Smush – Image Optimization… vs WP Compress – Instant Performance &… (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Smush – Image Optimization…
1.0M+ active installs
Free + Premium
WP Compress – Instant Performance &…
10K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Smush – Image Optimization… has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 6,034 reviews) and leads in active installations (1.0M+ vs 10K+). Both are free + premium WordPress plugins. Smush – Image Optimization… has accumulated 64M+ total downloads while WP Compress – Instant Performance &… has 1.1M+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Smush – Image Optimization… | WP Compress – Instant Performance &… | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.8/5 | ◄ | 4.5/5 |
| Total Reviews | 6,034 | ◄ | 152 |
| Active Installs | 1.0M+ | ◄ | 10K+ |
| Total Downloads | 64M+ | ◄ | 1.1M+ |
| Support Resolution | 100% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 2 days ago | ► | Yesterday |
| First Released | 2008 | 2018 | |
| Age | 18 years | 8 years | |
| WP Requires | 6.4+ | 6.5+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.4+ | 7.4+ | |
| Business Model | Free + Premium | Free | |
| Latest Version | 3.24.0 | 7.00.01 |
Rating Breakdown
Smush – Image Optimization…
WP Compress – Instant Performance &…
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Smush – Image Optimization… averaged approximately 8,078 daily downloads while WP Compress – Instant Performance &… averaged 1,502.
Recent Reviews
Smush – Image Optimization… Reviews
Best App Category
Thanks for supporting our website.
Great Plugin
Großartiges Plugin um Bilder zu optimieren.
Super Helpful
Good plugin for compressing images in WordPress. Setup took just a minute, and it started optimizing right away. Site speed improved a bit, too. tnx devs for this.
WP Compress – Instant Performance &… Reviews
Does Not serve modern image formats for all
Does not convert .jpg to modern image formats like .webp in all environments This topic was modified 2 weeks, 3 days ago by jtohme.
Fantastic plugin & helpful support
I’ve used WP Compress for a over a month now and safely say it’s truly worthy of 10 stars if I could rate it that. Websites that previously felt like they crawled are now cruising faster than I could
Really helps our agency!
We’ve tried other performance plugins but nothing has compared with as many agency features as WP Compress. Thank you for fast speeds, unlimited websites and easy management!
More Image Optimization Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as Smush – Image Optimization… and WP Compress – Instant Performance &…
Optimize images in 1‑click: compress, resize & convert to WebP/AVIF - free up to 20MB/month. Enjoy the easiest WordPress image optimizer to set up.
Automatically resize, optimize, and convert images to WebP and AVIF. Compress images in bulk or on upload to boost your WordPress site performance.
Speed up your website by using our WebP & AVIF Converter. Optimize images and serve WebP and AVIF images instead of standard formats!
Optimize images & PDFs smartly. Create and compress next-gen WebP and AVIF formats. Smart crop and resize.
Automatically optimize images: bulk compression, lazy loading, WebP/AVIF conversion. With CloudFront image CDN to boost Core Web Vitals & conversions!
reSmush.it is the FREE image compressor and optimizer plugin - use it to optimize your images and improve the SEO and performance of your website.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.