WordPress Caching Plugin Rankings

After 3 Years of testing, let’s find out which Caching Plugin is proving to be the fastest.

Weekly Caching Plugin Testing Method

  • Compare 8 WordPress Caching Plugins
  • Use 8 Live Sites, each with a Different Host but with Identical Content (you can check them out here)
  • Use GT metrix Speed Test

GTmetrix Logo

  • Testing Locations: North America, Europe & Asia Pacific
  • Frequency of Weekly Testing: Every Hour for 7 Days
  • Total Number of Tests = 1 x24 x7 x8 x140 = 188,160 (xHours xDays xSites xWeeks)
  • Speed Testing is checking how long it takes for a website to fully load using a desktop internet browser

 

WordPress Hosts

Identical Live Sites

Total Tests

WordPress Caching Plugin Rankings – Apr 2016 to DEC 2018

Across the 3 years of testing, both W3 Total Cache & WP Rocket have consistently been the best performing caching plugins.

When it comes to making a call on whether W3 Total Cache or WP Rocket is best for you, it usually comes down to compatibility with your site & host. Some hosts have banned plugin lists due to conflicts with their own caching solutions. If there are no conflicts, my suggestion would be to test both, 1 at a time, to see which helps speed up your site the most.

 

Fastest WordPress Caching Plugin Chart - Apr 2016 to Dec 2018
Caching Plugin Rankings Table - Apr 2016 to Dec 2018

(Click the table to enlarge)

07 Apr 2016 to 22 Dec 2018

And the Fastest WordPress Caching Plugins are…

W3 Total Cache
WP Rocket

Disclosure:

Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. We test each product thoroughly and give high marks to only the very best. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own.

Tools I Use & Trust

After 3 years of testing, I have combined together a list of my recommended WordPress Tools.

Which WordPress Tools are best?