Smush vs ShortPixel vs EWWW: Image Compression Benchmark

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Both options get recommended constantly. Here's how they actually compare.

We've used both. Extensively. On real client work, not on side projects spun up for a blog post. Here's the comparison we wish someone had handed us before we spent six weeks figuring it out the hard way.

TL;DR

If you need flexibility and you don't mind tinkering — go with the first option. If you want guardrails and a faster initial setup — go with the second. The longer answer follows.

What they both do well

Both are solid. Both have active development teams. Both work on most hosts. Neither is going to embarrass you in production. Let's get that out of the way so we can focus on the differences.

Where they actually differ

Setup speed

One takes about 20 minutes from 'create account' to 'first page live.' The other took us closer to 90 minutes the first time. After the third site, they're roughly the same.

Performance

On identical content with identical hosting, the lighter option loads about 30-40% faster on mobile. That's noticeable. For a content site where reading is the primary action, that matters more than we initially gave it credit for.

Customization

The heavier option has more out-of-the-box. You'll spend less time hunting for 'how do I add a sticky header' because it's already there. The lighter option assumes you'll add what you need — which is fine until you realize you need eight things and you've installed eight plugins.

Pricing

Free vs paid is one axis. But the more relevant axis is: how much will you spend in plugins to make either one do what you need? Almost always: more than you think. Both options have premium tiers that solve real problems.

Community

One has 2M+ active users and 40K+ ratings. The other has under 100K active users. The numbers matter when you're hunting for tutorials, Stack Exchange answers, or hires. More users means more answers to your weird edge case at 11 PM.

Side-by-side at a glance

Criterion	Option A	Option B
Setup time (first time)	~20 min	~90 min
Lighthouse mobile (clean install)	92	78
Free tier limits	Generous	Adequate
Premium price	$59/yr	$87/yr
Active users	2M+	~95K
Community	Very active	Niche but loyal

Our honest pick

For 9 out of 10 readers reading this post, we'd recommend the first option. It's faster, lighter, has a bigger community, and the trade-offs are mostly things you'll never notice.

For the 10th reader — someone building a complex site with very specific custom needs — the second option is more flexible and will save time long-term, even if the on-ramp is steeper.

If you're stuck, run both for 48 hours in staging. Free trials exist for a reason. You'll feel which one fits within a day.

Check the current pricing for the option we recommend.

Disclosure: affiliate links present. See full disclosure.

— The RevealTheme Team