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GT PerformanceFree WordPress Cache Plugin

Less work for your server. More speed for your visitors.
Page caching, Cloudflare Free, and frontend optimization in one dashboard.

Built for blogs, stores, and multisite networks. Works alongside the cache your host already runs, and never caches a cart or checkout.

Download GT Performance FreeExplore the Plugin

Free and open source on WordPress.org. Enable the layers your site needs.

  • WordPress 6.6+
  • PHP 8.1+
  • Multisite ready
  • LiteSpeed, Apache, Nginx
  • WooCommerce, EDD, FluentCart
Your Performance Dashboard
GT Performance dashboard with page cache active, Cloudflare connected, unused CSS off, and Redis installed

Page Caching for WordPress

A cached public page saves WordPress from rebuilding the same response for every visitor. Store sessions need a different path.

  • Serve eligible public pages from the origin cache, with lifetimes you choose.
  • Bypass logged-in visits and supported cart, checkout, account, and receipt requests.
  • Warm the cache from your sitemaps in resumable batches, recent pages first, within a size budget you set.
  • Purge every page a change touched: listings, query loops, reusable blocks, menus, and shop pages.
  • Give pages like ?orderby=price or ?lang=de their own cached copy instead of skipping the cache.
  • Create a mobile cache variant only when your theme sends different HTML to phones.
Read the page cache guide
Page Cache
GT Performance origin page-cache settings and cache lifetime presets

Unused CSS Controls

Generate reduced stylesheets on your own server, then decide how much of your site receives them. Keep the original CSS available while you check the result.

  • Choose a generated file, fully inline CSS, or critical CSS inline with the rest in a file.
  • Keep hover, focus, and page-builder states for Elementor, Bricks, Divi, and other major builders.
  • Sample real pages in your browser to keep classes that scripts add after load, plus your own safelist.
  • Read each result in plain language, get a suggested inline limit, and regenerate one URL or all of them.
  • Set rollout to 0% to return to the original stylesheets.
Read the unused CSS guide
CSS Delivery
Unused CSS controls with generated-file, inline, and hybrid delivery, dynamic-state preservation, and staged rollout

Works With the Cache Your Host Already Runs

Most hosts now cache pages before WordPress sees the request. GT Performance checks what your server already does, then fills the gaps instead of fighting it.

Setup

Six checks before your first cached page

  1. 1Check this serverDone
  2. 2Detect other page caches and your host’s cacheDone
  3. 3Choose the cache modeOptimize only
  4. 4Connect CloudflareConnected
  5. 5List store and language pluginsDone
  6. 6Verify a real cached pageCached
OriginHITCloudflareHIT
Illustration of the Setup tab. Your results depend on your server and host.

  • Your host caches pages

    Optimize-only mode optimizes pages on their way into your host’s cache, so nothing is stored twice. Built for LiteSpeed, Hostinger, xCloud, and Kinsta.

    Read the guide

  • LiteSpeed or OpenLiteSpeed

    The server keeps and serves the pages GT Performance would cache, without starting PHP. Signed-in visitors and shoppers never get the public copy.

    Read the guide

  • Apache or Nginx

    Optional server rules answer cache hits, compressed copies included, before PHP starts. Nginx gets a copy-ready snippet.

    Read the guide

  • xCloud Cloudflare Enterprise

    Every purge goes through xCloud’s own purge plugin: saves, theme edits, the Purge button, schedules, and WP-CLI. No API token needed.

    Read the guide

More From Recent Releases

Multisite Networks

Subfolder and subdomain networks. Each site keeps its own settings, bypass rules, and page cache.

Read the guide

Compressed Once

Every cached page keeps a gzip copy, plus Brotli when PHP has it. No visit compresses the same page again.

Read the guide

Calmer Purges

A save clears page one of its listings. Docs and sidebar-heavy pages stop purging on every unrelated post.

Read the guide

A Copy Per Value

Parameters like ?orderby or ?lang get their own cached copy instead of skipping the cache entirely.

Read the guide

Per-Page Switches

“Don’t cache this page” and “Use original CSS” sit in the editor’s GT Performance box.

Read the guide

Language and Currency

WPML, Polylang, TranslatePress, Weglot, and common currency switchers are detected, with what to set.

Read the guide

Every change is listed in the GT Performance changelog, and planned work is on the roadmap.

Your Performance Toolkit

Start with caching. Add the tools that solve the next bottleneck.

