# ForgeCache — WordPress speed plugin built for humans and AI agents
> Complete WordPress speed plugin: page cache, CSS/JS minify, lazy load, critical CSS, CDN integration. Works on any host, no LiteSpeed required. From $49/year.
- Canonical:
- Last updated: 2026-09-18
- HTML version:
---
- [Overview](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/)
- [Features](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/features/)
[All Features](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/features/)
[Agent Tier](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/features/agent-tier/)
[Page Caching](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/features/page-caching/)
[CSS & JS Optimization](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/features/css-js-optimization/)
[Lazy Loading](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/features/lazy-loading/)
[CDN Integration](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/features/cdn-integration/)
[Database Cleanup](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/features/database-cleanup/)
[Page Optimizer](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/features/page-optimizer/)
- [Compare](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/vs-wp-rocket/)
[vs WP Rocket](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/vs-wp-rocket/)
[vs LiteSpeed Cache](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/vs-litespeed-cache/)
[vs W3 Total Cache](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/vs-w3-total-cache/)
[vs WP Super Cache](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/vs-wp-super-cache/)
[vs NitroPack](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/vs-nitropack/)
- [Pricing](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/pricing/)
- [Docs](https://royalplugins.com/support/forgecache/)
Overview
All Features
— Agent Tier
— Page Caching
— CSS & JS Optimization
— Lazy Loading
— CDN Integration
— Database Cleanup
— Page Optimizer
Compare
— vs WP Rocket
— vs LiteSpeed Cache
— vs W3 Total Cache
— vs WP Super Cache
— vs NitroPack
Pricing
Docs
5.0 ([0 reviews](#reviews))
Version: 2.1.35
Page caching, CSS & JS minification, critical CSS generation, lazy loading, object cache, CDN integration, and database cleanup, all in one plugin. Now with the **Agent Tier** that serves AI crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended) a clean markdown variant at roughly 20x smaller byte counts, plus an auto-generated `/llms.txt` for LLM ingestion. **Core Web Vitals tuned**, **CDN-agnostic**, and no annual renewal trap or Cloudflare APO upsell.
**53% of mobile visitors leave if a page takes over 3 seconds.** ForgeCache is built so yours isn’t one of them.
By Jameson · Founder & Lead Developer
Page Caching
CSS/JS Minify
Lazy Loading
CDN Ready
Agent Tier
DB Cleanup
$49
/ Year
Best for Solo Sites
- Page caching & page optimizer
- Agent Tier: markdown twins + /llms.txt for AI crawlers
- CSS/JS minification & lazy load
- CDN integration & database cleanup
- WooCommerce compatible & priority support
[Buy for $49](https://my.royalplugins.com/checkout/?add-to-cart=106)
Buyer Protection
1 Year Updates
Priority Support
Code Scanned
[30 Days Money Back Guarantee](https://royalplugins.com/refund/)
Why Speed Matters
## Two audiences, two speed metrics
Page speed has always been an SEO signal. What changed is *which* metric matters, because there are now two audiences reading your site and they measure speed differently. Humans judge by paint (when the eye sees value: LCP, INP, CLS). AI crawlers judge by TTFB (when the server starts responding) and byte count (how much of your content they can ingest per crawl-budget dollar).
Google's [Core Web Vitals](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/core-web-vitals) are the human game and remain a direct organic ranking signal. AI answer engines (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot) are the emerging second game, and they weight fast TTFB, small byte counts, and clean semantic content because those signals let a crawler cover more of your site per visit and extract entities without ambiguity. **ForgeCache is built to win both games at once.**
<2.5s
Target LCP for humans (Core Web Vitals "Good")
<200ms
Target TTFB for AI crawlers (fast enough to stay in-budget)
~20x
Byte reduction on the Agent Tier's markdown twin
### For humans: paint metrics
The eye judges speed by when it sees value. Google's Core Web Vitals measure exactly that and factor into organic search rankings.
- **LCP** (Largest Contentful Paint) < 2.5s via page caching, critical CSS, and LCP-image preload
- **INP** (Interaction to Next Paint) < 200ms via JS defer + delay-until-interaction
- **CLS** (Cumulative Layout Shift) < 0.1 via auto width/height on images
- Passing all three helps Google organic rankings on both mobile and desktop
- Bounce reduction: 53% of mobile visitors leave sites that take over 3 seconds to load
### For AI agents: TTFB and bytes
AI crawlers never render. They judge speed by how fast the response starts and how much of your content they can ingest per crawl.
