Best WordPress Image Optimizer Plugin: Top Compression Options

Last Updated on November 2, 2020

Images are an essential part of your website but they also contribute to adding to its load time. Most website owners either don’t know about the WordPress image optimizer options available to them, or they ignore the fact that images add to the size of their site because they feel that the visual element images add is important for user engagement. This is true of course, but the site’s performance suffers.

Thanks to some of the best WordPress image optimizer plugins listed below however, you can get the best of both worlds. You can optimize your images using plugins so that they load up faster and don’t have a negative impact on your site’s performance.

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With tons of different WordPress image optimizer plugins out there, it can be difficult to select the perfect one for your needs. This is exactly why we have tested and selected the top WordPress image optimizers out there.

We have shortlisted the 15 best WordPress image optimizer plugins that site owners should consider:

Here are the best WordPress image optimizer plugins

ShortPixel Image Optimizer
Optimole
Smush Image Compression and Optimization
EWWW Image Optimizer
Imagify
Robin Image Optimizer
reSmush.it
Imsanity
Hammy
PB Responsive Images
BJ Lazy Load
WP Rocket
SEO Image Optimizer
Optimus
Compress JPEG & PNG images by Tiny PNG

Now let’s take a look to see exactly why these particular plugins are better than the rest, and what areas of WordPress image optimization they excel at in particular.

1. WP Rocket (best all in one WordPress optimizer)

While not a WordPress image optimizer in the normal sense, WP Rocket tops the list because it is a comprehensive plugin that works to improve the overall performance of your website along with image lazy load and cache.

While the plugin isn’t suitable for anyone that wants to resize images (we use it in conjunction with ShortPixel below for this), what it does is offer a lazy load option.

With the plugin installed you have a one-click setting so images aren’t loaded until the user scrolls to it. This allows the web page to load images and content that are in the view of the user faster.

2. ShortPixel (best WordPress image optimizer plugin overall)

ShortPixel Image Optimizer is considered to be the plugin that compresses images better than all other options. The interface looks a lot like the interface you find on Imagify but with a lot more tabs and options, which some may find to be slightly more complicated. You have the option to select how much you want to optimize your images from a range of Lossy, Glossy, to Lossless.

The plugin also has features to optimize PDF and Cloudflare integration and creates the new WebP images that will allow you to really speed up your site and get an SEO edge over your competitors.

ShortPixel is free to use for up to 100 image credits a month. If you plan on optimizing more images on it, the plan starts at $4.99 for up to 5,000 image credits in a month. This platform is ideal for users that have some prior knowledge about image resizing and optimization and want the most from the process.

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3. Optimole (simplest WordPress image optimization)

Optimole is one of the easiest to use image optimization plugins you will come across. It has a simple, clean interface that even new to WordPress users can easily understand. All you have to do is install the plugin and it does most of the work in the background, optimizing the images on your website while showing all of them in your dashboard. It provides you will all the settings for the image from size to compress quality.

The best part about this particular plugin is it has an in-depth monitoring system for users. Which shows them exactly what is happening to the images, how much they’ve been compressed, so you know the impact of the optimization. The plugin is free of cost for up to 1 GB worth of images in a month. If you have a website with more images, you can opt for the $29 per month 15 GB plan. Considered to be one of the most comprehensive plugins, this is perfect for any user looking to easily optimize images for their website.

4. Smush Image Compression and Optimization

Smush Image Compression and Optimization features an elegant interface that provides users with all the basic information they would. It gives them the option to choose whether they want to optimize both old and new pictures or pick one from the two. Obviously, since you want to improve your site’s performance, you will opt for both. It also tells you once the optimization is done, how much space you have ended up saving.

Smush lets users optimize and resize pictures while also has a bulk optimization option. This lets them optimize up to 50 images at a time for the free plan. Saving them time. When not using the bulk option, there is no limit to how many images you can optimize for free.

5. EWWW Image Optimizer

EWWW Image Optimizer doesn’t have the easiest of interfaces to work with. Not only does it seem outdated but it also has numerous tabs with many options for users to go through. But for most users the default settings the plugin comes with will be sufficient so you don’t have to mess with the settings too much.

Users have access to optimize an unlimited amount of images with the plugin for free. It offers optimization for not just images but PDF files also. You can select the amount you want to compress for each file so you can have a different compression setting for JPG than you would have for PNG and so on.

There is one catch though, the plugin uses your server to do all its process which can put a strain on it if you decide to optimize many files at once. This plugin is perfect for users that want a free platform that lets them optimize images for their website.

6. Imagify

After Optimole, Imagify is probably one of the simplest plugins on this list. The plugin has a well-categorized module that is easy for use with options such as Settings, Display Options, and Optimization. You know exactly what to click to get the information you need without having to go through different menus.

The platform presents users with three different settings for image optimization: Normal, Aggressive, and Ultra. Each of which compresses the image more from Normal to Ultra. You have the option of specifying the size such as the width of the images you want so the plugin will automatically resize all images to the specific size.

