The 14 Best Free WordPress Cache Plugins in 2026, Ranked by Data

The best free WordPress cache plugin on our data is WP-Optimize, with 87.3 out of 100. Super Page Cache is a close second on 86.2, and LiteSpeed Cache is third on 85.1. We scored 14 free cache plugins on their WordPress.org record: ratings, active installs, update dates and support.

The top five sit within 2.7 points of each other, so small things decided the order. WP-Optimize takes full marks for installs and maintenance with a 96% rating. Super Page Cache resolved all 14 of its recent support threads but has far fewer installs, and LiteSpeed Cache lost points on support, with 26 of 55 threads resolved.

Short answer: On ordinary shared or VPS hosting, start with WP-Optimize. If your site already runs through Cloudflare, try Super Page Cache. On a LiteSpeed server, use LiteSpeed Cache. On SiteGround, Speed Optimizer is the one whose Dynamic Caching runs there. If you want the plugin with the best rating, WP Fastest Cache has 98%.

Last updated: 14 October 2026. We re-run the numbers every month.

The top 14 at a glance

#	Plugin	Score	Installs	Rating	Server needs	Updated
1	WP-Optimize	87.3	1M+	96%	Any	21 Sep 2026
2	Super Page Cache	86.2	70,000+	96%	Any	5 Oct 2026
3	LiteSpeed Cache	85.1	7M+	96%	Page cache: LiteSpeed server or QUIC.cloud CDN	1 Sep 2026
4	WP Fastest Cache	84.8	1M+	98%	Any	10 Oct 2026
5	W3 Total Cache	84.6	900,000+	88%	Any	1 Oct 2026
6	WP Super Cache	82.7	1M+	86%	Any	30 Sep 2026
7	Jetpack Boost	81.8	200,000+	94%	Any	8 Oct 2026
8	Speed Optimizer	78.6	1M+	84%	Any; Dynamic Caching on SiteGround only	7 Oct 2026
9	Hummingbird	74.1	70,000+	94%	Any	1 Sep 2026
10	SpeedyCache	73.8	500,000+	88%	Any	8 Oct 2026
11	Cache Enabler	68.6	100,000+	86%	Any	27 Sep 2026
12	Breeze	64.3	300,000+	72%	Any	13 Oct 2026
13	Powered Cache	59.8	3,000+	96%	Any	20 Aug 2026
14	Swift Performance Lite	48.2	6,000+	72%	Any	24 Sep 2026

How we scored them

Every plugin gets a score out of 100 from four parts of its WordPress.org record:

• Satisfaction, 35 points: the star rating, blended with 25 imaginary votes at 80% so a handful of reviews cannot carry a plugin.
• Adoption, 25 points: active installs on a log scale, from 1,000 (zero) to 1,000,000 (full marks).
• Maintenance, 20 points: full marks for an update in the last 30 days, sliding to zero at 365 days.
• Support, 20 points: the share of the last two months’ support threads marked resolved. Fewer than 3 threads earns half marks.

There is no lab speed test in this ranking, on purpose. A page cache works by changing how the web server answers a request, so its effect depends on the server and the host. Some plugins on this list only cache pages on specific servers, and would do little on a test server of another kind. A single lab number would mislead more than it would help.

So we rank on the WordPress.org record alone and list each plugin’s server requirement, where its own page states one. Plugins that are closed, have not been updated in 365 days, or have fewer than 1,000 installs are out of the running. The full method is on how we rank.

1. WP-Optimize, 87.3

WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance caches pages, compresses images, cleans the database and minifies files. Its page says caching turns on in one click, with preloading, separate mobile and desktop caches, and exclusions by URL, cookie or user agent.

It leads because nothing is weak: full marks for adoption (1M+) and maintenance (updated 21 September 2026), and a rating of 96% (2,616 ratings). The soft spot is support, 6 of 11 recent threads resolved, worth 10.9 of 20. Its FAQ says the cache also works on Nginx and IIS.

2. Super Page Cache, 86.2

Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals caches pages on the server’s disk and, if you connect it, at Cloudflare’s edge. Its page says it works with or without Cloudflare, including the free Cloudflare plan. It also cleans the database, serves Google Fonts locally and can switch CSS and JS off per page.

It resolved 14 of 14 recent support threads, the only perfect support score in the top five, and is rated 96% (515 ratings). Adoption holds it to second: 70,000+ installs earns 15.4 of 25. Pick it if your domain already sits behind Cloudflare.

3. LiteSpeed Cache, 85.1

LiteSpeed Cache pairs a server-level page cache with image optimization, CSS and JS minification, critical CSS, lazy loading and a database cleaner. With 7M+ installs, it is the most installed plugin here by a wide margin.

Works on: “General Features may be used by anyone with any web server (LiteSpeed, Apache, NGINX, etc.).” Automatic page caching is one of the “LiteSpeed Exclusive Features”, which “require one of the following: OpenLiteSpeed, commercial LiteSpeed products, LiteSpeed-powered hosting, or QUIC.cloud CDN.”