- **TTFB** (Time to First Byte) at drop-in level, before WordPress loads, for GPTBot / ClaudeBot / PerplexityBot
- **Byte count** around 20x smaller via the markdown twin, so more of your content fits per crawl-budget dollar
- **Semantic clarity**: clean markdown extracts entities without ambiguity from theme chrome
- **Crawl budget**: smaller pages mean more of your site indexed per crawler visit
- **llms.txt**: auto-generated content map, priority-queued by LLM ingesters that respect the spec
Traditional SEO was one game: make Google's crawler and human visitors happy. The AI era added a second game: make LLM crawlers happy too. **ForgeCache is the only WordPress cache that plays both, and both at full speed.**
Performance
## Why is ForgeCache so much smaller than WP Rocket?
ForgeCache Pro
~285 KB
LiteSpeed Cache
~1.0 MB
WP Super Cache
~1.3 MB
WP Rocket Pro
~4.5 MB
W3 Total Cache
~9.1 MB
A speed plugin shouldn't be your slowest plugin. **ForgeCache Pro packs 40+ optimizations plus the Agent Tier into ~285 KB** — roughly 32× smaller than W3 Total Cache and 16× smaller than WP Rocket. Approximate Pro-zip sizes from wp.org Content-Length (LiteSpeed 7.9, WP Super Cache 3.1.1, W3 Total Cache 2.10.5) and WP Rocket’s own knowledge base (v3.23.x), August 2026.
Every Feature
## 40+ optimizations built-in. No add-ons.
Here's the complete list of what ForgeCache ships with, grouped by what each one speeds up.
### Page Caching 4
- Static HTML page caching
- Logged-in user cache
- Per-URL exclusions
- Smart cache preload
### CSS Optimization 5
- Minify CSS
- Combine CSS files
- Inline critical CSS
- Async non-critical CSS
- Per-page CSS rules
### JavaScript Optimization 6
- Minify JavaScript
- Combine JS files
- Defer / async loading
- Delay JS execution until interaction
- Per-script exclusions
- JS module / nomodule support
### Image & Media 6
- Lazy-load images
- Lazy-load iframes & videos
- Add width/height attributes (CLS)
- Native loading="lazy" injection
- WebP / AVIF on-the-fly support
- Responsive image hints (preload)
### HTML & Delivery 5
- HTML minification
- Gzip / Brotli compression
- Browser cache headers
- HTTP/2 server push hints
- Resource preconnect / dns-prefetch
### Page Optimizer 5
- Per-page asset audit
- Disable scripts on specific URLs
- Per-page loading-mode override
- Plugin / theme bloat detection
- PageSpeed warning tracker
### CDN & Edge 4
- Cloudflare integration (one-click)
- Custom CDN URL rewriting
- Per-asset-type CDN routing
- Cloudflare cache purge on update
### Database 5
- Post revision cleanup
- Transient cleanup
- Spam / trash comment cleanup
- Auto-draft removal
- Table optimization (OPTIMIZE TABLE)
### Compatibility & Control 5
- WooCommerce-aware (cart / checkout / account)
- Page-builder compatibility (Elementor / Divi)
- WP-CLI cache commands
- Selective cache purge on save
- Conditional cache rules
See It In Action
## Complete Speed Optimization, Simple Setup
New in 2.1.34
### Agent Tier: two-path delivery for humans and AI agents
ForgeCache detects AI crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended, Meta-ExternalAgent, Bytespider, ChatGPT-User, Applebot-Extended) at the pre-WordPress drop-in level and serves them a stripped-down markdown twin of your page. Human visitors still get the full-fat CSS/JS/lazy-load optimized HTML. LLM crawlers get clean semantic content at roughly 20x smaller byte counts, so your site indexes cleanly in AI answer engines without the dead scaffolding weight.
- Auto-generated `/page/index.md` for every cacheable page
- Auto-generated `/llms.txt` at your site root for LLM ingesters
- Optional `/llms-full.txt` bundles top posts as one markdown doc for RAG
- Agent Tier admin page + WP-CLI subcommand for bot traffic stats
Two-path delivery
Human visitor
Full-fat HTML
CSS/JS optimized, WebP images, lazy load, RUM beacon
AI crawler
Markdown twin
Clean semantic MD, ~20x smaller, no dead scaffolding
GET /your-page/index.md → 200 OK
### Caching Status at a Glance
Open ForgeCache and you immediately see what’s working. Pages cached, cache size on disk, how many of the 18 optimization features are running, license status, and one-click cache control—all on a single dashboard. No hunting through tabs to confirm caching is active.
