ProRank vs W3 Total Cache
W3 Total Cache is a free, feature-rich caching plugin. ProRank scores 95 mobile vs W3TC 72 \u2014 a 23-point gap driven by better JS optimization, critical CSS, and zero CLS.
Average Score Across 3 Themes
ProRank SEO Premium
W3 Total Cache 2.9.1
Key Findings
Scores by Theme
Astra
Mobile Score
Hello Elementor
Mobile Score
GeneratePress
Mobile Score
Mobile Scores by Theme
Astra
Hello Elementor
GeneratePress
Detailed Core Web Vitals
FCP, LCP, TBT, CLS, and Speed Index for each theme (mobile)
Astra
Hello Elementor
GeneratePress
W3TC minification was disabled during testing because it produced broken cache files (all CSS/JS returning 404). Scores reflect W3TC with page cache, browser cache, lazy load, defer JS, delay JS, and remove unused CSS enabled. On a LiteSpeed or Apache server with different config, W3TC minify may work correctly.
Complete Results Table
| Metric | Astra | Hello Elementor | GeneratePress | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ProRank | W3 Total Cache | ProRank | W3 Total Cache | ProRank | W3 Total Cache | |
| Mobile Score | 96 | 65 | 93 | 74 | 96 | 78 |
| FCP (ms) | 1.8s | 4.7s | 1.1s | 3.2s | 1.1s | 3.6s |
| LCP (ms) | 2.4s | 6.2s | 2.6s | 5.3s | 2.7s | 4.1s |
| TBT (ms) | 0ms | 0ms | 0ms | 0ms | 0ms | 0ms |
| CLS | 0.000 | 0.010 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Speed Index | 2.7s | 5.4s | 2.4s | 3.2s | 1.1s | 3.6s |
| Desktop Score | 100 | 97 | 100 | 97 | 100 | 100 |
| Desktop FCP | 295ms | 909ms | 302ms | 815ms | 304ms | 681ms |
| Desktop LCP | 407ms | 1.2s | 561ms | 1.1s | 548ms | 721ms |
| Desktop TBT | 0ms | 0ms | 0ms | 0ms | 0ms | 0ms |
| Desktop CLS | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.015 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
Test Methodology
Server: Hetzner Dedicated (Germany) with Elementor Pro page builder
Method: PageSpeed Insights — median of 3 runs per config, single verified runs for v2 re-test
Themes tested: Astra, Hello Elementor, GeneratePress
PageSpeed Insights has inherent variability (±5-10 points between runs). All plugins configured for best performance. LiteSpeed Cache tested on Nginx (no server-level page cache).
27 Active Plugins During Testing:
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ProRank | W3 Total Cache |
|---|---|---|
| Caching & Delivery | ||
| Page caching | ||
| Browser cache headers | ||
| Object caching | ||
| Database caching | ||
| CDN integration | ||
| Assets & Core Web Vitals | ||
| CSS/JS minification | Unreliable | |
| Delay JavaScript | ||
| Script Manager | ||
| Critical CSS | ||
| Remove unused CSS | ||
| Image Optimization | ||
| Lazy load images | ||
| WebP/AVIF conversion | ||
| Bulk image optimization | ||
| SEO & Content | ||
| Titles & meta descriptions | ||
| XML sitemaps | ||
| Schema markup (30+ types) | ||
| Internal linking suggestions | ||
| Content analysis | ||
| Redirect manager | ||
Features may vary by plan and version. Last verified February 16, 2026.
The Bottom Line
W3 Total Cache offers extensive caching options (page, object, database, browser) and is free. But without working CSS/JS minification, critical CSS, or JS delay optimization, it scored just M72 on mobile \u2014 barely above the no-plugin baseline of M72. ProRank delivers M95 with integrated caching, asset optimization, and complete SEO.