Optimus – WordPress Image Optimizer

79 Quality Score

Active Installs

20/30

With 30,000 active installs it sits well below category leaders like Smush and EWWW at 1 million each, indicating a more niche audience tied to the KeyCDN ecosystem.

Update Freshness

24/25

It was last updated on 2026-03-02 and tested against WordPress 6.9.4, which is about as current as you can get and earns a perfect maintenance score.

User Rating

13/15

An 84 out of 100 from 69 ratings is solid, though the small sample size means the score carries less statistical weight than plugins with thousands of reviews.

Support Health

8/15

Zero support threads and zero resolutions is a yellow flag; it could mean the plugin works so well nobody needs help, or it could mean the developer is not actively engaging with users on the WordPress.org forum.

WP Compatibility

15/15

Requiring only WordPress 4.6 and PHP 5.6, with current testing on 6.9.4, gives it one of the broadest compatibility ranges in the category.

Scores higher than 70% of indexed plugins

About

Effective image compression and optimization during the upload process. Smart, automatic and reliable.

Active Installs 30k+

Rating ★★★★ 4.2/5

Last Updated 2026-03-02 9:04am GMT

Requires WordPress 4.6+

Tested Up To 6.9.7

Requires PHP 5.6+

✓ No known vulnerabilities

What It Does

Optimus compresses and optimizes images automatically when you upload them to the WordPress media library, reducing file sizes without manual intervention. It supports WebP conversion and works on JPEG, PNG, and GIF files during the upload workflow. The plugin requires an API key from KeyCDN, as the heavy lifting happens on their servers rather than locally.

Who It's For

This plugin is well suited for photographers, bloggers, and small to mid-sized content sites that upload images regularly and want silent, automatic optimization without configuring complex settings. It works particularly well for sites already using KeyCDN or willing to create a free account, and for users who prefer a set-and-forget approach over local processing tools like EWWW or Smush.

Who Should Skip It

If you need bulk optimization for an existing media library of thousands of images or want a completely free, local-processing solution with no third-party dependency, look elsewhere. Users on high-volume e-commerce sites with strict data handling policies may also prefer a self-hosted optimizer to avoid sending images to an external service.

The Bottom Line

Optimus is a quietly competent image optimizer with a perfect maintenance record and a thin but loyal user base, scoring 80.15 out of 100 on PluginCheck. Its dependence on the KeyCDN API and modest install count make it less appealing than Smush or EWWW for most WordPress users, but it remains a reasonable pick if you value simplicity and are already in the KeyCDN ecosystem.

Pick Smush if you want a free, all-in-one solution with bulk optimization, lazy loading, and a CDN built in, and you have a larger site needing battle-tested scale.

EWWW Image Optimizer 89/100

Choose EWWW if you need local, server-side compression without sending images to a third party, and you want fine-grained control over quality and formats.

Autoptimize 88/100

Choose Autoptimize when image optimization is secondary and you primarily need CSS, JavaScript, and HTML minification alongside basic image tweaks.

Converter for Media – Optimize images | Convert WebP & AVIF 88/100

Pick this converter if your main goal is format conversion to WebP or AVIF for existing media, and you already have another tool handling compression.

Optimole – Optimize Images | Convert WebP & AVIF | CDN & Lazy Load | Image Optimization 85/100

Choose Optimole if you want a cloud-based service that handles optimization, CDN delivery, and lazy loading together with minimal configuration.