Speculative Loading vs WP Fastest Cache
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | Speculative Loading v1.7.0 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 5.0/5 Visit Details | WP Fastest Cache v1.5.3 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.9/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 70,000+ | 1M+ |
| Last updated | August 26, 2026 | October 10, 2026 |
| Editions | Speculative Loading | WP Fastest Cache · WP Fastest Cache Premium ($) |
| Pros | Near-instant page changes for visitors; Settings under Settings > Reading; Maintained by the WordPress Performance Team | Static page cache with a simple settings screen; Browser caching and GZIP rules written for the site; Cache is cleared when a post changes status; Cloudflare cache purge from the settings screen |
| Cons | Prerendering loads pages before the click, so page scripts may run early; Behaviour depends on browser support for the Speculation Rules API | Database cleanup, mobile cache and advanced minification are Premium only; Cache and browser rules are written to .htaccess files |
| Mentioned in our posts | — | 2 |
| Features (Speed Optimization plugins checklist) | ||
| Page cache | — | Yes |
| Browser cache | — | Yes |
| Minify CSS/JS | — | Yes |
| CDN | — | Yes |
| Object cache | — | No |
| Database cleanup | — | Paid |
| Free version | — | Yes |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Speculation rules printed in the footer, Prefetch or prerender mode and eagerness settings, Exclude paths from speculation | Clears cache when a post changes status, Delete cached and minified CSS/JS files, GZIP rules in .htaccess, Cloudflare cache purge, Clear all cache from a URL call, Skips caching when DONOTCACHEPAGE is defined, Exclusion rules by page type |
| Integrations | ||
| Other | — | Cloudflare |
| Requires WordPress | 6.9 | 5.7 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | — |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | No |
| External services | — | api.cloudflare.com |