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/ Asset CleanUp: Page Speed Booster

Asset CleanUp: Page Speed Booster

By Gabe Livan

Performance & Optimization / Caching Solutions

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

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

Asset CleanUp: Page Speed Booster Review - In-Depth Analysis

Optimize your website's speed by selectively unloading unnecessary CSS and JavaScript files. Works best with caching plugins.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.87/10

User Rating

4.9/5 (based on 1564+ reviews)

Active Installations

100,000+

Update Frequency

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

Security Score

5.1 / 10 (Medium Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Don't just minify and combine CSS/JavaScript files ending up with large, bloated and slow loading pages: Strip the fat first and get a faster website.

Faster page load equals happier visitors, more conversions, and more revenue. Often, themes and plugins load assets that are not needed on every page. This plugin helps you prevent unnecessary styles and scripts from loading, improving your website's speed and cleanliness of HTML source code.

Asset CleanUp scans your page to detect all loaded assets. You can select which CSS/JS files are unnecessary, reducing bloat. It works best with cache plugins and services that offer server-level caching.

Main benefits include decreasing HTTP requests, eliminating render-blocking resources, minifying files, and improving performance scores on testing tools. It also optimizes Google Fonts and local fonts, ensuring your website loads quickly and efficiently.

For those needing more features, the Pro version offers advanced asset management across all pages, enhanced performance options, and premium support.

Comparing to Alternatives

Asset CleanUp: Page Speed Booster stands out in the page speed optimization category with several strong competitors offering similar features.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Highly effective at unloading unnecessary CSS and JS per page to improve speed.
User-friendly interface with powerful optimization features.
Strong positive user feedback with high ratings.
Offers both free and pro versions with advanced features in pro.
Regular updates addressing security vulnerabilities.

Weaknesses

Has had multiple medium severity security vulnerabilities in the past, though fixed in recent versions.
May require time to fully understand and configure all settings.
Not as feature-rich as some premium competitors like WP Rocket in certain areas.
Some users note compatibility issues with the latest PHP versions.

User Sentiment Analysis

With an overwhelmingly positive rating of 4.9 out of 5 from over 1500 users, the plugin is highly regarded for its effectiveness and ease of use.

Positive highlights

'Great to be able to unload plugins per page. Improves speed.' — maramarike
'I was never able to achieve the amount of speed that I was able to produce with Asset Cleanup in moments.' — ksmith8560
'Does a lot more things than its paid competitor and improved my scores.' — Eduard Doloc
'Best plugin I've found for removing load bloat.' — Elmoonfire
'It helped increase my website speed significantly.' — iamthuan

Common complaints

Weaknesses

Past security vulnerabilities, though fixed, may concern cautious users.
Steeper learning curve for full configuration.
Some compatibility issues with newer PHP versions reported.
Not all features of premium competitors are matched.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Website owners and developers looking for a powerful yet user-friendly plugin to optimize page speed by unloading unnecessary assets per page, especially those who want granular control over CSS and JS loading.

Not ideal for

Users who prefer a plugin with a broader all-in-one feature set like caching and CDN integration, or those who are uncomfortable configuring advanced settings or concerned about past security issues.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers essential features to unload CSS and JS files on a per-page basis, significantly improving page speed without cost.

Pro version (49 - 149 USD / year)

The pro version adds advanced features such as automatic asset unloading, support for WooCommerce and other plugins, and priority support, enhancing optimization capabilities.

Final Verdict

Asset CleanUp: Page Speed Booster is a highly effective and well-regarded plugin for improving WordPress site speed by selectively unloading unnecessary assets. Its strong user ratings and comprehensive free and pro features make it a top choice for those seeking granular control over page optimization.

However, users should be aware of its history of security vulnerabilities, now fixed, and the potential learning curve involved. While it may not replace all features of premium competitors, it offers excellent value and performance for those focused on asset management and speed enhancement.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Asset CleanUp: Page Speed Booster plugin.

Defer Css Javascript

Dequeue

Minify Css

Minify Javascript

Page Speed

Screenshots

FAQ

5.6+ – I strongly recommend you to use PHP 7+, if you’re website is fully compatible with it, as it’s much faster than any PHP 5.* and it will make a big difference for your website’s backend speed.

The plugin makes AJAX calls to retrieve the data from the front-end page with 100% accuracy. Possible reasons why nothing is shown despite the wait might be:

Your internet connection cut off after you loaded the edit post/post (before the AJAX calls were triggered). Make sure to check that and refresh the page if it’s back on – it happened to me a few times
There could be a conflict between plugins or your theme and something is interfering with the script that is retrieving the assets
You are loading the WordPress Dashboard through HTTPS, but you are forcing the front-end to load via HTTP. Although Asset CleanUp auto-corrects the retrieval URL (e.g. if you’re logged in the Dashboard securely via HTTPS, it will attempt to fetch the assets through HTTPS too), there could be cases where another plugin or .htaccess forces an HTTP connection only for the public view. Due to Same Origin Policy (read more here: https://developer.mozilla.org/En/Same_origin_policy_for_JavaScript), you can’t make plain HTTP AJAX calls from HTTPS connections. If that’s the case, try to enable “WP Remote POST” as a retrieval method in the plugin’s settings if you want to manage the assets in the Dashboard.
You’re using plugins such as Wordfence that block the AJAX request. At this time, if that’s the case, it’s best to enable managing assets in the front-end view (Settings).

In this case, it’s advisable to enable “Manage in the Front-end?” in “Settings” of “Asset CleanUp”, thus making the list to show at the bottom of the posts, pages, and front-page only for the logged in users with admin privileges.

Although I’ve written the code to ensure maximum compatibility, there are factors which are not up to the quality of the plugin that could interfere with it.
In case the assets are not loading for you, please write to me on the forum and I will be happy to assist you!