ProRank vs WP-Optimize: speed test and features
WP-Optimize brings caching, image compression and database cleanup together in a free plugin. ProRank does that too and adds the SEO tools. Here is how they compare, with our own speed test and its limits.
- Features and prices checked on .
- Speed test run by ProRank on , with WP-Optimize 4.5.0.
ProRank and WP-Optimize in brief
WP-Optimize is free and covers page caching with preloading, minification, delayed JavaScript, image compression with WebP, and database cleanup that can run on a schedule and back up first with UpdraftPlus.
Lazy loading, unused CSS removal (marked experimental) and local Google Fonts need WP-Optimize Premium. It has no SEO features and no object cache.
We tested WP-Optimize Premium. ProRank’s free plan includes page caching, lazy loading, image compression and database cleanup, and adds the SEO tools.
Average mobile PageSpeed score, three themes
- ProRank95.0
- WP-Optimize77.3
- No speed plugin72.0
- Mobile score by theme: ProRank higher on all 3 themes.
- Mobile Largest Contentful Paint: ProRank faster on all 3 themes.
- Average desktop score: ProRank 100.0, WP-Optimize 98.3.
- One lab test by ProRank, scores out of 100; details and caveats are below.
Speed test results
Google PageSpeed Insights lab results for the same test site with each setup. Scores are out of 100, higher is better; for the timings and layout shift, lower is better and the better figure is in bold.
PageSpeed scores
| Theme | ProRank | WP-Optimize | No speed plugin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile score | |||
| Astra | 96 | 72 | 69 |
| Hello Elementor | 93 | 78 | 69 |
| GeneratePress | 96 | 82 | 78 |
| Average | 95.0 | 77.3 | 72.0 |
| Desktop score | |||
| Astra | 100 | 98 | 96 |
| Hello Elementor | 100 | 98 | 96 |
| GeneratePress | 100 | 99 | 98 |
| Average | 100.0 | 98.3 | 96.7 |
Astra
| Measure | ProRank | WP-Optimize |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile | ||
| First Contentful Paint | 1.8 s | 3.6 s |
| Largest Contentful Paint | 2.4 s | 5.3 s |
| Total Blocking Time | 0 ms | 0 ms |
| Cumulative Layout Shift | 0.000 | 0.009 |
| Speed Index | 2.7 s | 3.6 s |
| Desktop | ||
| First Contentful Paint | 295 ms | 721 ms |
| Largest Contentful Paint | 407 ms | 1.0 s |
| Total Blocking Time | 0 ms | 0 ms |
| Cumulative Layout Shift | 0.000 | 0.002 |
| Speed Index | 318 ms | 1.1 s |
Hello Elementor
| Measure | ProRank | WP-Optimize |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile | ||
| First Contentful Paint | 1.1 s | 2.7 s |
| Largest Contentful Paint | 2.6 s | 4.8 s |
| Total Blocking Time | 0 ms | 0 ms |
| Cumulative Layout Shift | 0.000 | 0.001 |
| Speed Index | 2.4 s | 2.8 s |
| Desktop | ||
| First Contentful Paint | 302 ms | 681 ms |
| Largest Contentful Paint | 561 ms | 961 ms |
| Total Blocking Time | 0 ms | 0 ms |
| Cumulative Layout Shift | 0.000 | 0.015 |
| Speed Index | 864 ms | 1.3 s |
GeneratePress
| Measure | ProRank | WP-Optimize |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile | ||
| First Contentful Paint | 1.1 s | 2.6 s |
| Largest Contentful Paint | 2.7 s | 4.2 s |
| Total Blocking Time | 0 ms | 0 ms |
| Cumulative Layout Shift | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Speed Index | 1.1 s | 2.8 s |
| Desktop | ||
| First Contentful Paint | 304 ms | 523 ms |
| Largest Contentful Paint | 548 ms | 823 ms |
| Total Blocking Time | 0 ms | 0 ms |
| Cumulative Layout Shift | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Speed Index | 347 ms | 1.1 s |
How the speed test was run
- Run by
- ProRank, on 16 February 2026. This is our own lab test, not an independent one.
- Measured with
- Google PageSpeed Insights (lab data). Median of three runs for each plugin and theme; the ProRank "v2" re-test used single verified runs.
