Performance optimization plugins (WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache, Autoptimize) and the Core Web Vitals
WP Rocket (30.2%), LiteSpeed Cache (27.0%), Autoptimize (23.7%), WP Fastest Cache (13.0%), Cloudflare APO (6.5%), W3 Total Cache (1.9%), FlyingPress (1.2%), and NitroPack (1.1%) across 18,572 sites.
27.0% of sites use LiteSpeed Cache performance optimization plugins, and 75% of those sites pass all three Core Web Vitals, against 70% of all sites.
27.0% of sites use LiteSpeed Cache performance optimization plugins, and 84% of those sites have a good LCP, against 82% of all sites.
13.0% of sites use WP Fastest Cache performance optimization plugins, and 97% of those sites have a good INP, against 92% of all sites.
23.7% of sites use Autoptimize performance optimization plugins, and 91% of those sites have a good CLS, against 89% of all sites.
Core Web Vitals pass rate
Sites with LiteSpeed Cache performance optimization plugins pass all three Core Web Vitals most often: 75%, against 70% of all sites. The biggest gap is INP, 97% against 92%.
Sites with LiteSpeed Cache performance optimization plugins have a good LCP most often: 84%, against 82% of all sites. Sites with Autoptimize optimization plugins have it least often, at 68%.
Sites with WP Fastest Cache performance optimization plugins have a good INP most often: 97%, against 92% of all sites. Sites with Cloudflare APO optimization plugins have it least often, at 92%.
Sites with Autoptimize performance optimization plugins have a good CLS most often: 91%, against 89% of all sites. Sites with FlyingPress optimization plugins have it least often, at 88%.
Performance optimization plugins usage
WP Rocket is the most used: 30.2% of sites. LiteSpeed Cache is 27.0% of sites.
Where optimization plugins save time: the four LCP phases
Across the four LCP sub-parts in Chrome's field data, the largest gap between LiteSpeed Cache and Autoptimize sits in time to first byte (TTFB): 677 ms median for LiteSpeed Cache against 1163 ms for Autoptimize. Overall median field LCP is 1.6s for LiteSpeed Cache (TTFB 677 ms, load delay 347 ms, load duration 162 ms, render delay 241 ms) versus 2.0s for Autoptimize.
Across the four LCP sub-parts in Chrome's field data, the largest gap between LiteSpeed Cache and Autoptimize sits in time to first byte (TTFB): 677 ms median for LiteSpeed Cache against 1163 ms for Autoptimize. Overall median field LCP is 1.6s for LiteSpeed Cache (TTFB 677 ms, load delay 347 ms, load duration 162 ms, render delay 241 ms) versus 2.0s for Autoptimize.
Across the four LCP sub-parts in Chrome's field data, the largest gap between LiteSpeed Cache and Autoptimize sits in time to first byte (TTFB): 677 ms median for LiteSpeed Cache against 1163 ms for Autoptimize. Overall median field LCP is 1.6s for LiteSpeed Cache (TTFB 677 ms, load delay 347 ms, load duration 162 ms, render delay 241 ms) versus 2.0s for Autoptimize.
Across the four LCP sub-parts in Chrome's field data, the largest gap between LiteSpeed Cache and Autoptimize sits in time to first byte (TTFB): 677 ms median for LiteSpeed Cache against 1163 ms for Autoptimize. Overall median field LCP is 1.6s for LiteSpeed Cache (TTFB 677 ms, load delay 347 ms, load duration 162 ms, render delay 241 ms) versus 2.0s for Autoptimize.
How performance optimization plugins plays out per platform
What the field data shows when you isolate a single CMS or framework.
WordPress 15,365 sites On WordPress, LiteSpeed Cache (75%) and WP Rocket (69%) pass all three CWV more often than Autoptimize (61%).
Across 15,365 WordPress sites with a detected optimization plugin, 27.5% use LiteSpeed Cache (75% passing all three CWV), 28.7% use WP Rocket (69%), 25.1% use Autoptimize (61%), and 13.4% use WP Fastest Cache (60%).
Shopify 3 stores 3 Shopify stores show standalone optimization signatures (85% CWV pass rate).
Across the dataset, 3 Shopify storefronts have a detected standalone optimization plugin signature, with 85% passing all three Core Web Vitals.
React & Next.js 618 sites On the 618 WordPress + React sites using caching plugins, LiteSpeed Cache (25.9%) passes all three CWV at 69% and WP Rocket (34.8%) at 67%.
Across 618 React sites with a detected WordPress optimization plugin, 34.8% use WP Rocket (67% passing all three CWV), 25.9% use LiteSpeed Cache (69%), and 21.4% use Autoptimize (57%).
By Arjen Karel · 210,902 crawled sites (126,761 with phone Chrome field data, 18,572 sites with performance optimization plugins, October 2026). How we measured.