Did you know faster pages keep people longer?
A combined study with Google and Nitropack showed that when pages load in 3 seconds or less, users look at 60% more pages.
But here’s the interesting part: if a page takes more than 3 seconds instead of 2, 50% more visitors leave.
So… you can’t ignore page loading times!
I’ve been running multiple blogs for 15 years, and one thing I’ve learned is that images play a HUGE role in how fast your site loads.
That’s why I always make sure to compress my images before uploading. Over the years, I’ve tried and tested plenty of optimization plugins to find the best ones.
In this post, I’ll share my handpicked list of 10 of the best WordPress image optimization plugins that actually make a difference for your site speed and performance.
Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
What is the Best WordPress Image Optimizer? [Top 10 Picks In 2025]
1. EWWW Image Optimizer
EWWW Image Optimizer is one of my favorite plugins for automatically compressing images.
This plugin comes packed with powerful features like a fully automatic one-click setup that handles image scaling, WebP conversion, and compression all on its own. It automatically compresses your JavaScript and CSS files by removing extra spaces for faster loading.
Did you know EWWW Image Optimizer has already optimized over 9 billion images?
With more than 427 terabytes of storage saved and over 1 million sites running faster, it’s a powerful plugin. Also, it uses 119 edge locations to deliver your images quickly, no matter where your visitors are.
Key highlights of this plugin are:
- Compresses everything, including JPG, PNG, SVG, WebP, and PDF files
- Upload and download files without any size or speed restrictions
- Offers “Free Image Backups”, which means original images are safely stored for 30 days at no cost
- Images are automatically compressed to reduce size
- Scaled to fit the screen and page perfectly
- Lazy loading makes pages load faster
- Converted to WebP and AVIF for better speed and quality
- Bulk optimize all images from one page, including media library, theme files, and popular gallery plugins like NextGEN and FlaGallery
- Optimize any folder inside your WordPress site, including BuddyPress, sliders, avatars, and custom folders
- Works seamlessly with most plugins and themes, like Cloudinary, WPML, Meta Slider, WP Offload Media, Regenerate Thumbnails, and many more
- Auto-convert images to WebP and AVIF
2. Optimole
Is your website still slow because of the heavy images you use within your blog posts?
Optimole plugin might be all you need.
This plugin automatically compresses your images, resizes them to fit every screen, and delivers them through a super-fast CDN with 450+ global locations.
It includes features like image lazy loading, watermarking images, retina support, ML-powered optimization, etc, with zero configuration. Just install the plugin and it will take care of the rest to boost your page speed.
Some of the main advantages of this plugin are:
- Compress images without losing quality using AI
- Uses a fast CDN powered by AWS CloudFront with 450+ locations around the world
- Cloud media library to organize and manage images across different websites
- Works with all file types, including images, videos, audio files, and documents
- Adds watermarks automatically to protect your images from being reused
- No setup needed, just install it and everything works on its own
- Free plan available with all features for websites that get up to 1000 visits per month
- Converts images to WebP and AVIF for up to 80% smaller sizes
- Offloads all your images to the cloud to save server space and lets you restore anytime with one click
- Lazy loading without jQuery for faster pages and better Core Web Vitals
- Automatically resizes images based on screen size so they look perfect on every device
3. ShortPixel Image Optimizer
ShortPixel is a popular WP image compression plugin that shrinks image sizes with just one click.
You can optimize images and PDFs, bulk convert them to WebP or AVIF, resize them, and load everything smartly with lazy loading.
The best part about this plugin? ShortPixel now comes with its own global CDN. So, if you’re looking for the best WordPress CDN plugins for images, try this plugin.
Why does it matter? A CDN helps load your WebP and AVIF images faster, no matter where your visitors are, so your site loads FASTER everywhere.
This plugin is equipped with features like:
- Easily compresses WebP images to make your site load faster. It maintains high image quality while reducing file size.
