plugin.
Does WP Fastest Cache work on Nginx?
It works, but because it relies on rewrite rules you need to add the Nginx configuration manually; Apache and IIS are handled automatically.
Can I run it alongside another cache plugin?
The developer advises disabling other page-caching plugins such as WP-Optimize, W3 Total Cache or LiteSpeed Cache to avoid conflicts.
Last updated 5 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.