Autoptimize Pro for WordPress Performance

Autoptimize Pro is a premium subscription that adds page caching, image optimization, CDN support, automatic critical CSS rules and extra booster settings to Autoptimize. These paid functions work alongside its controls for WordPress pages and front-end assets.

How page and asset delivery fit together

Autoptimize can aggregate, minify and cache CSS and JavaScript, and minify HTML. CSS goes in the page head by default. Critical CSS can be inlined while the aggregated stylesheet is deferred, and JavaScript can be moved and deferred to the footer. The settings also cover Google Fonts, asynchronous non-aggregated JavaScript, lazy-loaded images and WordPress core emoji code. Image formats include WebP and AVIF.

CDN support can serve Autoptimize-generated CSS and JavaScript through a content delivery network. WordPress uploads can also be routed to a CDN through the upload URL setting; that applies to images uploaded after the setting is changed. Image optimization relies on the processing service being able to fetch the original images publicly. Password protection, firewalls or hotlinking restrictions can prevent that access.

Settings depend on the website

HTTP/2 reduces the impact of multiple requests, but minification or aggregation may still fit a particular configuration. Aggregation is off by default on new installations. When enabled, styles move to the page head and scripts to the footer; aggregation can also be disabled while minification remains on. Review the settings, test the affected pages, then adjust and retest. The right combination varies by site.

If a page behaves unexpectedly, test CSS and JavaScript optimization separately and check for overlapping minification or caching functions in other add-ons. When clearing Autoptimize’s cache, clear any page cache that may still contain references to removed optimized CSS or JavaScript.

Customization and removal

An extensive API is available for further customization. Help is available in the WordPress support forum; confirmed code bugs can be reported on GitHub. Premium support and web performance optimization services are also offered for Autoptimize Pro.

To remove Autoptimize, disable the add-on, remove it, then clear any remaining cache that may contain pages referencing its optimized CSS or JavaScript, including a cache managed by another page caching extension.