- Live caching status & page count
- 18 optimizations tracked at a glance
- One-click Clear Cache & Page Optimizer
- License & cache size monitoring
### Intelligent Page Caching
Generate static HTML versions of your pages that load instantly. No database queries, no PHP processing—just pure speed delivered to your visitors.
- Automatic cache generation
- Smart cache invalidation
- WooCommerce compatible
### CSS & JS Optimization
Minify inline HTML, CSS, and JavaScript automatically. Defer and delay non-critical scripts, async-load stylesheets, and remove render-blocking resources for faster paints.
- HTML, CSS & JS minification
- Defer non-critical JS
- Delay JS until interaction
- Async CSS loading
### Smart Lazy Loading
Images, videos, and iframes load only when visitors scroll to them. This dramatically reduces initial page weight and speeds up first contentful paint.
- Image lazy loading
- YouTube & video embeds
- Background images
- Responsive image handling
### CDN Integration
Serve your assets from edge locations worldwide. Integrate with Cloudflare, BunnyCDN, or any CDN provider to deliver content at the speed of light.
- One-click CDN setup
- Cloudflare integration
- Custom CDN support
- Automatic URL rewriting
Core Web Vitals
## Which WordPress caching plugin passes Core Web Vitals?
Most cache plugins were built for the PageSpeed era. Google's ranking signal is now Core Web Vitals — LCP, CLS, and INP — and ForgeCache targets each one with a specific optimization, not a generic minify-and-cache pass.
<2.5s
Target LCP (Good)
<0.1
Target CLS (Good)
<200ms
Target INP (Good)
### Largest Contentful Paint
[LCP](https://web.dev/articles/lcp)
How fast the biggest above-the-fold element renders. The metric most cache plugins try to fix — but few do all four levers.
- Static HTML page caching (skip DB)
- Inline critical CSS for instant first paint
- Preload hints for hero images
- Async non-critical CSS to unblock render
- HTTP/2 push hints for above-the-fold assets
### Cumulative Layout Shift
[CLS](https://web.dev/articles/cls)
How much the page jumps around as it loads. Caused by images / ads / fonts that load with no reserved space.
- Auto-inject width / height on every `![]()
`
- Native `loading="lazy"` with placeholder reserve
- `font-display:swap` with size-adjust hints
- Aspect-ratio CSS for embeds & iframes
- Stable bidirectional layout (no jumping)
### Interaction to Next Paint
[INP](https://web.dev/articles/inp)
Replaced FID in March 2024. Measures how quickly the page responds to taps / clicks. Most cache plugins ignore it — ForgeCache leads with it.
- Defer / async non-critical JS
- Delay JS execution until first interaction
- Per-script handle exclusion control
- Strip render-blocking third-party scripts
- Long-task breakdown via Page Optimizer
All three Core Web Vitals are pass-rate ranking signals as of March 2024. ForgeCache ships **per-handle** JS deferral and delay-until-interaction via the Page Optimizer — most other plugins offer these as global on/off toggles only, without per-script granularity.
How We Compare
## Same speed. Less bloat.
WP Rocket starts at $59/yr per site. LiteSpeed Cache only delivers full performance on LiteSpeed servers — lock-in by hosting choice. W3 Total Cache is free but ships at 7MB with a UI that hasn't been redesigned in a decade. ForgeCache covers the same critical optimizations at **$59/year** and works on any host.
Pro
$59/yr (1 site)
Business
$149/yr (5 sites)
[Compare to WP Rocket →](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/vs-wp-rocket/)
Side by Side
## Which WordPress caching plugin should I pick?
The five most popular WordPress caching plugins, compared on the optimizations that decide whether your site passes Core Web Vitals.
| Feature | ProForgeCache | ProWP Rocket | FreeLiteSpeed Cache | ProW3 Total Cache | FreeWP Super Cache |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Static HTML page caching | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CSS minify & combine | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | × |
| Critical CSS / async CSS | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | × | × |
| JS defer / async | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Partial | × |
| Delay JS until interaction (INP) | ✓ | ✓ | × | × | × |
| Per-page asset audit (Page Optimizer) | ✓ | × | × | × | × |
| Auto width/height on images (CLS) | ✓ | ✓ | × | × | × |
| Lazy-load images / iframes / video | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Partial | × |
| Cloudflare integration (one-click purge) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | × |
| Database cleanup & optimization | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | × | × |
| Works on any host (not LiteSpeed-only) | ✓ | ✓ | Limited | ✓ | ✓ |
| Plugin size on disk | **~285KB** | ~4MB | ~5MB | ~7MB | ~1.5MB |
| **Yearly cost (1 site)** | **$59** | $59 | Free | $99 | Free |
Pricing accurate as of May 2026. Tier names and exact pricing change — check vendor sites for current details. “Partial” means the feature exists in the plugin but is limited or requires extra configuration; “Limited” means the feature only delivers full performance on specific server software (LiteSpeed-only).
