FastPixel vs. WP Rocket: Best WordPress Plugin To Accelerate Your Site
When it comes to WordPress websites, speed and performance optimization are key. FastPixel and WP Rocket are standout plugins, each with distinct features aimed at turbocharging website speed, efficiency, and user experience.
Let’s take a deep dive into comparing these two, so you can pick the perfect fit for your website’s needs.
Understanding the plugins
FastPixel
FastPixel is a cloud-based website optimizer that covers various optimization features, including image compression and CDN integration. It offers a wide array of functionalities to boost website performance, although it leans towards automation, limiting specific user control in certain areas.
WP Rocket
WP Rocket, on the other hand, is a local cache plugin that serves as a paid all-in-one optimization solution. It prioritizes ease of use, performance, and customization, operating within the local environment while providing the option to integrate a regular CDN (RocketCDN) for content delivery.
Feature comparison
Image optimization
FastPixel primarily focuses on image optimization with cloud-based compression, WebP, and serving adaptive images.
WP Rocket doesn’t inherently provide image compression. Instead, it relies on integration with a separate paid plugin, Imagify, developed by the same team, to offer image compression alongside other features like WebP delivery.
Both plugins improve website performance, but FastPixel’s focus on advanced image optimization gives it an edge in this area.
| FastPixel | WP Rocket | |
|---|---|---|
| Image compression | Yes | Via third-party plugin |
| Local/cloud compression | Cloud | Local, via third-party |
| Adaptive images | Yes | No |
| WebP generation & delivery | Yes | Only delivery (generation via third-party) |
| Lazy loading | Yes | Yes |
| Lazy loading iframes | Yes | Yes |
| Native lazy loading | No | Yes (with a free addon) |
| Exclude above-the-fold from lazy loading | No | Manually |
| Replace YouTube thumbs with still image | No | Yes |
| Add missing height and width attributes | Yes | Yes |
| LQIPs | No | No |
Caching
Both FastPixel and WP Rocket incorporate essential caching features such as page cache and preloading to optimize website performance.
| FastPixel | WP Rocket | |
|---|---|---|
| Page cache | Yes | Yes |
| Preloading cache | Yes | Yes |
| HTTP caching | Yes (for the resources on the CDN) | Yes |
CSS & JS optimization
FastPixel focuses on offloading minification onto the CDN for efficient asset delivery. However, it lacks local minification and the ability to combine CSS/JS files. On the other hand, WP Rocket offers these optimizations but lacks minification offloading.
| FastPixel | WP Rocket | |
|---|---|---|
| Local minify CSS | No | Yes |
| Offload CSS minification (on CDN) | Yes | No |
| Combine CSS files | No | Yes |
| Critical CSS generation | Yes | Yes |
| Load CSS asynchronously | Yes | Yes |
| Deal with unused CSS | Yes | Yes |
| Local minify JS | No | Yes |
| Offload JS minification (on CDN) | Yes | No |
| Combine JS files | No | Yes |
| Deferred loading JS | Yes | Yes |
| Delay JS execution | Yes | Yes |
Fonts & database optimization
FastPixel incorporates a distinctive feature that efficiently identifies characters and symbols in active use on a web page, subsequently integrated into a custom font. This approach allows websites to load only the necessary font glyphs, optimizing performance by reducing the overall font file size and improving page load times. However, it doesn’t provide local font hosting or any database optimization capabilities.
WP Rocket offers font preloading and optimization options, streamlining font-related performance, as well as specific database optimization functionalities.
| FastPixel | WP Rocket | |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic font loading | Yes | No |
| Delete unnecessary database entries | No | Yes |
| Schedule database maintenance | No | Yes |
| Optimize database tables | No | Yes |
CDN integration
FastPixel integrates with a CDN service (via bunny.net) to deliver HTML, images, CSS, JS, and fonts efficiently. WP Rocket allows integration with external CDNs and provides a dedicated CDN service (RocketCDN) with additional costs.
| FastPixel | WP Rocket | |
|---|---|---|
| Included in the price or pay extra? | Yes, included | No, pay extra |
| What does the CDN serve? | Images, HTML, CSS, JS, fonts | Images, CSS, JS |
| CDN provider | bunny.net | bunny.net |
| Purge CDN cache in 1 click | Yes, but CDN cache is cleared only if images are updated | Yes |
| Custom subdomain | No | Only by using RocketCDN |
Other optimizations
FastPixel introduces several other optimizations including DNS prefetch, preconnection to required origins, and GZIP/BRotli compression, aiming to enhance website performance.
WP Rocket includes specific optimizations tailored to boost performance, such as Heartbeat Optimization.
| FastPixel | WP Rocket | |
|---|---|---|
| Heartbeat Optimization | No | Yes |
| Lazy render HTML elements | No | No |
| DNS prefetch | Yes | No |
| Preconnect to required origins | Yes | Yes |
| Preload requests | Yes | Only fonts |
| GZIP/BRotli compression | Yes | Yes |
| Export/import settings | No | Yes |
Pricing structure
FastPixel offers various plans billed monthly or yearly for one website, including a free plan. The cheapest plan starts at $10 per month for a website that has approximately 50,000 page views/month. All plans include all available features, image optimization, and unlimited CDN traffic.
WP Rocket offers tiered pricing starting at $59 per year for one website, with options for 3 or unlimited websites. Additionally, RocketCDN is available for $8.99 per month with unlimited bandwidth.
Takeaways
Both plugins aim to boost WordPress performance, but they take different approaches.
FastPixel works as a cloud-based accelerator, excelling in some optimizations but lacking depth in other areas. Meanwhile, WP Rocket serves as a local cache plugin that can integrate with external CDNs for content delivery.
The best plugin for you will depend on your specific needs, priorities, and budget.
If you want an all-in-one local optimization tool with optional CDN integration and third-party image optimization, WP Rocket is a good choice. However, if you prioritize cloud-based optimization focused on image compression and broader WordPress-specific optimizations without the need for extra plugins, FastPixel might suit you better.
Give FastPixel a try for free
Take a brief pause to check the performance of your WordPress site for free and measure the before and after results to see the value FastPixel adds to your site.
