LiteSpeed Cache vs. WP Rocket – Which is better in Performance?

LiteSpeed Cache vs. WP Rocket comparison done on two sites. The main metrics we want to compare were speed and core web vitals. The LS Cache plugin needs a LiteSpeed server to operate, but can use QUIC.cloud. WP Rocket plugin works on any server.

DreamHost Shared Hosting used on both sites.

ThinkMinds

  1. Using QUIC.cloud CDN
  2. 14 Active plugins
  3. Using AMP on mobile pages.
  4. Optimal LiteSpeed Cache plugin settings.
  5. Using Standard Plan of QUIC.cloud
  6. CDN, Image Optimization, Page Optimization, LQIP enabled in QUIC.cloud settings.
  7. Using Rank Math Pro plugin.

WPReviewTips

  1. Using Cloudflare CDN – Free version
  2. 19 Active plugins
  3. Using AMP plugin for mobile.
  4. No Rocket CDN (aff) used.
  5. Optimal WP Rocket settings
  6. Bot Fight Mode, Brotli compression, Rocket Loader, Argo Tiered Cache enabled in Cloudflare.
  7. Using Yoast SEO plugin

GTMetrix - Desktop

LIteSpeed CacheWP Rocket
GTMetrix GradeAA
Performance100%86%
Structure100%100%
LCP282ms849ms
TBT0ms302ms
CLS0.00.0
TTFB92ms417ms
Onload Time243ms898ms
Time to Interactive283ms1.8s
Fully Loaded Time362ms1.9s
Top IssuesAll LowAll Low
Total Page Size43.8KB286KB
Total Page Requests633
Connection Duration2ms62ms
DOM Interactive Time228ms533ms
First Paint283ms736ms
It is a comparison of LiteSpeed Cache vs. WP Rocket desktop results in GTMetrix

The main advantage with LiteSpeed cache – TTFB reduced a lot. In addition, core-webvitals like LCP, FCP, FID, CLS are scoring well. The fully loaded time also reduced by 425%.

lightspeed cache vs. wp rocket speed comparison
LiteSpeed Cache vs. WP Rocket - Which is better in Performance? 6
gtmetrix test with wp rocket
LiteSpeed Cache vs. WP Rocket - Which is better in Performance? 7

Winner – LiteSpeed Cache*

* Note – Since the comparison of LiteSpeed Cache and WP Rocket done on two different sites, there will be slight variation in the resources and plugins. This could also have an impact on the speed and performance.

GTMetrix - Mobile (AMP)

LIteSpeed CacheWP Rocket
GTMetrix GradeAA
Performance100%97%
Structure100%99%
LCP532ms1.0s
TBT3ms0ms
CLS0.00.0
TTFB98ms409ms
Onload Time669ms1.2s
Time to Interactive618ms1.0s
Fully Loaded Time973ms1.2s
Top IssuesAll LowAll Low
Total Page Size387KB593KB
Total Page Requests2432
Connection Duration87ms71ms
DOM Interactive Time261ms925ms
First Paint532ms1.0s
Related Post :   PageSpeed Ninja vs SG Optimizer - Which is the Best Wordpress Cache Plugin
Mobile test results using GTMetrix test for LiteSpeed Cache vs. WP Rocket

In the AMP test results, WP Rocket fared well compared to desktop. But it is not an accurate measure, as caching doesn’t have much effect on AMP. But I would like to test the performance of AMP pages using page speed test tools. The results are great.

Here also, TTFB 318% faster in LiteSpeed Cache compared to WP Rocket. It is primarily because of QUIC.cloud CDN. The fully loaded time is 24% faster than WP Rocket. Compared to the desktop pages, WP Rocket has improved in the AMP test results.

Winner ; LiteSpeed Cache*

Google PageSpeed Insights - Desktop

LIteSpeed Cache WP Rocket
Performance10099
FCP0.3s0.8s
Speed Index0.6s0.9s
LCP0.3s0.8s
Time to Interactive0.3s0.9s
Total Blocking Time0ms20ms
CLS0.00.004
Desktop results of comparison of LiteSpeed Cache vs. WP Rocket using PageSpeed Insights tool.

In the desktop results also, core web vitals performed well on the LiteSpeed cache. The LCP and FCP values were 0.5s better than WP Rocket. Though there is not much difference in performance, the number of improvements required were more in WP Rocket.

Winner – LiteSpeed Cache*

Google PageSpeed Insights - Mobile (AMP)

LIteSpeed Cache WP Rocket
Performance10063
FCP1.0s3.8s
Speed Index1.4s3.8s
LCP1.0s7.7s
Time to Interactive1.0s6.1s
Total Blocking Time0ms100ms
CLS0.00.045
Mobile results of PageSpeed Insights test for comparison of LiteSpeed Cache vs. WP Rocket

The LCP value 670% better in LiteSpeed Cache compared to WP Rocket. Similarly there is a difference of 2.8s in the FCP results.