- Offers Lossy and Lossless image compression
- Compress JPG, JPEG 2000, JPEG XR, PNG, GIF (still and animated), and PDF files
- Automatically convert JPEG, PNG, or GIF to WebP and AVIF
- Convert CMYK images to RGB for better web use
- Use progressive JPEG when it is used in a smaller image size
- Bulk-optimize all photos in the Media Library
- Supports both HTTPS and HTTP websites
- Ability to turn off automatic image optimization when uploading.
4. Smush Image Optimization
As the name suggests, the Smush Image Optimization plugin smashes image file sizes without killing quality.
Smush is the perfect WP plugin for you if you want to optimize, resize, and compress images from one place. It also lets you convert images to WebP or AVIF format for faster page loading times.
This plugin also allows you to bulk compress all your existing images with a single click.
It comes packed with features such as:
- Lossless Compression, as you can compress images without losing quality
- The Lazy Loading feature allows loading images only when they’re needed
- The Bulk Smush feature compresses all images in one click
- Auto-scale big images while optimizing
- Easily find and fix images that are slowing your site
- Optimize images outside your media library too
- New uploads get smushed automatically
- Compress as many images as you want (up to 5MB each)
- Supports all your JPEG and PNG files
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5. TinyPNG
Are you using a ton of images on your blog posts and pages? Then, you should install TinyPNG as it automatically optimizes your images (JPEG, PNG, WebP) using TinyJPG and TinyPNG integration.
This is one of the best WordPress image compression plugins that helps you with better speed and improved SEO by reducing image sizes without compromising quality.
Here’s how it works: When you upload an image, the plugin sends it to TinyJPG or TinyPNG to make it smaller. It analyzes your image, finds the best way to compress it, and replaces the original image with one smaller in size.
Core features provided by the plugin include:
- Automatically optimize every image you upload
- Optimize any image already in your media library
- One-click bulk optimize your entire media library
- Resize huge uploads by setting max width or height
- Compress animated PNGs too
- Choose which image sizes to optimize
- Works perfectly with WooCommerce
- Supports WP Retina 2x for sharp, high-resoulution images
- Track usage right in your settings and bulk screens
- Auto-convert color profiles to standard RGB
- Convert CMYK to RGB to save space and boost compatibility.
- The dashboard widget shows your total image savings
- Optimize and resize images straight from the WP mobile app
6. Envira Photo Gallery
Envira is a popular drag-and-drop photo gallery plugin that helps you build beautiful, fast-loading galleries in minutes.
There’s no coding needed, and it works well with all the popular page builders, including Elementor, Beaver Builder, Divi, as well as the block editor.
This plugin offers several standout features, such as;
- 100% responsive and mobile-friendly by default
- Create stunning galleries in minutes with a simple drag-and-drop builder
- The ability to share your photos on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest
- The ability to add YouTube, Vimeo, Wistia, and other videos to your video gallery.
- Watermarking feature so you can protect your images from theft
7. WP Rocket
WP Rocket is NOT just another image optimizer plugin. It’s an all-in-one WP plugin that helps with faster loading times, better PageSpeed scores, and optimized Core Web Vitals.
We’ve been using WP Rocket on several of our sites for years and it’s still one of the fastest, simplest ways to boost WordPress speed without breaking anything.
However, this is a paid WP plugin. If you want to save more on their plugin, try this WP Rocket coupon for an extra 20% discount.
A few essential features of this plugin include:
- Creates and serves a fast-loading page cache, including a separate cache for mobile users
- Automatically optimizes the most essential images first for better speed
- Enables lazy loading for images and iframes without needing extra settings
- Sets proper browser caching rules so returning visitors get faster load times
- Compresses your site files using GZIP for smaller file delivery
- Refreshes WooCommerce cart fragments cache the right way, so cart updates stay smooth
- Optimizes Google Fonts by combining and loading them efficiently
So, if you’re looking for the best WordPress image optimizer, try WP Rocket. WP Rocket gives you a 100% money-back guarantee. Not happy? Just ask within 14 days, and you’ll get your full refund!
8. Jetpack
Unlike all the other plugins mentioned here, Jetpack is not just another image optimizer plugin. It’s an all-in-one plugin that offers security, backups, speed optimization, analytics, and much more.
It also offers an exclusive plugin called “Jetpack Boost” that helps you with image optimization by automatically resizing your images, converting images to WebP, serving images from a worldwide network of servers, etc.
This is one of those must-have WordPress plugins every website owner should use. It just makes things easier and faster.
The best part about the Jetpack plugin is that it also offers automatic, free backups. That means your site is backed up automatically in real time, and you can restore files to any point with one click. It offers 10GB of cloud storage, which is enough for most sites.
The plugin’s top features include:
- Offers a free CDN (content delivery network) that automatically optimizes your images
- Images, CSS, and JavaScript load from Jetpack’s servers, not yours, which ultimately saves your bandwidth and money!
- Host unlimited high-speed videos with no ads or distractions
- Offers customer site search that helps visitors find what they need fast. Works perfectly with WooCommerce to boost sales.
9. Imagify Image Optimization
Want to make your images size smaller without losing quality?
Imagify lets you resize and compress images right inside WordPress, just one click, and ALL your images are optimized.
The Imagify WP plugin is developed by the same team behind WP Rocket, the speed plugin trusted by over 4 million sites worldwide.
With this WordPress photo optimizer plugin, you can optimize up to 20MB (around 200 images) every month for free, and even convert them to WebP format without paying a penny. If you want to optimize more, you should upgrade to their paid plans.
This tool stands out for its features, such as:
- Resize and compress all popular image formats, even PDFs
- Smart compression gives the best balance of quality and speed
- Auto-convert images to WebP for faster loading
- Convert to AVIF in one click
- Works smoothly with WordPress and popular themes
- Compatible with WooCommerce and NextGen Gallery
- Bulk optimize images in the background without slowing things down
10. Elementor Image Optimizer
Elementor Image Optimizer is the most powerful plugin for compressing images without losing their quality. Also, you can convert different types of images, such as PNG, JPEG, GIFs, and other formats to WebP and AVIF.
With the Elementor Image Optimizer plugin, you get a free trial with 200 image credits to test everything out.
You can use it on unlimited websites, bulk optimize your media library, and convert images to WebP and AVIF for faster loading. It supports uploads up to 10MB per image.
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Elementor offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 live chat support, so you’re always covered if something goes wrong or you change your mind.
For more information, read our detailed Elementor Promo code to save more money on their pro plans.
Key features of the plugin are:
- Convert your images to WebP or AVIF format for better performance
- Choose lossless or lossy compression depending on your needs
- Resize large images to save space and improve load time. You can also set a max width (default 1920px).
- Remove unnecessary EXIF metadata to clean up your files
- Optimize images automatically during upload or in bulk whenever you want
- Keep a full backup and restore the original files anytime if needed
- Automatically resizes and optimizes all generated image sizes
FAQs | Best WordPress Image Compression Plugins
Here are some frequently asked questions about the best WordPress image compression plugins. These will help you understand how they work and which one best suits your site.
Image optimizer plugins help shrink your image file sizes without losing quality. It’s essential if you want your site to load faster and reduce bounce rates.
No. Most plugins mentioned here use smart compression that keeps your images looking the same but makes them smaller in size.
Just install any image optimizer plugin like Imagify, Smush, or ShortPixel. Upload your images as usual, and the plugin will compress and resize them automatically.
Most WP image optimizer plugins support JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, and even PDF sometimes.
Yes. Almost all the plugins listed here allow you to optimize all images in your media library with a single click.
Lazy loading means images load only when your website visitors scroll to them. It actually helps your pages load faster. Most plugins listed on this page offer this feature too.
Yes, you can try EWWW, Smush, and TinyPNG for free options to optimize your image sizes.
Final thoughts
In short, image optimization plugins are a MUST if you want a faster WordPress site, better user experience, and better SEO results.
The key here is to pick any one of the plugins listed here, set it up once, and let the plugin do all the work.
So, what are your thoughts on the WP image optimizer plugins listed above? Did we miss any of your favourite WordPress plugins for compressing images? Let us know in the comments.
