Fast Pixel: The Best Caching Plugin to Supercharge Your WordPress Site Speed

After testing and troubleshooting caching plugins, I came across the best caching plugin that I have ever used: Fast Pixel.

My site was running slowly because I test every plugin that comes along so that I can share results. I never optimize my images – even though I preach it every day – because I want to see what works and what doesn't.

Some caching plugins that I have tested added to the problem instead of fixing it.

This post covers my honest experience with Fast Pixel—why it works, how it’s set up, the real-life results, and how you can test it yourself.

Affiliate Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase. Please note that I only get affiliate links for products that I use.

Why Most Caching Plugins Disappoint

Caching plugins promise to make your WordPress site snappy and smooth. In reality, some only stack on more code, mess with your settings, or even conflict with the plugins you already use. This can leave your site slower than before.

Site owners, including myself, often find PageSpeed Insights showing worse results after adding another caching plugin. Every extra plugin is something else to load and troubleshoot. Too many, and your site groans under the weight.

FastPixel: A New Plugin from the People Who Developed ShortPixel

I discovered Fast Pixel by accident, and it’s become the best caching plugin I’ve used. If ShortPixel sounds familiar, you may know it as a popular tool for image optimization. The same creators built Fast Pixel specifically for website speed. It combines simple setup with powerful results – even if you’re a chronic “plugin collector” like me, who tests, disables, and piles on every add-on.

• The Fast Pixel site offers a free speed test. Type in your URL, and it shows how your site could perform with Fast Pixel installed.
• My first speed results were embarrassing (thanks to too many plugins, PNGs, and old JPEGs), but the test promised big gains with Fast Pixel.
• After installing, I first saw no change – then, after forgetting about the plugin for a month or so, I retested my site speed. My PageSpeed scores soared from in the red to green without any extra effort.

Real-Life Speed Results

My website was dragging, cluttered with every type of plugin and unoptimized image. Even basic site optimization (like compressing images or removing old plugins) fell by the wayside because I always tested new things. Like the plumber whose own sink never gets fixed, I knew better but didn’t do better for my personal site.

Once I ran the Fast Pixel test on my homepage, the improvement was clear:

• Mobile scores went from “in the red” to “green” on PageSpeed Insights.
• Desktop numbers jumped into the excellent range.
• I tried it on a friend’s website, and her scores hit a perfect 100.
• These results weren’t overnight, but they happened with zero extra tweaks on my end—just the plugin installation and the default settings.

Here’s the surprising part: I did nothing special. I hadn’t optimized images, removed plugins, or fixed conflicts. Fast Pixel handled it.

Free and Affordable Pricing

Fast Pixel offers a generous free plan that covers most small websites:

• Free version: Up to 1,000 page views per month. After that, it simply stops working on new pages or posts until your monthly quota resets.
• Paid plan: At only $8.33/month for higher traffic, it remains an affordable option as your site grows.
• For many personal blogs and small business sites, the free plan is more than enough.

No hidden tricks. Once you hit the free limit, you can choose to upgrade—or just stay put if your needs are modest.

Simple Setup: Fast Pixel In Action

Fast Pixel’s setup is refreshingly easy. You don’t need to wade through complicated settings.

1. Install and activate the plugin.
2. Choose a preset speed option—most users will simply click the fastest setting.
3. Refresh your site, clear any existing cache, and test again.

Reviewing the Settings

Fast Pixel has a handful of settings, but none will overwhelm a typical user. Here’s a quick look:

• Serve Stale: Keeps older cached pages live while creating new cache in the background. Your visitors always see a fast site.
• Cache for Logged-in Users: You can choose whether to cache pages for logged-in users. Most site owners leave this off.
• Page Exclusions: Avoid caching sensitive pages, like checkout carts.
• Post Type Exclusions: Usually, you won’t need to change these unless you have special custom post types.

JavaScript Delays

You can allow Fast Pixel to delay non-critical JavaScript. This helps your site load the essentials first—scripts like sliders or analytics will follow after the main content appears. PageSpeed Insights often recommends this for better performance.

Image Optimization

• Compression options: Choose from Lossy (strongest), Glossy (lighter touch), or Lossless (no quality loss). Lossy balances size and appearance well for most sites.
• WEBP support: Automatically serves modern, fast WEBP images when possible.
• Adding width and height to images: Prevents layout shifts (images moving content as they load), which Google flags in performance reports.
• Image Crop: Optional—turn on if you want images cropped, but most won’t need it.

Fonts and Integrations

• Fast Pixel works natively with Google Fonts, so no extra steps needed unless you’re hosting custom fonts.
• You don’t need Cloudflare, since Fast Pixel global CDN covers the same ground.

Dealing with Conflicts

Some plugins don’t play nicely together. Fast Pixel gives you a clear list of plugins it conflicts with, and warns against running ShortPixel Adaptive Images and Fast Pixel together. However, standard ShortPixel is fine.

Responsive Support

Fast Pixel’s support team is quick and helpful. Even their free-tier users report fast replies and real answers.

Real-World Use Cases and Practical Advice

Who benefits from FastPixel? Here are a few situations where it’s a clear win:

• Blogs and content sites with lots of images but little time for manual optimization.
• Sites with complex plugin mixes where speeding up without removing plugins feels impossible.
• Client sites you want to hand off with a simple solution and proven results.
• Small business pages with under 1,000 page views a month seeking free, hands-off speed gains.

Here’s how to get the most mileage:

• Test your current site speed on Google’s PageSpeed Insights.
• Don’t worry if you don’t see instant results—let cache build for a day or so, clear your old cache, then try again.
• Try the Fast Pixel test on their site to see what might be possible.

Common Questions About Fast Pixel

Try Fast Pixel and Enjoy a Faster Site

If you’re tired of bloated caching plugins, poor speed scores, or sites that seem to crawl even after your best efforts, Fast Pixel is well worth a look. You don’t need technical skills or hours of setup. Install it, use the default settings, and let it run.

Remember, testing your site with PageSpeed Insights before and after helps you see the improvement. You may see gains right away, or after a few hours or days as caches build and images are processed.

Take five minutes, give Fast Pixel a try (start with the free plan), and see how much faster your WordPress site can be.