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Best Free WordPress Plugins for Image Optimizer

15 plugins compared · Updated August 2026 · Image Optimizer

All 15 Free only Premium only

Choosing a WordPress plugin for image optimizer 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. EWWW Image Optimizer Best overall 94/100
  2. 2. Smush 93/100
  3. 3. Imagify Image Optimization: Optimize Images 89/100
  4. 4. ShortPixel Image Optimizer 89/100
  5. 5. Robin Image Optimizer 86/100
  6. 6. Cimo 84/100
  7. 7. Nexter Extension 84/100
  8. 8. QuickWebP 84/100
  9. 9. Kraken.io Image Optimizer 83/100
  10. 10. Squeeze 82/100
  11. 11. Image Optimizer, Resizer and CDN 82/100
  12. 12. Optimus 80/100
  13. 13. Cloudinary 80/100
  14. 14. PixelCraft with WebP 79/100
  15. 15. CodingBunny Image Optimizer LITE 78/100
1 EWWW Image Optimizer
Best overall Free by Shane Bishop

EWWW Image Optimizer

Comprehensive image optimization with WebP, AVIF, Lazy Load, and more. Optimize images automatically for Faster Sites and Happy Visitors.

4.8★
from 1,838 ratings
1M+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
94

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
2 Smush
Free by WPMU DEV - Your All-in-One WordPress Platform

Smush

Compress and optimize images, enable lazy load, serve WebP & AVIF, and speed up your site with a global image CDN.

4.8★
from 6,051 ratings
1M+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
93

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
5 Robin Image Optimizer
Free by Themeisle

Robin Image Optimizer

Unlimited automatic image optimization for WordPress. Compress images, convert to WebP, and improve site speed without losing image quality.

4.4★
from 129 ratings
100k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
86

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
6 Cimo
Free by Benjamin Intal

Cimo

Unlimited free image compression and WebP conversion, done instantly as you upload them. No quotas, no external servers, no limits.

4.9★
from 16 ratings
10k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
84

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
7 Nexter Extension
Free by POSIMYTH

Nexter Extension

Replace 50+ WordPress Plugins: Free SEO, Theme Builder, Code Snippets, Image Optimizer (WebP/AVIF), SMTP Email, Security, Performance & More

4.7★
from 13 ratings
10k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
84

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
8 QuickWebP
Free by Ludwig You

QuickWebP

QuickWebP converts JPG and PNG to WebP, compresses images locally, improves image SEO, and adds AVIF with QuickWebP Pro.

4.7★
from 19 ratings
8k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
84

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
9 Kraken.io Image Optimizer
Free by Kraken.io

Kraken.io Image Optimizer

Optimize images automatically — compress, resize and convert to WebP, AVIF & more with Kraken.io. Faster pages, smaller files, same quality.

4.5★
from 119 ratings
10k+
active installs
Updated
Jun 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
83

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
10 Squeeze
Free by Bogdan Bendziukov

Squeeze

Compress images in WordPress & convert to WebP — no API key, no quotas, no cloud. Unlimited local image optimizer; private browser-side compression.

5★
from 6 ratings
3k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
82

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
12 Optimus
Free by KeyCDN

Optimus

Effective image compression and optimization during the upload process. Smart, automatic and reliable.

4.2★
from 69 ratings
30k+
active installs
Updated
Mar 2026
Tested to
WP 6.9.7
80

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
13 Cloudinary
Free by Cloudinary

Cloudinary

Boost the performance of your WordPress site by optimizing your images and videos with the Cloudinary WordPress Plugin. WordPress developers, content …

4★
from 64 ratings
5k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
80

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
14 PixelCraft with WebP
Free by Secil Kars

PixelCraft with WebP

Automatically convert JPG and PNG images to WebP, reduce file sizes and speed up your WordPress website.

5★
from 3 ratings
500+
active installs
Updated
Jul 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
79

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org