LiteSpeed Cache vs WP Rocket 2023: Why LSC Is Faster + Free (Features Comparison)

I’ll be blunt: LiteSpeed Cache is better than WP Rocket.

I broke down each plugin’s features and show you exactly why LiteSpeed Cache is faster than WP Rocket. Sure, I could have thrown up some before & after GTmetrix reports “comparing” them both, but you really have to test them yourself since each website is obviously different.

LiteSpeed Cache has several features not found in WP Rocket: server-side caching, image optimization, localizing JS files, and lazy loading HTML selectors. But arguably the biggest difference is between QUIC.cloud and RocketCDN, since RocketCDN is only a CDN which uses StackPath and has less PoPs, a slower Tbps, and less features than QUIC.cloud’s standard plan. QUIC.cloud includes things like HTML caching and DDoS protection while RocketCDN does not.

While WP Rocket is more user-friendly, it has a ways to go before catching up to LiteSpeed Cache. But to use all LiteSpeed Cache’s features, you will need to be using a LiteSpeed host.

	WP Rocket	LiteSpeed Cache
Price	$49/year	Free
Server-level caching	x	✓
Critical CSS	✓	✓
Delay JavaScript	✓	✓
Remove unused CSS	Inline	Separate file
Preload links	✓	✓
Object cache	x	✓
Host third-party code locally	x	✓
Lazy render HTML elements	x	✓
Lazy load background images	Inline	Helper class
Add missing image dimensions	✓	✓
First time visit optimization	x	Guest mode
Control preloading	✓	✓
Advanced cache control	x	✓
ESI (edge side includes)	x	✓
Gravatar cache	x	✓
Limit post revisions	Delete all	Keep some
CDN	StackPath	QUIC.cloud
CDN PoPs	60	73 (standard plan)
CDN price	$7.99/month+	$.02-.08/GB
Dynamic caching	Paid	✓
Image optimization	x	✓
DDoS protection	x	✓

 

1. Server-Level Caching

LiteSpeed Cache uses server-level caching which is faster than the file-based caching done by WP Rocket. It uses LSAPI for PHP processing which is faster than PHP-FPM and other forms of PHP. Very few cache plugins use server-level caching (SiteGround Optimizer and Kinsta’s MU plugin are some of the only ones). Even though faster caching may not directly improve your PageSpeed scores, you should see a noticeable improvement when clicking through your site.

 

2. Image Optimization

WP Rocket (or RocketCDN) don’t optimize images. This means you would either need to use an extra plugin like ShortPixel or a CDN service like Cloudflare Mirage + Polish, or Bunny Optimizer.

LiteSpeed Cache and QUIC do an excellent job with image optimization:

• Image compression
• WebP
• Remove EXIF data
• LQIP (low quality image placeholder) via QUIC

 

3. RocketCDN vs. QUIC.cloud

RocketCDN is only a CDN which serves files from StackPath (WP Rocket’s CDN partner). There are no other features beyond that. StackPath has 20 less PoPs than QUIC’s 70 and was removed from cdnperf.com after having major issues (QUIC.cloud has never been listed on cdnperf.com).

QUIC.cloud offers a free and standard plan, but their free plan only uses 6 PoPs and doesn’t include DDoS Protection, while their stand plan uses all 70 PoPs. Both plans use HTML caching (similar to Cloudflare’s APO) which is arguably the biggest benefit. QUIC.cloud’s CDN is set up through LiteSpeed Cache and includes a QUIC dashboard where it has many settings you can configure. RocketCDN doesn’t have a dashboard which leaves very little room for configuration.

Finally, RocketCDN advertises unlimited bandwidth for $7.99/mo. This is very misleading since you will be cut off if you use too much bandwidth and there have been many reports of this in Facebook Groups. QUIC.cloud is regional-based pricing from $.02 – .08/GB depending on which regions you select. They also give you a certain amount of free credits each month. Credits are applied when using both QUIC.cloud’s CDN as well as UCSS, CCSS, and LQIP in LiteSpeed Cache.

This makes QUIC.cloud CDN the obvious winner.

	RocketCDN	QUIC.cloud (Standard)
PoPs	60	73
HTTP/3	x	✓
HTML Caching	x	✓
DDoS Protection	x	✓
LQIP	x	✓
Unique CSS	x	✓
reCAPTCHA	x	✓
Restrict XML-RPC Requests	x	✓
Price	$7.99/mo (not unlimited)	$.02 – .08/GB

 

4. Remove Unused CSS

Both LiteSpeed Cache and WP Rocket can remove unused CSS.

As Vikas Sharma explains in a Facebook post, loading used CSS in a separate file is faster than loading it inline. While inline gives you better scores, it’s slower for visitors because inline CSS can’t be cached and increases the HTML size. Even Perfmatters says inline is “best for scores” while separate file is “best for user and perceived performance.” TLDR: separate file is better.