It is rated 96% (2,776 ratings), but support pulled it down: 26 of 55 recent threads resolved, worth 9.5 of 20. On a LiteSpeed host it is the obvious pick. On Apache or Nginx without QUIC.cloud, you get the optimization tools but not the page cache.

4. WP Fastest Cache, 84.8

WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin builds static HTML files and, its page says, serves them with mod_rewrite. It adds preloading, cache timeouts, CSS and JS minification and combining, GZIP and browser caching. Its FAQ says it works on Nginx and IIS, with GZIP and browser caching set up by hand on Nginx.

It has the best rating of the 14, 98% (4,225 ratings), and the most satisfaction points. Support cost it the top spot: 4 of 12 recent threads resolved, worth 6.7 of 20. Expect to lean on its documentation more than its forum.

5. W3 Total Cache, 84.6

W3 Total Cache is the toolkit of the group. It caches pages, database queries, objects and fragments on disk or in Redis, Memcached or APCu, and adds minification, lazy loading, CDN integration and reverse proxy integration via Nginx or Varnish. Its FAQ says it knows of no incompatibilities with Apache, Nginx, IIS or LiteSpeed.

It has the most ratings here, 5,421, but the lowest average in the top five, 88%. Support is solid at 7 of 9 resolved. It suits developers who want to pick each cache layer; for someone who wants one switch, the number of settings is the cost.

6. WP Super Cache, 82.7

WP Super Cache generates static HTML files so the server can skip the heavier WordPress PHP. Its page describes three modes: Expert, which needs Apache mod_rewrite and an .htaccess edit; Simple, served by PHP and recommended; and WP-Cache caching for logged-in users and URLs with parameters.

It takes full marks for adoption (1M+) and maintenance (updated 30 September 2026), and support is fine at 3 of 4. Its rating, 86% (1,346 ratings), is what keeps it sixth. It suits a site that wants a plain page cache; it has been on WordPress.org since 5 November 2007.

7. Jetpack Boost, 81.8

Jetpack Boost – Website Speed, Performance and Critical CSS works in modules: page cache, critical CSS, deferred JavaScript, an image CDN, CSS and JS concatenation, and two features for what it calls Cornerstone Pages. Its FAQ says it does not need the main Jetpack plugin.

It is rated 94% (610 ratings) and was updated 8 October 2026. Its 200,000+ installs earn 19.2 of 25. Its page says automatic critical CSS regeneration comes with the upgrade, so on the free plan you regenerate it yourself after changes.

8. Speed Optimizer, 78.6

Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin, from SiteGround, offers caching, CSS, JS and HTML minification, WebP conversion, lazy loading and database maintenance.

Works on: its page says it improves performance “on any hosting platform”, and its file-based caching carries no host restriction there. But Dynamic Caching “is available exclusively for SiteGround servers”, Memcached is “exclusively available in the SiteGround environment”, and image compression is “exclusive to the SiteGround Environment.”

It has 1M+ installs and full maintenance marks, but its rating, 84% (641 ratings), is the lowest in the top eight. On SiteGround it is the natural choice. Elsewhere you get a file cache and front-end tools, and other plugins here rate higher.

9. Hummingbird, 74.1

Hummingbird Performance bundles full-page, Gravatar and browser caching with asset optimization, GZIP and a scan that suggests one-click fixes. A Safe Mode lets you test settings while visitors still see the old version. Delayed JavaScript and critical CSS are Pro features.

Users like it, 94% (1,488 ratings), but its 70,000+ installs earn 15.4 of 25. It was last updated 1 September 2026, and it lists WordPress 7.0.7 as the latest version tested, older than the 7.1.3 most plugins here list.

10. SpeedyCache, 73.8

SpeedyCache – Cache, Optimization, Performance caches and preloads pages, combines and minifies CSS, combines JS, adds GZIP and browser caching, and can purge Varnish when it clears its own cache. Image optimization, lazy loading and delayed JS are Pro features.

It has 500,000+ installs but only 30 ratings. Our score blends a small rating count toward 80%, so its 88% counts for less than the same figure with thousands of votes. It had no support threads in the last two months, which earns half marks.

11. Cache Enabler, 68.6

Cache Enabler, maintained by KeyCDN, saves static HTML copies of pages on the server’s disk and serves those instead of building each page on request. It adds Brotli and Gzip pre-compression, HTML minification, WP-CLI cache clearing and a cache size display in the dashboard.

It was updated 27 September 2026 and is rated 86% (139 ratings). Its 100,000+ installs earn 16.7 of 25, and 1 recent support thread means half marks on support. It suits a site that wants a small page cache with few settings.

12. Breeze, 64.3

Breeze Cache, from the Cloudways team, offers a file-level cache, database cleanup, minification, lazy loading, deferred JS and CDN integration. It has built-in Varnish support, and if Varnish is not installed, its page says Breeze uses its own internal cache.

