Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN
by WPMU DEV - Your All-in-One WordPress Platform · Performance
Also makes 8 other plugins · 2.4M+ installs across the portfolio →
Compress and optimize images, enable lazy load, serve WebP & AVIF, and speed up your site with a global image CDN.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
A 93/100
no flags
Active installs
1M+
≈1.9M estimated
Momentum
+18%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Support resolution scores 88/100. Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
93 health vs 69 average across 1,808 Performance plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.4%
of downloads still active
At least 1M of 70.7M lifetime downloads are still running, in line with its category: the median Performance plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,103 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Performance plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 19 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 12 reviews to 2026-07-19Reviewers are pleased with compression results and bulk optimization speed, with one gripe about the free version lacking support for third-party CDNs.
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Excellent listing optimization
Well tuned across the board
Updated 11 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.8★ over 6,053 reviews, smoothed to 4.79★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
7 of 8 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
43
Momentum
Holding steady
+0.3
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
32%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.7
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| optimization | #1 | #1 | up 4 |
| image optimization your tag | #1 | #1 | up 4 |
| compression | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| cdn | #1 | #1 | up 1 |
| load | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| lazy | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| webp | #1 | #1 | up 3 |
| lazy load | #1 | #1 | up 1 |
| smush | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| image cdn | #1 | #1 | up 1 |
| image compression | #1 | #1 | up 4 |
| free cdn | #1 | #1 | up 1 |
| jpg to webp | #1 | #1 | up 1 |
| image | #2 | #2 | up 15 |
| image optimizer your tag | #2 | #2 | up 4 |
| compress images your tag | #2 | #2 | up 4 |
| convert webp your tag | #2 | #2 | up 2 |
| images | #2 | #2 | up 17 |
| compress | #2 | #2 | up 1 |
| images optimization | #1 | #1 | up 1 |
950 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 804 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Your five tags are all earning their place. Each gets you onto page 1 of its own search, so none is worth giving up. “image conversion”, “pagespeed insights” and “unused images” (#4, #4 and #4 untagged) would be the next worth testing if a slot frees up.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 1.4M · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
19
releases in the last 12 months
11d ago
latest release · v4.3.5 · 20 Oct 2026
168
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “1M+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 8.8 years ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 90% of the way through.
Install history since 1 Nov 2020
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ ilarreola3mo ago
Ran it across our whole media library and total size dropped by close to 40%. Bulk smush queue took a while on the free plan but got there in the end.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ hurtadodoo4mo ago
Compression quality is solid and the bulk optimization feature saved me hours. Noticed a small delay processing larger batches but nothing dealbreaking.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ webadmindassibiuro4mo ago
Great job! Worked like a charm! 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ royceandy4mo ago
I had 393 images to optimize and it worked quite fast and reduced size by 50 mb with 1:1 compression.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ esghero5mo ago
good plugin
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ robsonfarias20075mo ago
The program worked perfectly on my website, it optimized 120 images at once making my site more dynamic. I recommend 100% to everyone.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ elitevibesjordan5mo ago
Best service and fast
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ paknejad5mo ago
I have an CDN account in another site but this plugin doesn’t have any option to active and use any other CDN (Not Smush CDN) in Free version.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- 2026-10-20 Version 4.3.5 Improvement: Code stability changes Fix: PHP warnings 4.3.5
- 2026-09-29 Version 4.3.4 Improvement: Security hardening 4.3.4
- 2026-09-16 Version 4.3.3 Improvement: Implement Auto-save UI/UX Improvement: Make email notification enabled by default Fix: Bulk Smush is not running with PHP 7.4 4.3.3
- 2026-08-24 Version 4.3.2 Improvement: Accessibility option in Smush Improvement: Improved transparent PNG detection accuracy Improvement: Improved savings calculation in the optimization complete modal Improvement: Updated Preload card descripti 4.3.2
- 2026-08-24 Version 4.3.1 Fix: Wizard not showing the correct image count 4.3.1
- 2026-08-10 Version 4.3.0 New: CDN 2.0 with multiple performance improvements and bug fixes New: CDN domain migrated from smushcdn.com to assetcdn.net New: Failed images list now displayed on the Directory Smush page Improvement: Implemented miss 4.3.0
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 9 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (4.3.5). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Low · 2.7 Smush Image Compression and Optimization <= 3.17.0 - Authenticated (Admin+) Directory Traversal ↗2025-03-29 CVE-2025-22288 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory Affects <= 3.17.0 Patched in 3.17.1
- Patched Medium · 4.4 Smush – Lazy Load Images, Optimize & Compress Images <= 3.9.8 - Cross-Site Scripting ↗2022-05-03 CVE-2022-1009 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 3.9.8 Patched in 3.9.9
- Patched High · 8.8 Smush – Lazy Load Images, Optimize & Compress Images <= 3.0.0 - Authenticated PHAR Deserialization ↗2018-12-10 Deserialization of Untrusted Data Affects <= 3.0.0 Patched in 3.0.1
- Patched Critical · 9.8 Smush – Lazy Load Images, Optimize & Compress Images <= 2.9.1 - Cross-Site Scripting ↗2018-12-10 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.9.1 Patched in 3.0.0
- Patched Medium · 5.3 Smush – Lazy Load Images, Optimize & Compress Images <= 2.7.5 - Directory Traversal ↗2017-09-21 CVE-2017-15079 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory Affects <= 2.7.5 Patched in 2.7.6
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 52 languages, 9 at 90% or more
Plus 28 more locales with partial translations.
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Share of voice
How often each assistant names Smush when asked about these topics, where it comes in the answer, and how that compares with its wp.org search position. Latest run 25 Oct 2026.
- Assistants
- ChatGPT, Claude
- Topics tracked
- Performance, Image optimization
Readme readiness
7 of 8 pass · checked 26 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Compress and optimize images, enable lazy load, serve WebP & AVIF, and speed up your site with a global ima..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 12 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 12 of 12 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("built for"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WooCommerce, Elementor, Gutenberg.
- ✓ Headings and lists 13 headings and 6 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 5,349 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "convert webp" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2018-02-01 900K+ → 1M+ up after 120 days in tier
- 2017-10-04 800K+ → 900K+ up after 95 days in tier
- 2017-07-01 700K+ → 800K+ up after 119 days in tier
- 2017-03-04 600K+ → 700K+ up after 92 days in tier
- 2016-12-02 400K+ → 600K+ up after 211 days in tier
- 2016-05-05 300K+ → 400K+ up after 186 days in tier
- 2015-11-01 200K+ → 300K+ up after 173 days in tier
- 2015-05-12 300K+ → 200K+ down
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Imagify Image Optimization: Optimize Images | Compress & Convert to WebP/AVIF 900K+ installs · 4.3★ · 4 shared tags A -
Converter for Media – Optimize images | Convert WebP & AVIF 500K+ installs · 4.9★ · 4 shared tags A -
ShortPixel Image Optimizer – Optimize Images, Convert WebP & AVIF 300K+ installs · 4.5★ · 4 shared tags A -
Kraken.io Image Optimizer – Compress, Convert to WebP & AVIF, Resize & Bulk Optimize 10K+ installs · 4.5★ · 4 shared tags A -
DropAvif Image Optimizer – Convert WebP & AVIF | Compress Images 80+ installs · 4.2★ · 4 shared tags B -
OptiPic images optimization 50+ installs · 4.7★ · 4 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-smushit" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN: 1M+ active installs, 4.8★ (6,053 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-smushit
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