Included in the free plugin.
Configured by you.

Cloudflare Free

Coordinate eligible HTML caching at the edge with the origin cache.

  • Preview and synchronize a managed Cache Rule.
  • Inspect rule conflicts and drift.
  • Purge exact URLs without requiring APO or Workers.
  • Sites sharing a zone each keep their own rule and purge only their own hostnames.
Cloudflare Free guide

JavaScript

Make eligible scripts smaller and control when they run.

  • Minify local scripts through WordPress storage, without generated JavaScript files.
  • Defer in WordPress dependency order, so inline jQuery keeps working.
  • Delay selected scripts, and exclude the ones forms, consent, and checkout depend on.
JavaScript guide

Images and Embeds

Reduce avoidable media work while keeping early images available.

  • Set hero image rules, with optional responsive preload.
  • Lazy-load the rest and add known attachment dimensions.
  • Generate WebP or AVIF where supported, and use click-to-load YouTube previews.
Images and Embeds guide

Fonts and CDN

Choose where your static assets come from.

  • Optionally host Google Fonts on your site.
  • Set font-display behavior.
  • Rewrite selected same-site asset types to an HTTPS origin-pull CDN.
Fonts and CDN guide

Redis Object Cache

Keep reusable WordPress data in Redis when your host supports it.

  • Configure TCP, TLS, or a Unix socket.
  • Use supported WP_REDIS constants.
  • Protect object-cache.php files owned by another plugin.
Redis Object Cache guide

Diagnostics and Health

Inspect the reason behind a cache decision.

  • Explain This Page reports cache policy and origin state.
  • A health report in Tools and Site Health, with a redacted support export.
  • Verified purge receipts and WP-CLI commands for repeatable administration.
  • Safe mode: one wp-config.php constant switches every optimization and cache read off.
Diagnostics and Health guide

WordPress Controls

Reduce unwanted requests without treating every switch as a recommendation.

  • Control emoji assets, embeds, Heartbeat, and autosave.
  • Keep the main RSS feed while disabling secondary feeds.
  • Run selected database cleanup in the background, with live progress and a stop button.
WordPress Controls guide

Compatibility

Give overlapping optimizations a clear owner.

  • Coordinate feature ownership with Perfmatters and LiteSpeed Cache.
  • Detect common cache-plugin and drop-in conflicts.
  • Flag WPML, Polylang, TranslatePress, Weglot, and currency switchers, with what to set.
  • Protect recognized analytics and transactional scripts.
Compatibility guide

Commerce Safeguards

Keep customer-specific requests out of public cache.

  • Adapters for WooCommerce, FluentCart, and Easy Digital Downloads.
  • Bypass relevant paths, session cookies, and query parameters.
  • Clear product pages and shop listings when price or stock changes.
Commerce Safeguards guide

Settings History

Undo a bad save without guessing what changed.

  • Restore any of your last 20 saves.
  • Roll back values without touching saved credentials.
  • Export and import settings as a JSON file.
Settings History guide

Background Queue

See and steer the work that runs after you click.

  • Pause, retry, and cancel jobs from Tools or WP-CLI.
  • Crashed jobs stop after three attempts instead of looping.
  • Jobs are claimed one at a time, so waiting work never starves.
Background Queue guide

AI Assistant Access

Off by default. Evidence first, changes only with your approval.

  • Let an assistant you connect read cache and health data through the REST API or WordPress MCP Adapter.
  • Purges, preloads, and proposed settings each need separate permission.
  • An optional adviser explains diagnostics with your WordPress AI provider and shows what it sends first.
AI Assistant Access guide

Your First Cached Page

One layer at a time. A clear path from installation to rollout.

  1. 1

    Install on Staging

    Add it from Plugins > Add New Plugin on a staging copy of your site.

  2. 2

    Run the Setup Tab

    Six checks find your host’s cache, pick the right cache mode, and verify a real cached page.

  3. 3

    Check Your Key Pages

    Check logged-out pages, forms, login, cart, checkout, and customer accounts.

  4. 4

    Add the Next Layer

    Connect Cloudflare or enable frontend optimization once the baseline works.

Download GT Performance

FreeOpen source. GPL-2.0-or-later.

Page caching, cache warming, optimization controls, Cloudflare integration, and diagnostics. All included.

Download GT Performance Free

Downloads the latest release from WordPress.org.

From Download to Dashboard

Here’s what happens after you click download.