Its FAQ says it was tested to be fully compatible with Cloudways servers, which come with Varnish pre-installed, and suggests users elsewhere confirm Varnish support with their host. It also says Breeze has been tested to work with all major hosting providers.

It was updated 13 October 2026, the most recent of the 14, and has 300,000+ installs. Its rating, 72% (132 ratings), is joint lowest here and the reason it ranks twelfth.

13. Powered Cache, 59.8

Powered Cache – Caching and Optimization for WordPress offers page caching, object caching (Redis, Memcached, Memcache and APCu), minification, lazy loading and database cleanup. Its page says it writes .htaccess rules so cached pages can be served without running PHP.

Users rate it 96% (58 ratings), and it was updated 20 August 2026. Adoption sinks it: 3,000+ installs earns 4.0 of 25.

14. Swift Performance Lite, 48.2

Swift Performance Lite caches pages out of the box, generates critical CSS per page, combines and minifies CSS and JavaScript, and includes a database optimizer. Its page says it can also cache AJAX requests.

It was updated 24 September 2026, so maintenance is full. The rest is weak: 72% (125 ratings) and 6,000+ installs. Most plugins above it are safer bets on this data.

Every plugin we measured

#	Plugin	Score	Satisfaction /35	Adoption /25	Maintenance /20	Support /20
1	WP-Optimize	87.3	31.4	25	20	10.9
2	Super Page Cache	86.2	30.9	15.4	20	20.0
3	LiteSpeed Cache	85.1	31.4	25	19.2	9.5
4	WP Fastest Cache	84.8	33.2	25	20	6.7
5	W3 Total Cache	84.6	24.5	24.6	20	15.6
6	WP Super Cache	82.7	22.7	25	20	15.0
7	Jetpack Boost	81.8	29.3	19.2	20	13.3
8	Speed Optimizer	78.6	20.9	25	20	12.7
9	Hummingbird	74.1	29.5	15.4	19.2	10.0
10	SpeedyCache	73.8	21.3	22.5	20	10.0
11	Cache Enabler	68.6	21.9	16.7	20	10.0
12	Breeze	64.3	11.6	20.6	20	12.0
13	Powered Cache	59.8	27.3	4.0	18.5	10.0
14	Swift Performance Lite	48.2	11.7	6.5	20	10.0
Out	Comet Cache	44.0	23.2	10.8	0	10.0
Out	Cachify	43.4	25.5	8.0	0	10.0

What we left out, and why

Two cache plugins are out of the running because they have not been updated in over a year. Our rule drops any plugin with no update in 365 days.

• Comet Cache: last updated 2 July 2025, 469 days before our data pull. It has 20,000+ installs and an 88% rating (108 ratings).
• Cachify: last updated 20 June 2025, 481 days before our data pull. It has 9,000+ installs and a 94% rating (47 ratings).

Many lists still recommend Comet Cache. It may still work on your site today, but it has had no release since 2 July 2025, while WordPress has kept shipping new versions. If you run it, check its page for a new release before you rely on it.

How to choose the best free WordPress cache plugin

1. Find out which web server your host runs. Your host’s control panel or support team can tell you whether it is LiteSpeed, Apache or Nginx.
2. If it is LiteSpeed, install LiteSpeed Cache. If your host is SiteGround, start with Speed Optimizer. Their page caches are built for those servers.
3. If your site is behind Cloudflare, try Super Page Cache, which can cache pages at Cloudflare’s edge on the free plan.
4. Otherwise, start with WP-Optimize, or WP Super Cache if you want a plain page cache.
5. Run only one page cache at a time. Deactivate any other caching plugin before you switch.
6. Test a logged-out page before and after, and check your forms, cart and login still work.

Questions people ask

Which is the best free WordPress cache plugin?

On our data, WP-Optimize, with 87.3 out of 100. Super Page Cache (86.2) and LiteSpeed Cache (85.1) are close behind, and on a LiteSpeed server LiteSpeed Cache is the better fit.

Does LiteSpeed Cache work on Apache or Nginx?

Partly. Its page says the general features, such as minification, image optimization and the database cleaner, work on any web server. The page cache is a LiteSpeed Exclusive Feature and needs OpenLiteSpeed, a commercial LiteSpeed product, LiteSpeed-powered hosting or QUIC.cloud CDN.

Why is there no speed test in this ranking?

A page cache’s effect depends on the web server and host, and some of these plugins only cache pages on specific servers. One lab number would favor whichever plugin suits our test server. We rank on the WordPress.org record and list server requirements instead.

Is WP Rocket on this list?

No. WP Rocket is a paid plugin and is not on WordPress.org, so it is outside a list of free plugins.

Can I run two cache plugins together?

Not two page caches. WP Fastest Cache’s own page says to disable plugins such as LiteSpeed Cache, WP-Optimize, W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache, SiteGround Optimizer and Breeze while using it, and Super Page Cache says to disable page caching in other plugins.