Competition in 2020 is going to be as fierce as ever. Gone are the days when customers tolerate slow page loading. Make them wait? They'll leave. Your competitors will be there to snap up their business.
There's a multitude of factors when it comes to page load speed, such as using a high number of HTTP requests, bulky code, JavaScript issues, and all too commonly - unoptimized images.
Optimizing your images can be a surprisingly effective method to shave precious seconds off your load times. Furthermore - when done right this can be achieved with little-to-no impact on visual quality.
Wordpress-hosted sites have access to seemingly endless options for image optimization plugins. Unfortunately, it can be overwhelming choosing the best one, and what does the "best" plugin even mean?
You're right to be cautious. Serving low quality, pixelated images would only reflect terribly on your brand and you'd be better off with slower load times! To accompany the launch of Crush.pics into the Wordpress world, we decided we'd put it up against 6 of the major players and see how they stack up. In the following case study, we'll take a look at:
- Imagify
- EWWW
- Smush
- Robin
- Kraken
- Tiny PNG
- Crush.pics
We'll take the free version of each plugin, using its default settings and focus on the following aspects of each:
- Basic features
- Advanced features
- Size saving potential
- Image compression quality
Basic features
Advanced features
Size savings
The "Quality" value below is based on our evaluation of the compressed image from each plugin. We encourage you to compare the raw compressed images below to draw your own conclusions.
Image compression quality
Short Pixel
Conclusions
Crush.pics
+ Pros: Crush.pics Balanced compression mode produced the second-highest savings of all plugins tested. There are no feature limitations with the free plan and the interface provides an engaging and simple user-centered experience, making it accessible for customers of levels of expertise.
- Cons: The app is new to Wordpress, so lacking social proof and verification of stability. There is also less free quota than some other options.
Imagify
+ Pros: Imagify is a solid option. It covers all the main features including Bulk and Automatic optimization, backups as well as many advanced options. The default settings produced the highest savings on all 3 test images, images remained clear with minimal loss to quality.
- Cons: The 2MB file size limit could be a problem. Given that high-resolution images are typically the ones needing the most attention, this could be a major drawback for some sites. Overall the interface is clean but can feel a little chaotic at times, with large areas dedicated to review requests, upgrade prompts and advertising for other plugins.
Kraken
+ Pros: Kraken's free plan is extremely generous at 100MB, which has no file size limit and includes Batch and Automatic features.
- Cons: The savings produced by Krakens "Intelligent Lossy" mode were not spectacular (the 3rd lowest), and not having the option to back up the original file could be a real downside to the more risk-averse customer.
TinyPNG
+ Pros: Good size savings (about the middle out of all that we tested). Generous 500 images on the free plan with no size limit. Full access to Automation and Bulk compress features.
- Cons: No option to back up the original file.
Robin Optimizer
+ Pros: Robin offers an impressive combination of unlimited compressions, high savings %, and all the key features to make compression simple.
- Cons: The UI feels very complicated meaning that non-technical users may be overwhelmed. File size limit of 5MB, which should cover most images but not all.
Smush
+ Pros: Smush offers unlimited compressions with Bulk and Automatic features completely unlocked, as well as backing up the original file. On top of this, the Interface is beautifully designed and a joy to work with.
- Cons: Bulk compression is limited to only 50 at one time unless you upgrade to a paid plan. In addition to this, only lossless compression is available on the free plan which achieves only minimal savings.
Ewww
+ Pros: With unlimited compressions and no limit on file size, EWWW is a very attractive option. The free version also includes all basic features and a huge selection of advanced features. Many of which are not offered by any other plugins.
- Cons: The saving potential is minimal due to only lossless compression being offered on the free plan. Additionally, the huge array of features may be overwhelming for some users.
