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Best Free WordPress Plugins for Core

15 plugins compared · Updated August 2026 · Core

All 15 Free only Premium only

Choosing a WordPress plugin for core comes down to a few things: whether it is still actively maintained, whether real users rate it well, and whether it does the specific job you need without dragging the rest of the site down.

We ranked 15 plugins using our WPScore, which weighs the user rating (adjusted for how many people actually rated it), how many sites run it, how recently it was updated, and which WordPress version it is tested against. 15 of them have enough public data to be scored; the rest are listed below the ranked block, clearly marked, rather than being given a number we cannot justify.

How this list is funded. Some links here earn us a commission if you buy. It costs you nothing extra, and it does not move anything up the list — the order comes from the WPScore, which is calculated from public ratings, install counts and update history. See the method.

At a glance

  1. 1. Super Page Cache Best overall 91/100
  2. 2. Jetpack Boost 89/100
  3. 3. Optimole 89/100
  4. 4. Hummingbird Performance 88/100
  5. 5. Twentig Supercharged Block Editor 87/100
  6. 6. XML Sitemap & Google News 86/100
  7. 7. Simple Social Icons 86/100
  8. 8. NitroPack 86/100
  9. 9. Core Framework 86/100
  10. 10. Core Rollback 85/100
  11. 11. Disable All WordPress Updates 85/100
  12. 12. Security Ninja 84/100
  13. 13. Unbloater 84/100
  14. 14. Hester Core 83/100
  15. 15. Disable Updates 83/100
1 Super Page Cache
Best overall Free by Optimole

Super Page Cache

Boost PageSpeed, SEO, and Core Web Vitals with full page caching, JS/CSS optimization, media optimization, and Cloudflare CDN.

4.8★
from 506 ratings
70k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
91

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
2 Jetpack Boost
Free by Automattic

Jetpack Boost

Speed up your WordPress site with one-click optimizations like Page Cache, Critical CSS, and Image CDN to improve Core Web Vitals.

4.7★
from 607 ratings
200k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
89

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
3 Optimole
Free by Optimole

Optimole

Automatically optimize images with bulk compression, lazy loading, WebP/AVIF conversion & CloudFront image CDN. Boost Core Web Vitals & conversions.

4.7★
from 638 ratings
200k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
89

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
4 Hummingbird Performance
Free by WPMU DEV - Your All-in-One WordPress Platform

Hummingbird Performance

Optimize PageSpeed Performance & Core Web Vitals, Advanced Cache, Minify CSS & JavaScript, Inline Critical CSS, Defer CSS & JS, Smush & Lazy Load, CDN

4.7★
from 1,487 ratings
70k+
active installs
Updated
Jul 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
88

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
7 Simple Social Icons
Free by OsomPress

Simple Social Icons

Display icons linking to your social profiles, via the classic widget or the core Social Icons block variations.

4.3★
from 92 ratings
100k+
active installs
Updated
Jul 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
86

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
8 NitroPack
Free by NitroPack

NitroPack

Boost site speed and performance with an all-in-one cache and speed optimization plugin. Pass Core Web Vitals with CDN, image optimization, lazy loadi …

4.3★
from 311 ratings
90k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
86

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
9 Core Framework
Free by Core Framework

Core Framework

Build and manage a portable CSS framework and design system directly inside WordPress.

5★
from 41 ratings
10k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
86

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
10 Core Rollback
Free by Andy Fragen

Core Rollback

Seamless rollback of WordPress Core to latest release or any outdated, secure release using the Core Update API and core update methods.

4.7★
from 16 ratings
20k+
active installs
Updated
Jul 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
85

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
12 Security Ninja
Free by cleverplugins

Security Ninja

WordPress security plugin: free 8G firewall/WAF, 50+ tests, vulnerability/core scanning, events logging, AI reports.

4.7★
from 101 ratings
7k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
84

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
13 Unbloater
Free by christophrado

Unbloater

Remove unnecessary code, nags and bloat from WordPress core and certain plugins.

5★
from 17 ratings
5k+
active installs
Updated
Jun 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
84

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
14 Hester Core
Free by peregrinethemes

Hester Core

The official companion plugin for Peregrine Themes. Adds widgets, customization options, Elementor widgets, and demo import features.

3★
from 1 ratings
10k+
active installs
Updated
Jun 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
83

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
15 Disable Updates
Free by Themeisle

Disable Updates

Disable updates and automatic updates for WordPress core, plugins, and themes, with the option to disable plugin or theme updates individually.

4.5★
from 24 ratings
10k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
83

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org