W3 Total Cache vs Fastly (2026)

Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.

W3 Total Cache

W3 Total Cache

4.4(5,416)

900K+ active installs

Free

Updated 4 days ago
View W3 Total Cache
VS
Fastly

Fastly

5(1)

1.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 5 months ago
View Fastly

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Fastly has a higher user rating (5/5 from 1 reviews) while W3 Total Cache leads in active installations (900K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. W3 Total Cache has accumulated 63M+ total downloads while Fastly has 107K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.4/5W3 Total Cache
Fastly5/5
Total Reviews
5,416W3 Total Cache
Fastly1
Active Installs
900K+W3 Total Cache
Fastly1.0K+
Total Downloads
63M+W3 Total Cache
Fastly107K+
Support Resolution
65%W3 Total Cache
FastlyN/A
Last Updated
4 days agoW3 Total Cache
Fastly5 months ago
First Released
2009W3 Total Cache
Fastly2012
Age
17 yearsW3 Total Cache
Fastly14 years
WP Requires
5.3+W3 Total Cache
Fastly4.6.2+
PHP Requires
7.2.5+W3 Total Cache
Fastlyfalse+
Business Model
FreeW3 Total Cache
FastlyFree
Latest Version
2.9.4W3 Total Cache
Fastly1.2.29

Rating Breakdown

W3 Total Cache

4.4/5(5,416 reviews)
5
75%
4
11%
3
3%
2
2%
1
10%

Fastly

5/5(1 reviews)
5
100%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
0%

Recent Reviews

W3 Total Cache Reviews

by weeix

Reliability Concerns After Plugin Update

I’ve been a long-time user of W3 Total Cache and have generally appreciated its performance benefits over the years. However, my recent experience with version 2.9.3 was quite concerning. After upd

by Luca

They delete comments

A serious security issue was discovered in the plugin two weeks ago, leaving it vulnerable. No updated version has been released yet. Worst of all, they’re deleting comments requesting updates on this

by Lenni

Excellent!

It’s powerful on it’s own, and almost mandatory. This topic was modified 1 month, 2 weeks ago by Lenni. This topic was modified 1 month, 2 weeks ago by Lenni.

Fastly Reviews

by blueprintmarketing

Works very well

Fastly has one of the very best CDN’s on market it has helped my campaign which has to be almost absurdly fast all over the world be exactly that.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is W3 Total Cache or Fastly more popular?
W3 Total Cache has 900K+ active installations while Fastly has 1.0K+. W3 Total Cache is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — W3 Total Cache or Fastly?
W3 Total Cache has a 4.4/5 rating from 5,416 reviews, while Fastly has a 5/5 rating from 1 reviews.
Are W3 Total Cache and Fastly free?
W3 Total Cache is free and Fastly is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — W3 Total Cache or Fastly?
Support resolution data is not available for all plugins. Check each plugin's WordPress.org support forum for current response quality.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
W3 Total Cache was last updated 4 days ago and Fastly was last updated 5 months ago.

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.