Content delivery networks typically cache your website files at their Points of Presence, enabling users to access them more quickly.
Your website will provide a better experience for users worldwide, not just locally. It helps speed up images, CSS, JavaScript, and other web assets. When selecting the best WooCommerce or WordPress CDN, it’s crucial to determine the required bandwidth and specify which assets (large/small) should be cached.
Suppose you don’t use a CDN, and your site is hosted in India, and all your website visitors connect to it. Indian and other Asian users experience fast page load times. Visitors from overseas countries, such as the US, experience slow page load times.
Therefore, loading files from a distant location can take longer than loading files from a nearby area. That’s why most websites have slow TTFB. Typical example…
When you use a CDN, you can configure your WordPress site to copy static files to the CDN. Providers copy files to their Edge locations using different hostnames, such as cdn.EXsite.com.
When someone visits your site, everything loads from the actual domain, but your site assets load from your CDN hostname.
CDN automatically routes users to the closest POP based on their location. Visitors are accessing a nearby EDGE instead of connecting to the origin server.
1. Cloudflare
Perhaps Cloudflare is the finest CDN service for any website with strong security features. I’ve used all their plans, from the Free plan to the Enterprise plan.
There’s something different about each. Unlike others, Cloudflare CDN doesn’t copy files to separate URLs. Instead, it mirrors over the proxy (delivers to users).
This is because Cloudflare operates at the DNS layer, giving it greater control over how your site loads. A traditional CDN copies your website files to its POPs and serves them via CDN addresses such as cdn.EXdomain.com.
Using Cloudflare, you can change your NS records to point to Cloudflare and load your static and dynamic assets (via Automatic Platform Optimization) from the nearest servers. This process is ideal because I don’t want to split hostnames.
Additionally, Cloudflare is a reliable DNS provider – Fast DNS is crucial for fast TTFB, as DNS and network speed significantly impact website speed.
Cloudflare APO:
Most CDNs serve static assets (images, CSS, JS, fonts, etc.) from their POPs. But caching HTML at the CDN helps your site load faster because most content is served from the CDN. The cache hit rate will be over 90%.
When you use APO, you can dramatically reduce TTFB, load time, and other site speed metrics for visitors located far from the origin server.
It enables you to attain fast site speeds regardless of your web host or server. