Autoptimize vs LazyLoad by WP Rocket
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | Autoptimize v3.1.16 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.7/5 Visit Details | LazyLoad by WP Rocket v2.4.1 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 4.2/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 800,000+ | 100,000+ |
| Last updated | September 26, 2026 | October 6, 2026 |
| Editions | Autoptimize · Autoptimize Pro ($) | Lazy Load - Optimize Images |
| Pros | Aggregates and minifies CSS and JavaScript; Lazy-loads images with WebP and AVIF support; Works without changing theme code | Three simple toggles: images, iframes/videos, YouTube thumbnails; Small script with no jQuery dependency; Filters and data-no-lazy attribute for fine-grained exclusions |
| Cons | Aggressive script changes can break pages and need testing; Page cache, CDN and critical CSS need the paid Pro version | Lazy loading only; no caching or file optimisation; Native browser lazy loading only through a code filter; Shows an Imagify promotion notice in the admin |
| Mentioned in our posts | — | 1 |
| Features (Speed Optimization plugins checklist) | ||
| Page cache | — | No |
| Browser cache | — | No |
| Minify CSS/JS | — | No |
| CDN | — | No |
| Object cache | — | No |
| Database cleanup | — | No |
| Free version | — | Yes |
| More features | ||
| Other features | CSS and JavaScript aggregation and minification, Image lazy-load and WebP and AVIF settings, Extra options for fonts, emoji and script placement, Critical CSS through the criticalcss.com premium API ($), Pro upgrade tab in the admin | Lazy load images, Lazy load iframes and videos, Replace YouTube iframes with a preview thumbnail, Lazy load inline background images, Exclusions via data-no-lazy, skip-lazy and filters, Native lazy loading via filter, Disabled on AMP pages |
| Integrations | ||
| Social | — | YouTube |
| Plugins | — | AMP |
| Other | criticalcss.com ($), Google Fonts | — |
| Requires WordPress | 5.3 | 4.9 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | 7.4 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | No |
| External services | criticalcss.com, misc.optimizingmatters.com | i.ytimg.com |