LiteSpeed Cache Review | What It Does, Pricing, Alternatives, My Verdict
WORDPRESS PLUGINS · TOOL REVIEW

LiteSpeed Cache

★★★★★★

Excellent and free if your host runs LiteSpeed. Largely pointless if it does not, so check first.

CATEGORY
Caching plugin
PRICE
Free
MY RATING
4.5 / 5
LINK TYPE
No commission
BEST FOR
Sites on LiteSpeed hosting wanting free server-level caching

What it is

LiteSpeed Cache is a free WordPress performance plugin that does server-level caching on hosts running LiteSpeed or OpenLiteSpeed web servers.

Server-level caching is faster than the PHP-based caching every other plugin does, because the page is served before WordPress loads at all.

The condition matters entirely: on a LiteSpeed host it is arguably better than WP Rocket and free. On Apache or Nginx you get only the secondary features.

What it does

Page caching at server level, which is the fastest form available in WordPress and the reason to use it.

CSS and JavaScript optimisation, critical CSS generation, and unused CSS removal, processed through their free online service.

Free image optimisation including WebP conversion, with generous quotas, which would otherwise be a separate paid plugin.

Object caching, browser caching, database cleanup and a CDN integration. The feature list is longer than most paid plugins, at no cost.

Who it's for

01Anybody on Hostinger, A2 Turbo, or another LiteSpeed host.
02Sites wanting free image optimisation alongside caching.
03Owners willing to test settings rather than accept defaults.
04Budget-conscious sites needing real performance work.
05Anyone who would otherwise buy WP Rocket unnecessarily.

Features

Server-level page caching
Faster than any PHP-based caching plugin.
Critical CSS and unused CSS removal
Processed free through their service.
Free image optimisation
Compression and WebP conversion with generous quotas.
Object caching
Redis or Memcached support for dynamic sites.
Browser caching and compression
Standard optimisations handled.
QUIC.cloud CDN
Optional free tier CDN integration.

Pros and cons

PROS
Completely free, including image optimisation.
Server-level caching is the fastest option available.
Feature set exceeds most paid plugins.
Actively developed and widely used.
Removes the need for a separate image plugin.
CONS
Only fully useful on LiteSpeed hosting.
Very many settings, easy to misconfigure and break a page.
Documentation is technical.
Optimisation features require their external service.
Support is community-based rather than commercial.

Pricing

PLAN WHAT YOU GET WORTH IT FOR
Free Everything, on any host, with server caching only on LiteSpeed. All users.
QUIC.cloud free tier Monthly CDN and optimisation quota. Small sites.
QUIC.cloud paid Additional quota for larger sites. High-traffic sites.
No premium plugin tier The plugin itself has no paid version. Genuinely free.

The plugin is free with no upsell. Only the CDN and optimisation service has paid quota beyond a generous free allowance.

MY RECOMMENDED PLAN

Free. Enable page caching, browser caching and image optimisation, test the site, then stop. Do not enable every toggle.

Alternatives

WP Rocket
Buy it if you are not on LiteSpeed hosting. Better defaults, paid.
Server-level caching from your host
Kinsta, WP Engine and Cloudways cache better; use theirs and skip plugins.
W3 Total Cache
Free, works anywhere, easier to misconfigure.
FlyingPress
Paid alternative with good results on any host.

My verdict

If your host runs LiteSpeed, this is the best performance plugin available and it costs nothing. Server-level caching plus free image optimisation is a combination no paid plugin matches on value.

The catch is the settings panel, which offers dozens of optimisations that can each break a page. Enable the core three, test properly, and resist the urge to turn everything on.

Check your host first. On Apache or Nginx, install WP Rocket instead and do not spend an evening on this one.

Try LiteSpeed Cache →

Who should use it

01Anyone on LiteSpeed or OpenLiteSpeed hosting.
02Sites wanting free image optimisation.
03Budget-conscious owners needing real performance.
04People willing to test settings carefully.

Who should avoid it

01Sites on hosts with their own server-level caching.
02Anyone on Apache or Nginx, where WP Rocket is better.
03People who want defaults that just work.
04Owners unwilling to test after each setting change.

Affiliate disclosure

I earn nothing from this recommendation. There is no affiliate link on this page and I pay for my own subscription where one is needed. When a review on this site does carry a commercial link, it says so in this same place on the page.

All recommended tools Last reviewed September 2026