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Speed Up – Optimize CSS Delivery

By nigro.simone

Performance & Optimization / Caching Solutions

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

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

Speed Up – Optimize CSS Delivery Review - In-Depth Analysis

This plugin loads stylesheets asynchronously to enhance page load speeds. It allows for synchronous loading of vital stylesheets while optimizing non-vital CSS files.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.86/10

User Rating

5/5 (based on 8+ reviews)

Active Installations

600+

Update Frequency

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

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

This small plugin (5 Kb) loads the stylesheets asynchronously and improves page load times.

The recommended use of this plugin is to load your vital stylesheets synchronously and non-vital CSS files asynchronously. Non-vital CSS files can include fonts, icons, and template-specific CSS that is not critical for the initial rendering of the page.

You can choose which files to load synchronously by using a filter in your function.php file. For example, you can exclude main and child stylesheets from delivery optimization by using the provided filter function.

Note: This optimization only works if your other plugins and theme add the CSS correctly.

Comparing to Alternatives

Speed Up – Optimize CSS Delivery stands out in the WordPress optimization space with several notable alternatives available that offer similar CSS and JS optimization features.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Achieves high Google PageSpeed scores without needing a cache plugin
Significantly reduces page load times, sometimes by more than half
Simple to use with effective CSS delivery optimization
No known security vulnerabilities as of latest scan
Highly praised for reliability and performance improvements

Weaknesses

No pro version with advanced features
Limited to CSS delivery optimization without broader caching or JS optimization
Smaller user base compared to some alternatives
Lacks some additional optimization tools found in comprehensive suites

User Sentiment Analysis

With a perfect 5-star rating from all reviewers, user feedback is overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the plugin's effectiveness and ease of use.

Positive highlights

'Great plugin! Achieves green level on Google PageSpeed without cache plugins.' – betagoo
'Works as expected.' – amreshkramar
'Best plugin I've ever seen in WordPress; cut load times from 3-5 seconds to 1.5 seconds.' – erenmenges
'Does what it says on the tin, which Google PageSpeed likes a lot.' – castria
'This plug-in is a blessing, the best! Thank you very much.' – mamadesign

Common complaints

Weaknesses

No advanced features due to lack of a pro version
Focuses mainly on CSS delivery without broader optimization scope
Smaller community and fewer updates compared to larger plugins

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users seeking a straightforward, effective plugin to optimize CSS delivery and improve page speed without the complexity of caching plugins.

Not ideal for

Those looking for an all-in-one optimization suite with advanced features or integrated caching solutions may find this plugin limited.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers full CSS delivery optimization capabilities that significantly improve page load times and Google PageSpeed scores.

Final Verdict

Speed Up – Optimize CSS Delivery is a highly effective and easy-to-use plugin that delivers impressive improvements in page speed and Google PageSpeed scores without requiring additional caching plugins. Its perfect user rating and clean security record make it a trustworthy choice for users focused on CSS optimization.

While it lacks a pro version and broader optimization features found in some alternatives, its focused approach and excellent results make it ideal for users who want a simple, reliable solution to speed up their WordPress sites.