Cache Enabler vs W3 Total Cache
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | Cache Enabler v1.8.17 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 4.3/5 Visit Details | W3 Total Cache v2.11.0 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.4/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 100,000+ | 900,000+ |
| Last updated | September 27, 2026 | October 20, 2026 |
| Editions | Cache Enabler | W3 Total Cache · W3 Total Cache Pro ($) |
| Pros | Free, lightweight and simple to configure; Static HTML page cache with cache expiry and automatic clearing; WP-CLI commands and Gzip or Brotli pre-compression | Page, browser, object and CDN caching in one plugin; Minification of CSS and JavaScript; Works with many CDN providers in the free code |
| Cons | Small feature set; no object cache or database cleanup; Browser caching is limited to 304 revalidation; WebP rewriting assumes the .webp files already exist | Large settings area that is easy to misconfigure; Some modules need external cache servers or CDN accounts; Pro upgrade notes appear in the free admin |
| Mentioned in our posts | 2 | 3 |
| Features (Speed Optimization plugins checklist) | ||
| Page cache | Yes | Yes |
| Browser cache | No | Yes |
| Minify CSS/JS | Yes | Yes |
| CDN | No | Yes |
| Object cache | No | Yes |
| Database cleanup | No | — |
| Free version | Yes | Yes |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Static HTML page cache on disk, Automatic cache clearing on content and option changes, Cache expiry with hourly cleanup, Image URL rewriting to WebP, Gzip and Brotli pre-compressed cache files, Separate cache versions for mobile devices, WP-CLI cache clearing commands, Cache size shown in the dashboard | Database query caching, Fragment caching for plugins and themes ($), Local usage statistics collection, Pro upgrade notes in the free admin ($), Pro licence check ($) |
| Integrations | ||
| Analytics | — | New Relic |
| Storage | — | BunnyCDN, Google Drive, Rackspace Cloud Files |
| E-commerce | WooCommerce | — |
| Plugins | Autoptimize | — |
| Requires WordPress | 5.1 | 6.0 |
| Requires PHP | 5.6 | 7.4 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | Only if you agree |
| External services | — | api.bunny.net, identity.api.rackspacecloud.com, api.newrelic.com, closure-compiler.appspot.com, management.core.windows.net |