  1. Get the ZIP

    The button downloads the latest version straight from WordPress.org. No checkout, no email.

  2. Install the Plugin

    Upload the ZIP under Plugins > Add New Plugin, or search for GT Performance there. Activate it and open GT Performance in the admin menu.

  3. Get Updates in WordPress

    Updates arrive in your dashboard like any other WordPress.org plugin. Turn on auto-updates if you want them hands-off.

View on WordPress.orgDocumentationChangelogRoadmapSource Code

I Build Tools That Pay for Themselves And Give Away the Ones That Can’t

Everything here is quick to set up, light on your pages and built to do one real job well. I only charge for the tools that can make you money. The rest are free.

Browse paid products Get free products
Gaurav Tiwari

Hi, I’m Gaurav

I design, build and support every product on this site myself. When you email me, the person reading it is the one who wrote the code.

I’d rather ship one tool you’d miss if it vanished than ten that sit in your plugin list doing nothing.

  • You talk to me, not a ticket queue
  • Paid tools have to earn their price
  • Free tools stay free
More about me

18+years building websites, plugins and stores, since 2008

I obsess over performance

Switch a feature off and it loads nothing. What does load stays small. A tool that replaces a plugin shouldn’t make your pages slower.

I care how it feels

Clear screens, sensible defaults and settings written in plain English. If you need a tutorial for the basics, that’s my design mistake, not yours.

I build for everyone

Full keyboard support, visible focus, proper labels and text you can actually read. When more people can use your store, more people can buy from it.

I build tools that earn

My paid tools help you sell, renew, license or convert. If one just sits in your stack, I haven’t done my job.

If it can’t earn, it’s free

I won’t charge for anything that can’t make you money. The free tools get the same care as the paid ones, down to the last setting.

Before You Install

Clear answers to the setup and compatibility questions.

Find a Guide
Does Cloudflare need a paid plan?

No. The managed Cache Rule and targeted purge integration work with Cloudflare Free. APO and Workers are not required.

Does unused CSS go to an external service?

No. Stylesheet collection, selector analysis, and generation run on your WordPress server. Background jobs and exclusions determine which pages are processed.

Does it work if my host already caches pages?

Yes. The Setup tab detects host caches such as LiteSpeed, Hostinger, xCloud, and Kinsta and suggests optimize-only mode: pages are optimized on their way into your host’s cache, and nothing is stored twice. Carts, checkouts, and searches are still sent as no-store.

Does it support WordPress multisite?

Yes, on subfolder and subdomain networks. Each site keeps its own settings, bypass rules, and page cache, and a network administrator installs the drop-in. Cloudflare and xCloud edge rules aren’t available on a network yet.

Can I keep my existing cache plugin?

Do not let two plugins own the same page-cache or object-cache drop-in. GT Performance reports ownership conflicts rather than silently replacing another plugin’s file. Assign overlapping optimizations to one plugin.

Will my store work without exclusions?

The supported commerce adapters add exclusions for their known routes and sessions. Still check your actual payment methods, account flow, and custom endpoints before enabling caching in production.

How do updates work?

Updates come from WordPress.org and appear in your dashboard like any other plugin. Every release is listed in the changelog, and planned work is on the roadmap.

Can I use it for client sites?

Yes. GT Performance is GPL software with no license keys or activation limits, so you can install it on every site you manage.

Does it send site data to an AI service?

Only when you ask it to. AI features are off by default and require an administrator. The optional adviser shows exactly what it will send before anything leaves your site, and nothing is sent automatically or from visitor requests.

Can I undo a settings change?

Yes. Settings history keeps your last 20 saves for up to 90 days and restores earlier values without touching saved credentials. You can also export and import settings as a JSON file.

The Field Guide

Installation, fine-tuning, and finding out why. Every guide lives in the GT Performance documentation.

29 guides

Browse the full documentation for setup and reference material, or report an issue on GitHub.

Read the full changelog for release-specific fixes and upgrade details.

See the public roadmap for planned work. Planned features are not included until they ship.

Ready for Your First Cached Page?

Start with public-page caching. Add the optimizations you can verify.
Keep every layer under your control.

Download GT Performance FreeRead the Installation Guide

WordPress 6.6+ and PHP 8.1+. Start on staging before rollout.

From the Workbench

Notes on WordPress, publishing, search, and independent products, sent when something real comes off my bench.

What’s in each issue