[vs WP Rocket in detail](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/vs-wp-rocket/)
[See full pricing](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/pricing/)
### 3x
Faster Load Times
### 67%
Less Bounce Rate
### ~285KB
Plugin Size
### 100%
WP Compatible
Real-World Results
## What ForgeCache actually does to real sites
Two customer sites we’ve measured. One Elementor Pro portfolio, one lean coaching site.
Full methodology, configuration screenshots, and the mistakes we made mid-optimization are
in each case study; the headline numbers below.
### Elementor Pro portfolio site
Starting point: 83 mobile PageSpeed with 25+ render-blocking CSS files and 4 separate performance plugins fighting each other. Consolidated to ForgeCache.
83→86
Mobile Score
99
Desktop Score
3.5s
LCP Mobile
Mid-optimization lesson: behind Cloudflare, purge both WordPress AND Cloudflare’s cache after config changes. Scores stuck at 71 until we cleared both.
[Read the full case study →](https://royalplugins.com/case-studies/#elementor-studio)
### Online coaching site
Lean content-focused site. Goal: minimal configuration overhead, get out of the way.
2.1s
LCP
0 ms
Total Blocking
15-20
Min Setup
The simplicity dividend: no fine-tuning required for a straightforward site. Install, enable the recommended preset, ship.
[Read the full case study →](https://royalplugins.com/case-studies/#online-coach)
Measurements via [Google PageSpeed Insights](https://pagespeed.web.dev/) on real customer sites with permission. See [all Royal Plugins case studies](https://royalplugins.com/case-studies/) for full methodology, configuration screenshots, and lessons learned.
Who It's For
## Tuned for the way your site loads
Same plugin, different bottleneck. Pick the angle that matches what's slow on your site.
### Bloggers & Content Sites
Set-and-forget speed
Recommended preset enables page caching, lazy-loading, image dimensions, and CSS/JS minification with one click. PageSpeed score jumps 30–50 points without touching settings.
- One-click recommended preset
- Auto-lazy-load images & videos
- Cloudflare integration (one-click)
- Database cleanup on schedule
- Zero-config WordPress compatibility
**Suggested tier:** Pro — $59/yr
### WooCommerce Stores
Fast browse, safe checkout
Cart, checkout, and account pages auto-excluded from caching so the purchase flow never breaks. Product / shop / category pages get the full speed treatment for browse-to-cart conversion lift.
- Cart / checkout / account auto-excluded
- Per-page CSS rules for product templates
- Mini-cart fragments dequeued on archives
- WooCommerce-aware plugin / theme detection
- Image lazy-loading on archive pages
**Suggested tier:** Business — $149/yr
### High-Traffic Sites
Per-page granular control
The Page Optimizer module is the killer feature here — scan any page, see every script and stylesheet that loaded, kill the bloat per URL. Fix one slow page without touching the rest of the site.
- Per-page asset audit & control
- Per-script handle exclusion
- Long-task & INP breakdown
- Conditional cache rules
- WP-CLI cache commands for CI / deploy
**Suggested tier:** Business — $149/yr
### Agencies
100 sites, one license
One $299/yr license activates ForgeCache on up to 100 client sites. Same recommended preset on every install — deliver consistent PageSpeed wins across your entire portfolio.
- 100 sites for $299/yr
- Drop-in deploy across new clients
- Cloudflare integration on every site
- WP-CLI bulk activation
- Priority support
**Suggested tier:** Agency — $299/yr
### 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
If ForgeCache doesn't deliver the PageSpeed wins you expected, reach out to support and request a refund within 30 days of your original purchase for a full refund. No questions asked.
[View Refund Policy →](https://royalplugins.com/refund/)
Customer Reviews
## What Our Customers Say
5.0
Based on 0 reviews
Be the first to review ForgeCache!
FAQ
## Common Questions
ForgeCache is designed to be safe. We start with conservative defaults, and each optimization can be toggled individually. If something doesn't work with your theme or plugins, simply disable that feature.
Yes. ForgeCache is tested with Elementor, Divi, Beaver Builder, Gutenberg, and other popular page builders. If you experience any issues, our CSS/JS optimization settings can be fine-tuned to exclude specific scripts.
Absolutely. ForgeCache automatically excludes sensitive pages like cart, checkout, and my-account from caching. Your store runs fast without breaking the purchase flow.
