Page Optimize vs W3 Total Cache
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | Page Optimize v0.6.4 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 3.0/5 Visit Details | W3 Total Cache v2.11.0 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.4/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 200,000+ | 900,000+ |
| Last updated | October 19, 2026 | October 20, 2026 |
| Editions | Page Optimize | W3 Total Cache · W3 Total Cache Pro ($) |
| Pros | Combines CSS and JavaScript into fewer requests; Long browser cache headers on combined files; Free, from Automattic | Page, browser, object and CDN caching in one plugin; Minification of CSS and JavaScript; Works with many CDN providers in the free code |
| Cons | Does not cache full pages; CSS minification is off by default; Development is limited to a small plugin; check compatibility with your theme | Large settings area that is easy to misconfigure; Some modules need external cache servers or CDN accounts; Pro upgrade notes appear in the free admin |
| Mentioned in our posts | — | 3 |
| Features (Speed Optimization plugins checklist) | ||
| Page cache | No | Yes |
| Browser cache | Yes | Yes |
| Minify CSS/JS | Yes | Yes |
| CDN | No | Yes |
| Object cache | No | Yes |
| Database cleanup | No | — |
| Free version | Yes | Yes |
| More features | ||
| Other features | CSS concatenation, JavaScript concatenation, Scheduled cleanup of combined cache files, Skips optimization in the Divi front-end builder | Database query caching, Fragment caching for plugins and themes ($), 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 |
| Plugins | Divi, Jetpack | — |
| Requires WordPress | 5.3 | 6.0 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | 7.4 |
| Tested up to | 7.0 | 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 |