Unless you’re using LiteSpeed Cache on a LiteSpeed server, FlyingPress is the way to go.
After WP Johnny recommended switching from WP Rocket to FlyingPress, LCP and browsing speed were both noticeably faster. Curious why, I compared their features in the table below.
FlyingPress is similar to WP Rocket. But it can also remove bloat, host third-party code locally, and better optimize LCP images and CSS. FlyingCDN (BunnyCDN) is also faster than RocketCDN (StackPath). Gijo releases new features regularly, has better support, and renewals are cheaper.
Since the Perfmatters script manager is one of the only features FlyingPress can’t do, you can use Asset CleanUp for this (which disables plugins on pages they’re not used). By moving from WP Rocket/Perfmatters to FlyingPress/Asset CleanUp, you get a faster site and save $39.95/year.
While I’m not a fan of their hosting, SiteGround Optimizer can be used for caching only, then FlyingPress for everything else… because it does a much better job optimizing core web vitals.
If you don’t know Gijo Varghese, he runs the WP Speed Matters Facebook group and is one of the smartest speed gurus. I’m happy to support his team for creating what is arguably is the #1 cache plugin of 2023. Activate your license key and let’s go configure your FlyingPress settings.
| SG Optimizer | WP Rocket | FlyingPress | LiteSpeed Cache | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Server-side caching | ✓ | x | x | ✓ |
| Object cache integration | ✓ | x | x | ✓ |
| Delay JavaScript | x | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Remove unused CSS | x | Inline | Separate file | Separate file |
| Critical CSS | x | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Preload critical images | x | x | ✓ | x |
| Exclude viewport images from lazy | By class/type | By class/URL | Automatic | Automatic |
| Lazy load iframes | x | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lazy load background images | x | Inline HTML | lazy-bg class | x |
| Lazy render HTML elements | x | x | ✓ | ✓ |
| Add missing image dimensions | x | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| YouTube iframe preview image | x | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Local YouTube placeholder | x | x | ✓ | x |
| Local Gravatars | x | x | ✓ | Caching |
| Local fonts | x | x | ✓ | ✓ |
| Font-display: swap | x | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Preload links | x | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bloat removal (beyond Heartbeat) | x | x | ✓ (details) | x |
| Guest Mode | x | x | x | ✓ |
| Advanced cache control | x | x | x | ✓ |
| Limit post revisions | Delete all | Delete all | Keep some | Keep some |
| CDN | Google Cloud | StackPath | BunnyCDN | QUIC.cloud |
| CDN PoPs | 187 | 73 | 120 | 83 |
| Full page caching | ✓ | x | x | ✓ |
| CDN image optimization | x | x | ✓ | ✓ |
| CDN permanent storage | x | x | ✓ | x |
| CDN mobile image resizing | x | x | ✓ | x |
| CDN DDoS protection | x | x | ✓ | ✓ |
| CDN bandwidth | Unmetered | Very limited | Usage-based | Usage-based |
| Documented APO compatibility | x | x | ✓ | x |
| Documentation | Not detailed | Good | Not detailed | Good |
| New features | Infrequent | Infrequent | Frequent | Frequent |
| Facebook group | Join | Join | Join | Join |
| CDN price | $14.99/mo | $8.99/mo | $.03/GB | $.02-.08/GB |
| Plugin price | Free | $59/year | $60/year | Free |
| Renewal price | Free | $59/year | $42/year | Free |
My current setup is Rocket.net (with free Cloudflare Enterprise) + FlyingPress + Perfmatters. I kept Perfmatters because I write about it so much. Feel free to test my site or browse through it.
