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Images to WebP

By kubiq

Performance & Optimization / Image Optimization & Compression

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

Images to WebP Review - In-Depth Analysis

Convert PNG, JPG, and GIF images to WebP format to enhance website speed and reduce page weight.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.7/10

User Rating

4.4/5 (based on 32+ reviews)

Active Installations

9,000+

Update Frequency

Below Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

5 / 10 (Medium Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Statistics say that WebP format can save over a half of the page weight without losing image quality. Convert PNG, JPG, and GIF images to WebP and speed up your web, save visitors download data, and improve your Google ranking.

This plugin features an automated test after activation to ensure compatibility with your server. It works with all types of WordPress installations, including domain, subdomain, subdirectory, and multisite/network setups. It is compatible with both Apache and NGiNX servers.

The original image URLs remain unchanged, allowing seamless integration in src, srcset, , and even CSS backgrounds without cache issues. The original files are untouched, and you can set the quality of converted images, auto-convert on upload, and only convert images if the WebP filesize is lower than the original.

Bulk conversion of existing images to WebP is supported, with options to choose folders and convert only missing images. The plugin also works with the Fly Dynamic Image Resizer plugin.

For developers, there are hooks available to customize the plugin's functionality, including disabling WebP for thumbnails, modifying htaccess rules, and generating WebP for other plugins.

Comparing to Alternatives

Images to WebP is a solid choice for WebP image conversion with several alternatives available that offer similar functionality.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Simple and effective WebP image conversion.
Clear instructions and easy to use interface.
Works well with custom image sizes and cropping plugins.
Free to use with no paid version required.
Highly rated by users for reliability and performance.

Weaknesses

Requires manual configuration changes for some server setups like Nginx.
Known past security vulnerability fixed in version 1.9.
No pro version or advanced premium features available.
Limited support for newer formats like AVIF as requested by users.

User Sentiment Analysis

The plugin enjoys a strong positive reception with 84.4% of ratings at 5 stars and no neutral or 3-star reviews, indicating high user satisfaction. Negative feedback is minimal and mostly related to configuration nuances rather than functionality.

Positive highlights

"It works flawlessly." — Anonymous
"All Plugins are super simple and very easy to use. They also all work as they should. Perfect!" — igitt23
"Simple to use, clear instructions – very effective." — oasisclub
"Fantastic plugin and easy to get working with cropping plugins." — pulsecode
"A Brilliant Piece of Work." — philrees

Common complaints

Weaknesses

Requires manual server configuration adjustments for some environments.
No support for AVIF format yet as requested by users.
Past security vulnerability though fixed, may concern cautious users.
Lacks advanced premium features due to absence of a pro version.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users looking for a straightforward, free plugin to convert images to WebP format with reliable performance and easy integration with cropping plugins.

Not ideal for

Users needing out-of-the-box support for newer image formats like AVIF, those requiring advanced premium features, or those unwilling to perform manual server configuration changes.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers full WebP image conversion functionality with clear instructions and compatibility with cropping plugins.

Final Verdict

Images to WebP is a highly rated, free plugin that delivers effective and simple WebP image conversion with strong user satisfaction. It is especially valuable for users who want a no-cost solution that integrates well with custom image cropping workflows.

While it lacks a pro version and support for newer formats like AVIF, and requires some manual server configuration, its reliability and ease of use make it a solid choice among many alternatives. Users should be aware of a past security issue that has been fixed in recent updates.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Images to WebP plugin.

Convert

Media

Optimize

Pictures

Screenshots

FAQ

It should work almost everywhere 😉
PHP 5.6 or higher
GD or Imagick extension with WebP support
Enabled server modules: mod_mime, mod_rewrite

Plugin should automatically update your .htaccess with needed rules.
In case it’s not possible to write them automatically, screen with instructions will appear.
Anyway, here is how it should look like:

<IfModule mod_mime.c>     AddType image/webp .webp </IfModule>  <IfModule mod_rewrite.c>     RewriteEngine On     RewriteCond %{HTTP_ACCEPT} image/webp     RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} "/"     RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} "\.(jpg|jpeg|png|gif)$"     RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME}\.webp -f     RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} !no_webp     RewriteRule ^(.+)$ $1\.webp [NC,T=image/webp,E=webp,L] </IfModule>

After you activate plugin, screen with instructions will appear.
Anyway, here is how it should look like:

You need to add this map directive to your http config, usually nginx.conf ( inside of the http{} section ):

map $arg_no_webp $no_webp{     default "";     "1" "no_webp"; }  map $http_accept $webp_suffix{     default "";     "~*webp" ".webp"; }

or without map directive:

if ( $http_accept ~ "image/webp" ) {     set $webp .webp ; }  location ~* (.*)\.(?:png|jpe?g|gif)$ {     if ( -f $document_root$1.webp ) {             set $webp serve$webp ;     }     if ( $webp = "serve.webp" ) {         return 301 '$1.webp';     } }

then you need to add this to your server block, usually site.conf or /nginx/sites-enabled/default ( inside of the server{} section ):

location ~* ^/.+\.(png|gif|jpe?g)$ {     add_header Vary Accept;     try_files $uri$webp_suffix$no_webp $uri =404; }

There is no button to do that and it will also not delete generated WebPs automatically when you deactivate the plugin, but if you really need this, you can run some shell command to achieve this:

find . -type f -name "*.webp" -exec bash -c 'if [ -f "${1%.webp}" ]; then echo "Deleting $1"; rm "$1"; fi' _ {} \;

This will find all the files with a .webp extension and if there is similar file with the exact filename, but without the .webp extension, then it will delete it.