No. Install, activate, and ForgeCache works immediately with smart defaults. Advanced users can customize settings, but it's completely optional.
Yes. ForgeCache is built to **complement**, not replace, Cloudflare and other CDNs. **Cloudflare and BunnyCDN have native API integration**: one-click auto-purge on content updates, full-zone purge on cache clear, and a built-in test-connection check. For other CDNs (KeyCDN, Amazon CloudFront, StackPath, or any pull-zone CDN), use the **custom CDN URL** setting to rewrite static asset URLs to your CDN hostname — per asset type if needed.
Feature-comparable to **WP Rocket** at a fraction of the size (~285KB vs ~7MB) and a comparable price. **LiteSpeed Cache** is free but only delivers full performance on LiteSpeed servers; ForgeCache works on any host (Apache, NGINX, LiteSpeed, OpenLiteSpeed, shared hosting). Includes the same critical optimizations (page cache, CSS/JS minification, lazy loading, database cleanup) plus the Agent Tier for AI crawlers, without the bloat or hosting lock-in.
Yes. ForgeCache directly targets the three Core Web Vitals that Google uses for ranking: **LCP** (Largest Contentful Paint) via critical CSS, image preload hints, and page caching; **CLS** (Cumulative Layout Shift) via auto-injected width/height attributes on images; and **INP** (Interaction to Next Paint) via JS deferral and "delay until interaction" execution. Most sites see PageSpeed score jumps of 30–50 points after enabling the recommended preset.
Yes. Granular control everywhere. Exclude pages by URL pattern, by user role (e.g. don't cache for admins), by query string, or by cookie. Exclude individual scripts from minification or combination by handle or URL. The **Page Optimizer** module lets you scan any page, see every script and stylesheet that loaded, and toggle each one's loading mode independently. WooCommerce cart, checkout, and my-account are excluded automatically.
**Automatically.** ForgeCache purges relevant cached pages when you publish or update a post (the post URL plus its archive, category, tag, and homepage). For manual control, use the **"Clear Cache"** button in the admin bar, the **WP-CLI** command (`wp forgecache clear`), or trigger a programmatic purge via REST API for CI / deploy pipelines. Cloudflare edge cache is purged in lockstep when integration is enabled.
Your license includes **continuous updates**, **priority email support**, and access to all integrations for one year. After the year ends, the plugin keeps working forever — you only renew if you want continued updates and support. We also include a **30-day money-back guarantee** on first-time purchases.
Resources
## Optimize, measure, scale
Documentation, free tools, and the rest of the Royal Plugins stack that pairs with a fast site.
📚
### From the blog
- [Agent Readiness — publisher AI policy playbook](https://royalplugins.com/blog/agent-readiness-guide/)
- [Hitting a perfect WordPress PageSpeed score](https://royalplugins.com/blog/wordpress-perfect-seo-score/)
- [WordPress image SEO & optimization](https://royalplugins.com/blog/wordpress-image-seo-optimization/)
- [WordPress white screen recovery](https://royalplugins.com/blog/wordpress-white-screen-fix/)
- [WooCommerce SEO complete guide](https://royalplugins.com/blog/woocommerce-seo-complete-guide/)
📝
### Documentation
- [Setup & configuration](https://royalplugins.com/support/forgecache/)
- [Page caching reference](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/features/page-caching/)
- [CSS & JS optimization](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/features/css-js-optimization/)
- [CDN integration](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/features/cdn-integration/)
- [vs WP Rocket](https://royalplugins.com/forgecache/vs-wp-rocket/)
🤝
### Pairs well with
- [SiteVault — backups before you optimize](https://royalplugins.com/sitevault/)
- [GuardPress — security headers & firewall](https://royalplugins.com/guardpress/)
- [SEObolt — rank what loads fast](https://royalplugins.com/seobolt/)
- [Royal Links — redirects without slowdown](https://royalplugins.com/royal-links/)
- [SERP preview tool](https://royalplugins.com/tools/serp-preview/)
Coming Soon
## Roadmap 2026
We're building a cloud-powered CSS optimization service to take your PageSpeed scores even higher.
### Critical CSS Generation
Automatic above-the-fold CSS extraction. No more manual generators—we'll render your pages and extract exactly what's needed for instant first paint.
### Remove Unused CSS
Strip bloated stylesheets down to only what your pages actually use. Especially effective for Elementor and theme framework sites with massive CSS overhead.
"A fast site isn't a luxury—it's the foundation of success online. Every millisecond matters."
[SPEED UP NOW](#pricing)