Autoptimize vs WP Smush
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 | WP Smush v4.3.5 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.8/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 800,000+ | 1M+ |
| Last updated | September 26, 2026 | October 20, 2026 |
| Editions | Autoptimize · Autoptimize Pro ($) | Smush · Smush Pro ($) |
| Pros | Aggregates and minifies CSS and JavaScript; Lazy-loads images with WebP and AVIF support; Works without changing theme code | Bulk and on-upload image compression at no cost; Lazy loading for images and embedded video; Works with common page builders, WooCommerce and caching plugins |
| Cons | Aggressive script changes can break pages and need testing; Page cache, CDN and critical CSS need the paid Pro version | WebP, AVIF, resizing and the image CDN need Smush Pro; Images are sent to the WPMU DEV API for compression |
| Mentioned in our posts | — | 3 |
| Features (Speed Optimization plugins checklist) | ||
| CDN | — | Yes |
| 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 ($), Pro upgrade tab in the admin | Bulk compression of the media library, Lazy loading for images and embedded video, WebP and AVIF conversion (Pro) ($) |
| Integrations | ||
| E-commerce | — | WooCommerce |
| Plugins | — | WP Rocket, Elementor, Divi, Gravity Forms |
| Other | criticalcss.com ($), Google Fonts | WPMU DEV Smush API |
| Requires WordPress | 5.3 | 6.4 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | 7.4 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | Only if you agree |
| External services | criticalcss.com, misc.optimizingmatters.com | smushpro.wpmudev.com |
| Custom tables | — | 1 |