Related Post :   PageSpeed Ninja vs SG Optimizer - Which is the Best Wordpress Cache Plugin

Winner – LiteSpeed Cache*

LiteSpeed Cache vs WP Rocket - Feature Comparison

FeatureLiteSpeed CacheWP Rocket*
Full-Page Cache✅**
Tag-Based “Smart Purge”✅**
Tight Integration With Server✅**
Edge Side Includes (ESI)✅**
Crawler✅**✅ (Cache Preloading)
WordPress Multi-Site Support✅**
Cache Logged-in Users✅**✅ (User Cache)
Cache Separate Mobile View✅**
Cache Vary on User Group✅**
Cache Vary on Geographic Location, Currency, etc✅**
Cache REST API✅**
Purge Selected URLs on a Schedule✅**
Browser Cache Support✅**
Compare the features of LiteSpeed Cache and WP Rocket

*WP Rocket feature list based on what listed publicly on the WP Rocket website
**Feature requires a licensed copy of LiteSpeed Web Server with Cache Module

Services - LiteSpeed Cache vs. WP Rocket

ServiceLiteSpeed CacheWP Rocket*
Critical CSS Generation
Image Optimization
Responsive Lazy Load Placeholder Generation
Additional services provided by both the WordPress plugins

Source: https://blog.litespeedtech.com/

Pricing – LiteSpeed Cache vs. WP Rocket

WP Rocket – Paid

There are different plans. You get discounts during Black Friday, Christmas and other seasonal festivals. Single license is $49/year, Plus is $99/year and Infinite is $249/year. Each has their own features. It works on most of the hosting services and servers like Apache, NGINX.

different plans of wp rocket cache plugin
LiteSpeed Cache vs. WP Rocket - Which is better in Performance? 8

LiteSpeed Cache – Free

This plugin is free by itself. But to use page caching you need a LiteSpeed Server. The reason being caching mechanism done by the cache engine on the server. Some hosting services provide this type of server.

If you don’t have it then you can use the Free QUIC.cloud CDN, which provides a LiteSpeed server. The cache usage is based on a pro-rata basis. For small sites a starting price of $5 is sufficient.

free litespeed cache plugin
LiteSpeed Cache vs. WP Rocket - Which is better in Performance? 9

Ecommerce – LiteSpeed Cache vs. WP Rocket

The LiteSpeed cache solution allows a cache of dynamic pages using its server engine technology. You need to enable the ESI (Edge Side Includes) module to make this happen. Product pages and blocks of code can be cached using this method. Holes are punched in the public pages and shopping cart data is served using dynamic cache. Without lose of any security.

Related Post :   PageSpeed Ninja vs SG Optimizer - Which is the Best Wordpress Cache Plugin

WP Rocket supports caching of shopping pages using WooCommerce technology. But dynamic caching of carts, check-out pages, and private pages is not possible.

Winner – LiteSpeed Cache

Installation

The LiteSpeed Cache plugin has 2+ million installations, according to the WordPress plugin repository. It is by far one of the most used cache plugins. But the configuration is a little difficult and needs some technical expertise. But QUIC.cloud settings are far easier. You benefit for the hard-work done.

Another important LiteSpeed Cache vs. WP Rocket comparison feature is the number of users.

WP Rocket settings are far easier to configure than LiteSpeed Cache. But for advanced settings like critical CSS generation, font cache you need to be a better user of WordPress. It works on all types of servers, which is another pro of WP Rocket. The number of WP Rocket installations is also around 2+ million.

number of websites using wp rocket
LiteSpeed Cache vs. WP Rocket - Which is better in Performance? 10

Winner – Stalemate

Recommendation

I recommend to install LiteSpeed Cache plugin with QUIC.cloud. Though WP Rocket is more popular and easy to configure, it doesn’t fit all needs. You need extra plugins to do page caching, CSS and JS compatibility.

On the other side, if you can learn a few settings of LiteSpeed Cache and install it, it does wonders. The GTMetrix and PageSpeed Insights results show that LiteSpeed Cache scores a complete 100.

But if you have display and video ads, the game is altogether different. Then you need to do further benchmark tests.

Disclaimer: Some affiliate urls are used to link to relevant WordPress products. When you purchase through these links, I receive a small commission. No Fee, No extra Payment.

LiteSpeed Cache vs. WP Rocket – Which is better in Performance?
LiteSpeed Cache vs. WP Rocket – Which is better in Performance?

We will be happy to hear your thoughts

      Leave a reply

      WordPress Reviews
      Logo