The Exact Tools We Use on Every Client Site We Optimize.
After 1,000+ WordPress optimizations, we know which tools reliably produce results and which ones create new problems. This page lists every tool, plugin, and service we personally install and recommend — with honest notes on where each falls short.
tested these tools
choosing tools
5 categories
as tools change
WordPress Hosting
Hosting is the single biggest factor in TTFB and server response time. These are the only providers where we consistently achieve sub-200ms TTFB out of the box.
HIGH
Cloudways puts fast cloud infrastructure behind an easy panel. You choose the cloud provider (DigitalOcean is our go-to) and get blazing-fast TTFB without managing a Linux server yourself. We deploy most client sites on Cloudways + DigitalOcean 2GB + Redis object cache — a combination that reliably achieves under 150ms TTFB globally. The managed environment, automatic backups, and free SSL make it exceptional value.
- Best TTFB of any managed provider we’ve tested
- Redis + Memcached object caching built in
- Scale server up/down in 2 clicks, no migration
- Free Cloudflare Enterprise CDN add-on available
- Slightly more complex than shared hosting
- No email hosting included (need Google Workspace)
- Bandwidth costs can add up on high-traffic sites
HIGH
Kinsta runs exclusively on Google Cloud’s C2 machines — the fastest tier available — with full-page caching, Cloudflare enterprise CDN, and automatic daily backups. We use Kinsta for high-traffic client sites where absolute performance is non-negotiable. Their MyKinsta dashboard is the most developer-friendly of any managed WordPress host.
- Fastest managed host for global audiences
- Cloudflare enterprise CDN on every plan
- Staging with push-to-live in one click
- Excellent 24/7 WordPress-expert support
- Expensive — cheapest plan is $35/month
- No email hosting included
- Visit limits can be tight on lower plans
MED
SiteGround is where many of our clients are hosted when they come to us. It’s genuinely good for shared hosting — LiteSpeed servers, SG Optimizer plugin, and a decent CDN. We’ve achieved PSI 90+ on SiteGround sites, though TTFB sits around 200–400ms vs Cloudways’ 100–150ms. Good value for sites under 50k monthly visitors.
- Best shared host for WordPress performance
- SG Optimizer plugin works well out of the box
- Affordable entry price
- Renewal prices are significantly higher
- TTFB worse than cloud options (200–500ms)
- Resource limits can throttle busy sites
Hosting Speed Comparison
Average TTFB measured across our client sites — all with identical WordPress + Elementor setup
| Host | Avg TTFB | PSI Achievable | Redis Cache | Staging | CDN Included | Starting Price | Our Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cloudways Cloud (DigitalOcean) | ~130ms | 95+ | ✓ | ✓ | Add-on | $11/mo | Try → |
Kinsta Google Cloud C2 | ~110ms | 95+ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ Enterprise | $35/mo | Try → |
SiteGround Shared/Cloud | ~280ms | 88+ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | $4/mo | Try → |
WP Engine Managed WordPress | ~220ms | 90+ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | $25/mo | Try → |
Hostinger Shared | ~350ms | 82+ | ✗ | ✗ | Limited | $2/mo | Try → |
WordPress Themes
A lightweight, well-coded theme is the foundation of every fast WordPress site. These are the only themes we build on.
HIGH
Kadence is our default theme for every new build and the theme this site runs on. It loads under 20kb of CSS, outputs clean semantic HTML, and has a built-in performance mode that defers all non-critical assets. Pair it with Kadence Blocks Pro and you get a complete design system that competes with Elementor on features while beating it on every performance metric.
- Fastest theme we’ve tested — 15kb CSS vs Avada’s 300kb+
- Global color palettes + typography system
- Full Header/Footer builder in free version
- Excellent WooCommerce performance support
- Less visual flair than premium themes out of box
- Best features need Kadence Blocks Pro ($149)
HIGH
GeneratePress is the leanest WordPress theme available — bare install loads under 10kb of CSS and generates a perfect Lighthouse score. It’s less opinionated than Kadence, which makes it ideal for developers who want full control. We use it for content-heavy blogs and sites where speed is the absolute priority above visual richness.
- Absolute lightest theme — nothing comes close
- Perfect Lighthouse accessibility + SEO scores
- Extremely clean, semantic HTML output
- Very minimal design — needs more custom CSS
- Less feature-rich than Kadence out of box
MED
Astra is the most popular WordPress theme in the world for a reason — it’s genuinely fast, very customizable, and has thousands of starter templates. We use it less than Kadence these days but still recommend it for clients who want a larger ecosystem of pre-built designs. Pairs well with Elementor when you need that builder.
