Large images can slow down a website and create a suboptimal user experience. If you have a WordPress website, there are a variety of image optimization plugins to help.
Although there are a number of factors that can lead to slow page load times, improperly-sized images have a large impact. With the total weight of images on webpages continuing to increase each year, publishers need to pay even more attention to image optimization now than ever before.
Here is a list of plugins for image optimization on WordPress. There are plugins for resizing images, rescaling PDFs, glossy JPEG compression, and intelligent file conversions. Many of these image optimization plugins are free, although most also sell add-on or premium plans for additional features.
Plugins for Image Optimization
1. ShortPixel Image Optimizer increases SEO rankings by optimizing images and PDFs. This lightweight plugin compresses all past images and PDF documents with one click. New images are automatically resized and rescaled on the fly using minimal resources. Both lossy and lossless image compression are offered, as well as glossy JPEG compression, which is a high-quality lossy optimization algorithm.
Price: 100 free credits per month, additional credits can be purchased
2. EWWW Image Optimizer is a user-friendly plugin for publishers who are tired of having slow websites. Publishers can optimize existing images and automatically take care of new images as they’re uploaded to their sites. EWWW Image Optimizer comes with no sleep limits and unlimited file sizes. Premium compression for JPG, PNG, and PDF files is available, as well as adaptive steering with intelligent conversion options depending on the image format.
Price: Core plugin is free, additional paid services also available
3. TinyPNG is a complete image compression solution, giving publishers the ability to optimize approximately 100 images for free each month. The plugin works by analyzing images to apply the best possible optimization. Based on the content of each image, a strategy is chosen by TinyPNG and the result is sent back to the WordPress site to replace the original image with a smaller version. According to TinyPNG’s developers, JPEG images are compressed by an average of 40% to 60% and PNG images are compressed by 50% to 80%.
Price: Free and paid accounts
4. Optimus reduces the file size of uploaded image files on WordPress websites. Depending on the format, the plugin can reduce file sizes by up to 70%. Optimus simultaneously sends images to its server during the WordPress uploading process, where incoming material is processed and sent back in an optimized form. A new image version is then saved in the publisher’s media library. Optimus also supports the conversion of images to the WebP image format.
Price: Free and paid plans
5. Smush is what publishers use to optimize images in a way that improves Google Page Speed. Smush compresses images without a visible drop in quality, using lossless compression to strip unused data. Bulk optimization tools are available for publishers looking to compress up to 50 images in a single click, as well as automated optimization tools that asynchronously optimize attachments for faster compression on upload. The free plugin is developed by WPMU DEV. It comes with no monthly limits.
Price: Free
6. WP Compress is an all-in-one image optimization plugin. It automatically optimizes images to shrink files and improve load times. In addition to local image optimization, which allows publishers to compress media libraries and image thumbnails, WP Compress offers live image optimization. It pairs real-time compression with adaptive images, next generation WebP images, and retina device support. WP Compress includes agency features, which makes this a good option for larger businesses with many individual websites.
Price: Starter tier includes 100 MB per month for free
7. Imagify can optimize images in one click. One of the more sophisticated plugins on this list, Imagify automatically optimizes all website images, including thumbnails, when they are uploaded into WordPress. Publishers can use the plugin to convert WebP images. Three optimization levels are available depending on how aggressive a publisher wants to be with compression. Imagify is compatible with WooCommerce and NextGen Gallery.
Price: Optimize 20MB of images every month for free
8. Image Optimization & Lazy Load by Optimole is a WordPress plugin that helps you improve your website loading speed by optimizing the images on your site. The plugin features on-the-fly image handling, automatic responsive images, and device-based optimizations. Format based optimization is handled in the cloud on a case-by-case basis, which means that once the plugin is installed, Optimole can replace all of your image URLs with cloud-based URLs without actually changing any images on your website. It supports both retina and WebP images.
Price: Basic plan is free
To learn more about the WordPress plugins we recommend most frequently for online publishers, click here.
