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7 WordPress Image Optimization Plugins Ranked

A slow website can frustrate visitors and increase the bounce rate. One of the easiest ways to increase page speed is to compress images prior to upload but remembering to do so each time you add an image to your website can be a hassle. Thankfully, there are a handful of handy image optimization plugins for WordPress that will compress images automatically when they are uploaded to the Media Library. Let us take a look at the key features of each plugin and how they stack up at compressing images.

Compress JPG & PNG Images

by TinyPNG

  • Requires an account for an API key (free)
  • Free accounts have a limit of 500 images per month
  • Can resize original images
  • Can disable optimization of original images
  • Can disable optimization for specific CMS generated images
  • Can convert CMYK images to RGB
  • Can remove metadata from optimized images
  • Plugin settings discreetly located under the Settings > Media tab in the Admin panel

EWWW Image Optimizer

by Shane Bishop

  • Can set specific image folders on the server for optimization
  • Can convert images from their original format to WebP, JPG, and PNG
  • Can resize original images
  • Can disable optimization of original images
  • Can disable optimization for specific CMS generated images
  • Can disable optimization for images with a specific file size
  • Can remove metadata from optimized images
  • Plugin settings located under the Settings tab in the Admin panel

Imsanity

by Jason Kinkle

  • Can set specific image folders on the server for optimization
  • Can convert images from BMP or PNG to JPG
  • Can resize original images
  • Can remove metadata from optimized images
  • Plugin settings located under the Settings tab in the Admin panel

Kraken Image Optimizer

by Karim Salman

  • Requires an account for an API key (free – 100MB per month)
  • Can resize original images
  • Can disable optimization of original images
  • Can disable optimization for specific CMS generated images
  • Can choose to preserve image metadata
  • Plugin settings located under the Settings tab in the Admin panel

Optimus

by KeyCDN

  • Free account image optimization file size limit of 100KB
  • Can convert images from their original format to WebP
  • Can disable optimization of original images
  • Can disable optimization for specific CMS generated images
  • Can disable optimization for images with a specific file size
  • Can remove metadata from optimized images
  • Plugin settings located under the Settings tab in the Admin panel

Shortpixel Image Optimizer

by ShortPixel

  • Requires an account for an API key (free – 100 images per month)
  • Can resize original images
  • Can create a backup of the original image
  • Can disable optimization of thumbnail images
  • Can convert CMYK images to RGB
  • Can remove metadata from optimized images
  • Plugin settings located under the Settings tab in the Admin panel

WP Smush

by WPMU DEV

  • 1MB image file size limit
  • Can resize original images
  • Can disable optimization for specific CMS generated images
  • Can preserve metadata in optimized images
  • Plugin settings located under the Media tab in the Admin panel

Image Optimization Results


Image Compression Chart
A comparision table of image optimization savings for JPG and PNG images by WordPress plugin.

The Winner

Based upon file savings from compression and the features available within the plugin, I found Compress JPG & PNG Images to be the best fit for a typical WordPress website. It produced the best image compression results with least noticeable artifacts when compared with some of the other plugins. The free monthly account allows for compression of 500 images which can be limiting, depending upon the number of resized images the WordPress CMS produces per original image. The upside is the pricing for 501 to 10,000 images is only $0.009 per image and $0.002 for 10,000+ images. This is very reasonable when compared to other paid plans offered by image optimization plugins.

The Runner Up

EWWW Image Optimizer and Kraken Image Optimizer tied for second place in my research. I did like how EWWW had the most features for configuring the image optimization process but for most websites this amount of configuration may be overboard. While Kraken produced image optimization results similar to Compress JPG & PNG Images, the 200 MB monthly limit of the free account could be a potential drawback if images are not compressed prior to uploading into the Media Library.

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Ted is a graphic designer and front-end developer who specializes in branding, marketing, and website development.