Introduction
WP Rocket has only introduced one feature since 2020 and falls behind other caching plugins in optimizing Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and Time to First Byte (TTFB).
Barely Optimizes Images
Images above the fold are not preloaded or optimized by default, making it difficult to improve LCP without custom exclusions. WP Rocket even recommends installing a separate plugin to preload LCP images.
By contrast, plugins like Perfmatters or FlyingPress let you specify the number of critical images to preload, automating the process.
Cannot Host Assets Locally
WP Rocket does not support self-hosting of fonts, Google Analytics scripts, or YouTube placeholder images, requiring additional plugins for privacy compliance and speed improvements.
Remove Unused CSS Slows Users
When removing unused CSS, WP Rocket forces inline delivery, which can be faster for scores but slower for real users. Other plugins let you choose a separate file method for better user performance.
RocketCDN’s Limitations
RocketCDN uses StackPath’s network, which is smaller and slower than alternatives like BunnyCDN. It only serves files, without image compression, WebP conversion, mobile resizing, or EXIF removal.
No Full Page Caching
Without HTML caching, global TTFB suffers as requests travel from distant locations. WP Rocket relies on external services or Cloudflare APO to fill this gap.
No Server-Side Caching
Unlike LiteSpeed Cache or hosting-specific optimizers, WP Rocket does not offer server-side caching, missing an important layer of performance gains.
No Lazy-Render for HTML Elements
WP Rocket cannot lazy-render HTML elements like comments or footer sections, a feature that can improve Total Blocking Time (TBT) and LCP.
Few New Features
Major features like image dimension hints and unused CSS removal were added years ago; since 2020, WP Rocket has introduced virtually nothing new.
New features since 2020:
- Remove unused CSS
- Add missing image dimensions
Price Hikes
Pricing has increased to match competitors, yet WP Rocket still delivers fewer features and less frequent updates.
Recommended Companion Plugins
If you choose to stick with WP Rocket, consider adding:
- Perfmatters for asset hosting, preload control, and script management.
- Cloudflare Pro with APO for globally distributed HTML caching.
- BunnyCDN or ShortPixel for advanced image optimization and resizing.
WP Rocket vs. Competing Plugins
Compare WP Rocket to FlyingPress and LiteSpeed Cache to see why many sites migrate to alternatives for better control, more features, and faster updates.