Like Optimole, you get a monthly 1 GB limit for free after which there are plans that start from $4.99 per month. This plugin is ideal for users that want extra compression options with an easy to use interface.

7. Robin Image Optimizer

Robin Image Optimizer is another popular image optimizer that automatically optimizes images that are uploaded and can reduce the size by up to 80% while maintaining quality.

The platform works in the background to optimize any image you upload. The maximum image size you can upload for optimization is 5 MB on the platform. It also allows users with a manual mass optimization option to bulk optimize images on the website.

8. reSmush.it

reSmush.it lets users optimize images individually and in bulk. The interface can seem a bit complicated but after a single use, it gets easier. The plugin will optimize images automatically and lets you upload them individually or in a group. The only thing is you can upload images that are lower than 5 MB.

The plugin doesn’t let you pick a specific compression size, which can be a problem for users that want to be able to see how much more they can optimize an image. But overall, the plugin is great for any user that wants a simple WordPress image optimizer.

9. Imsanity

Imsanity from its icon image may seem freaky but is far from it. This is a simple to use plugin that automatically works to resize images you upload to your WordPress site. As the plugin states, it resizes images to a more “sane” size. It also offers users a bulk resizing option so you can easily resize existing pictures on your site pretty much at the same time.

The plugin works in the background, all you have to do is ensure the settings are according to your needs and let the plugin do all the work. One unique feature that Imsanity offers it to convert BMP files to JPG, making it easier to scale them down.

10. Hammy

Hammy works to take pictures you have posted on your website to resize and optimize them to a smaller size. It makes sure that the images are optimized for both desktop and mobile users alike so both users get the optimal experience when they visit your website.

The plugin works for both pages and posts but will not optimize images on custom posts. So if you plan on including many custom posts, you may want to opt for another WordPress image optimizer plugin.

11. PB Responsive Images

PB Responsive Images is slightly unique as it uses a community group as far as resizing goes. The plugin automatically optimizes the picture to that which is proposed in the Responsive Images Community group.

The plugin is slightly more complicated to use so is not recommended for beginners, but it does provide users with enough features to ensure that all the images on their website are optimized for the site to perform well.

12. BJ Lazy Load

The main objective of BJ Lazy Load is to make sites load faster while saving users bandwidth. As the name suggests, it gives you the option of lazy load, putting a placeholder in place of the content while also lazy load selected images.

For users that have used Lazy Load, you will find this plugin to be slightly easier as the interface is less complicated but still provides you with more customization options.

13. SEO Image Optimizer

SEO Optimizer Pro helps to ensure that your images are SEO friendly. While it offers to replace the alt tag and title of images, it also resizes images for posts so they load faster.

The plugin has a unique interface that lets users control the size and other elements of the image so they are completely optimized for SEO and performance.

14. Optimus

Optimus can reduce your image file size up to 70% which saves you a lot of space and can drastically improve your site’s load performance, as far as images go. The plugin works in the background as soon as the images are uploaded to the website.

The plugin comes with three different options, the free version lets you upload images with a maximum size of 100 KB, which may be small for most pictures today. This means you will have to go with the HQ ($29 a year) or HQ Pro ($149 a year) both of which allow for a maximum image size of 10 MB.

15. Compress JPEG & PNG images

With just a settings page, Compress JPEG & PNG images makes it simple for users to optimize images for their website. As soon as you upload an image to your website, the plugin goes to work and optimizes the image so that your website performance doesn’t suffer.

You have the option to not just compress but resize the images to a specific size that you want. It also comes with support for WooCommerce, making it easy to resize pictures of products on your e-commerce site.

The plugin is free for up to 500 uploads per month after which there is a charge of $.009 per image. This platform is for anyone looking for a tiny and no-nonsense plugin for image optimization.

Prefer a WordPress image optimizer that isn’t a plugin?

For users that rather not bulk up their WordPress site with a plugin, you have the option of using ImageOptim.

The program can be installed on your computer and gives you the option to manually optimize any image that you plan on uploading onto your website. Meaning, the images are optimized before you upload them.

This helps keep your website that little bit lighter as plugins can, of course, slow your site a little, but the upside with compression and performance plugins usually heavily outweighs any performance downside of course, and there is also speed of implementation to think of.

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So what is the best WordPress image optimizer plugin?

Picking between these 15 WordPress image optimizer plugins can be difficult. They all work well, some give slightly better results, and a couple knock it out of the park.

Users that want a state of the art plugin that gives them more control over the optimized images as well as having the images hosted on a private CDN should go with ShortPixel.

If you want an all in one solution that just speeds up your entire site then WP Rocket is the best option for you. Regarding images specifically, it does not optimize them, rather it caches them and applies lazy load to ensure your website loads faster.

The ultimate solution? Let WP Rocket take care of your site in general, and add ShortPixel into the mix for lightning-fast image optimization. It’s what we do, and it’s what we recommend for our readers.

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