

To make things even closer, Imagify and EWWW both optimized the PNG by ~62%! So there was a tie for 3rd. ShortPixel remained in the top spot with 77% optimization, yet Smush surged up through the rankings to claim the #2 spot, with ~71% optimization. This time, the competition was more fierce. You’ll also notice that varying file sizes produce unique compression results. The PNG offers more of a focus on white space, illustrations, and clean lines, which makes compression a little different from what you’d expect from a JPG photograph. The file is a 1311 x 1138px screenshot of the Neve theme with a starting size of 446 KB. Testing each WordPress image optimizer with PNG files Despite using lossy compression, Imagify only shrank the image by ~47%. Smush and Optimole also had respectable numbers, decreasing the JPG size by ~73% and ~70%, respectively. EWWW gets second place, and TinyPNG isn’t far behind. Sticking with default settings, ShortPixel is the clear winner, coming in with a ~90% reduction in file size using its lossy compression. Note: Lossy compression usually produces the smallest image sizes without losing quality, making it the best option in most situations. It’s a high-resolution landscape shot with a range of complex colors, and elements we can use to notice any imperfections during the compression.Īnd here are the test results after running the JPG through each WordPress image optimizer: Plugin This is a 3000 x 2000px JPG image with a size of 3.9 MB. Testing each WordPress image optimizer with JPG files This is what we’re interested in most-how each WordPress image optimizer performs right out of the box, without forcing the user to complete any tedious steps. By that, we mean that the average user would typically install the image compression plugin and not mess with too many default settings. Though it’s not a perfect comparison, by sticking with the default settings, we’re emulating the experience for a casual user. We’ll stick with the default settings for all plugins and not resize the photos at all.We’ll run two tests: one for JPG files and one for PNGs.But we have a process to make our test as accurate as possible. In addition, some optimizers provide automated resizing tools, which can cut down the file size drastically.īecause of those differences, it’s hard to come up with an objective comparison. Optimole, on the other hand, optimizes all images based on the same defaults, or the ones set by you. For instance, Imagify has Normal, Aggressive, and Ultra optimization modes. This gets a bit tricky, since some of the WordPress image optimizer plugins offer varying levels of optimization. We want to see how effectively each plugin could optimize the same image. To find the best image optimization plugin for WordPress, we have to put these tools to the test. Hands-on tests with these image optimizer plugins