- Huge library of starter templates
- Well-supported, large community
- Good WooCommerce integration
- Heavier than Kadence or GeneratePress
- Customizer-based — no block editor native feel
Performance Plugins
Plugins that actually move the PSI needle — not the ones that promise the world and add 200ms of their own overhead.
HIGH
WP Rocket is the first caching plugin we install on every site we optimize. It handles page caching, browser caching, GZIP compression, database cleanup, lazy loading, and JavaScript/CSS deferral — all with a clean interface that non-developers can use. It’s the single plugin that produces the most consistent PSI improvements across all our client sites. Note: it won’t fix everything — hero image preloading and LCP-specific fixes need manual work — but it handles ~60% of the performance work automatically.
- Single plugin handles most performance work
- Safe for WooCommerce — excludes cart/checkout automatically
- Clean UI — clients can use it without breaking things
- Consistent results across all WordPress setups
- Paid only — $59/yr for one site
- Won’t fix LCP preloading or INP issues alone
- Needs configuration — defaults don’t cover everything
HIGH
Images are responsible for the majority of page weight on most WordPress sites. Imagify bulk compresses and converts every image in your media library to WebP (or AVIF), and automatically optimizes new uploads. On a typical WordPress site with 200+ images, Imagify reduces total image payload by 60–80%, directly improving LCP and load time.
- Best compression ratio of any image plugin
- AVIF support (even better than WebP)
- Free tier includes 25MB/month
- Free quota low for large sites
- Needs server to support WebP serving
MED
Perfmatters does one thing exceptionally well: it lets you disable WordPress plugins on a per-page or per-post-type basis. Most WordPress sites load the JavaScript of every active plugin on every single page — even when that plugin is completely irrelevant to that page. Disabling WooCommerce scripts on blog posts, or contact form scripts on product pages, can reduce JS payload by 30–50% and dramatically improve INP scores.
- Massive INP improvement on complex WP sites
- Granular per-page script disabling
- Cheap — $25/yr for unlimited sites
- Requires careful testing — can break functionality
- Learning curve for initial setup
CDN & Security
A CDN is the fastest way to serve static assets globally and reduce TTFB for international visitors. Security and CDN are now inseparable.
HIGH
Cloudflare is the first thing we add to every client site — before any caching plugin, before any optimization work. Even the free plan gives you a global CDN across 300+ PoPs, DDoS protection, a free SSL certificate, and HTTP/3 support. On the Pro plan, you get image optimization (Polish), Automatic Platform Optimization for WordPress, and Argo Smart Routing. A single Cloudflare DNS switch typically reduces TTFB by 40–60% for international visitors.
- Free tier is genuinely excellent — no catch
- Largest CDN network in the world
- DDoS protection + WAF on all plans
- APO for WordPress serves HTML from edge
- DNS change required (affects all records)
- Aggressive caching can serve stale content
Testing & Auditing Tools
Free tools we use to diagnose and measure performance before, during, and after optimization work on every site.
HAVE
PageSpeed Insights (PSI) at pagespeed.web.dev is the tool we use for all before/after measurement. It combines Lighthouse lab data with Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX) field data — the same field data Google uses for Core Web Vitals ranking. Always test mobile and desktop separately. Any PSI report we provide uses this tool so you can verify it yourself for free.
- The official ranking signal data — nothing else matters more
- Shows real-user field data from Chrome UX Report
- Free, no account needed
- Lab scores vary run to run — average 3 tests
- No waterfall chart (use GTmetrix for that)
HAVE
GTmetrix is where we diagnose the waterfall — the sequence of every network request a page makes, in order, with timing. The waterfall reveals render-blocking resources, third-party script loading patterns, and image loading issues that PSI summarises but doesn’t show visually. The free tier is excellent. We include GTmetrix before/after reports alongside PSI in every audit we deliver.
- Best waterfall visualization of any free tool
- Video playback shows exactly when things load
- Historical monitoring on paid plans
- No field data — lab only
- Free plan limited to Vancouver server
Your Competitors’ Sites Are Already Faster.
Let’s Fix That.
Find out exactly what’s slowing your WordPress site down and what it’ll cost to fix it. The audit is free, takes 24 hours, and comes with no commitment or sales pressure.
Get Your Free Speed Audit
We’ll analyze your site and tell you exactly what’s wrong — before you spend anything.
🔒 Your data is secure. We never share or sell your information. Unsubscribe anytime.