Because WP Rocket loads the used CSS inline (while LiteSpeed Cache loads used CSS in a separate file), this means LiteSpeed Cache optimizes for real-world visitors over “scores.”

 

5. Lazy Load HTML Selectors

This is like lazy loading images only for HTML selectors.

It can improve LCP, TBT, and other metrics. #footer and #comments are common things you can lazy load, but you’ll want to check which selectors are used on your website. The FlyingPress documentation has a helpful video on doing this which can also be used for LiteSpeed Cache.

 

6. Localize JavaScript Files

If you’re having PageSpeed issues with third-party code, LiteSpeed Cache has a great feature to localize JavaScript files.

I listed some common files below but you should really look at your PageSpeed Insights report (or Chrome Dev Tools) to learn which JavaScript files you can localize. WP Rocket not only doesn’t have this, they don’t recommend host fonts locally (which I’ll have to disagree with).

### Popular scripts ###
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js
https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js
https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js
https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js
https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js
https://www.googleoptimize.com/optimize.js
https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js
https://maps.google.com/maps/api/js
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js
https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
https://ajax.cloudflare.com/
https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/
https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/
https://netdna.bootstrapcdn.com/
https://stackpath.bootstrapcdn.com/
https://code.jquery.com/

 

7. Redis + Memcached Object Cache

LiteSpeed Cache can integrate Redis/memcached for object caching (I prefer Redis especially for reducing memory usage, speeding up the admin, and for WooCommerce or larger, complex websites). WP Rocket has no object cache settings at all, so this is a bonus for LiteSpeed Cache. Redis/memcached can be found in LiteSpeed Cache’s object settings (only one can be enabled).

To pass the connection test, you’ll need to activate Redis or memcached in your hosting account. In cPanel, you would usually do this under Select PHP Version → PHP Extensions.

 

8. Guest Mode

The guest mode in LiteSpeed Cache can greatly improve load time for first time visitors.

It does this by saving time reading cookies, looking for cache varies, and processing ESI. It has great feedback in FB Groups, but it can increase CPU and doesn’t work with Cloudflare’s APO.

WP Rocket doesn’t include guest mode or any similar settings.

 

9. ESI

LiteSpeed Cache uses ESI, WP Rocket does not.

ESI (edge side includes) lets you cache eCommerce pages by “punching holes” on a page, are filled with shopping cart data and other private content, then the mixed-content page can be fully cached. This is one reason why LiteSpeed Cache is better for larger/WooCommerce sites.

 

10. Database Optimization

Both LiteSpeed Cache and WP Rocket clean your database of post revisions, transients, spam comments, etc. The main difference is WP Rocket can schedule ongoing database cleanups while you have to do it manually with LiteSpeed Cache. However, LiteSpeed Cache lets you control post revisions by setting a max number of post revisions and the age they expire. This lets you remove most post revisions, but not delete all of them in case you want some backups.

Neither plugin lets you go through your database tables and remove tables left behind by old plugins you deleted. I recommend WP-Optimize for doing a better cleaning of your database.

 

11. Better Control (But Harder Configuration)

The main downside of LiteSpeed Cache is it’s harder to configure than WP Rocket.

It takes time to learn what each setting does and whether it should be enabled or disabled. Make sure you follow an in-depth tutorial on configuring their settings since it’s different for each website and may require some testing in PageSpeed Insights. While LiteSpeed Cache gives you better control, the extensive settings can be a big con if you’re not familiar with the terms.

 

12. LiteSpeed Cache Is Free

LiteSpeed Cache is free when you use a LiteSpeed server. WP Rocket is $49/year for a single website. They also stopped offering renewal discounts for new customers like they used to.

WP Rocket does have a 10% off coupon if you sign up for their email list, but it’s an extra cost that could be put towards something else.

 

13. LiteSpeed Cache Requires A LiteSpeed Server

You can use LiteSpeed Cache on any server, but LiteSpeed’s exclusive features (shown on the plugin page) are only available when you use a LiteSpeed server. And since it includes key features like automatic page caching with QUIC + HTTP/3, you really want to use a LiteSpeed host to get the most out of it. WP Rocket can be used with any server and doesn’t limit features.

 

14. How To Setup LiteSpeed Cache’s Settings

See my LiteSpeed Cache tutorial.

These are meant to be used as a baseline, so configure it for your own site!

 

15. How To Setup WP Rocket’s Settings

See my WP Rocket tutorial.

Again, these are meant to be used as a baseline, make you configure it for your own site!

 

16. Join The LiteSpeed + WP Rocket Facebook Groups

Join the LiteSpeed and WP Rocket Facebook Groups – both are very helpful.

• WP Rocket Users Facebook Group
• LiteSpeed WordPress Community Facebook Group

TLDR: LiteSpeed Cache is faster, free, and has a better CDN, but it’s more difficult to configure.

Cheers,
Tom