- Site
- WordPress 6.9.1, PHP 8.3.6, Nginx 1.28.2, hosted with Hetzner, Germany. Elementor Pro, tested on Astra, Hello Elementor, GeneratePress.
- Versions
- WP-Optimize 4.5.0 (the current version is 4.7.1, so results may differ today). ProRank is recorded as "v2" of ProRank SEO Premium.
- Settings
- Each plugin was configured by ProRank for its best result.
- Raw reports
- Not published. The figures on this page are the recorded results. PageSpeed lab scores move between runs, so treat differences of a few points with caution.
- Other plugins active
The test site ran 27 plugins, including both Yoast SEO and Rank Math SEO at the same time, which a real site would not do:
WooCommerce, BuddyPress, bbPress, Elementor Pro, Rank Math SEO, Yoast SEO, Jetpack, Contact Form 7, WPForms Lite, Wordfence Security, MonsterInsights, UpdraftPlus, WP Mail SMTP, All-in-One WP Migration, Classic Editor, Redirection, TablePress, Simple Custom CSS and JS, Insert Headers and Footers, Starter Templates, Akismet Anti-Spam, Health Check & Troubleshooting, Query Monitor, WP Super Cache (disabled), Safe SVG, User Role Editor, Advanced Custom Fields.
- WP-Optimize in this test
WP-Optimize Premium 4.5.0 was tested with page caching, minification, JavaScript delay and defer, unused CSS removal, lazy loading and image optimization on.
Features compared
What each plugin offers today, and which ProRank plan you need for it. WP-Optimize is checked against its own website and documentation.
| Feature | ProRank | WP-Optimize |
|---|---|---|
| Caching | ||
| Page caching | Free plan | Included |
| Cache preloading | Pro plan | Included |
| Browser caching headers | Free plan | IncludedNginx: set on the server |
| Database cleanup | Free plan | Included |
| Redis or Memcached object cache | Pro plan | Not included |
| CSS and JavaScript | ||
| CSS and JavaScript minification | Free plan | Included |
| Delay JavaScript until interaction | Free plan | Included |
| Remove unused CSS | Pro plan | Paid planPremium, experimental |
| Turn scripts off page by page | Pro plan | Not included |
| Images and fonts | ||
| Lazy loading | Free plan | Paid planPremium |
| Image compression | Free plan | Included |
| WebP or AVIF conversion | Free plan | IncludedWebP; AVIF not listed |
| Host Google Fonts locally | Free plan | Paid planPremium |
| Remove WordPress extras (emojis, embeds) | Free plan | IncludedEmojis |
| SEO | ||
| SEO titles and meta descriptions | Free plan | Not included |
| XML sitemaps | Free plan | Not included |
| Schema markup | Free plan | Not included |
| Redirect manager | Free plan | Not included |
Checked on against WP-Optimize’s own pages (version 4.7.1):
- WP-Optimize on WordPress.org (version 4.7.1)
- WP-Optimize free vs Premium
- WP-Optimize features
- WP-Optimize pricing
“Paid plan” means the feature needs WP-Optimize’s paid version; “Paid add-on” means a separate paid product or service. “Not included” means the vendor’s own feature list and documentation did not offer it on that date. Rows we could not confirm are left out. ProRank’s plan labels come from our pricing page. Plugins change often; if you spot something out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
The speed settings in ProRank
Caching, CSS and JavaScript, images and the database each have their own switch in ProRank, and the presets set them in one step.
What each costs
Both have a starting point you can try first. Competitor prices are as shown on their own pricing pages on . Prices change and sale prices end, so check before you buy.
ProRank SEO
- Free
- Free, on WordPress.org
- Pro
- $99 a year, 1 site
- Business
- $199 a year, 5 sites
- Agency
- $399 a year, 25 sites
US dollars, excluding VAT, billed yearly. 30-day money-back guarantee. The speed test ran ProRank SEO Premium; page caching itself is in the free plan.
WP-Optimize
Free version on WordPress.org. Paid version from:
$49 a year
WP-Optimize Premium Starter, up to two sites, excluding VAT (shown to us as $58.80 with UK VAT). 14-day money-back guarantee.
Try ProRank on your own site
The free plugin includes page caching, image compression and the SEO tools. It recognizes 39 common caching, asset and image plugins and turns off only its own overlapping features, so you can compare on your own pages.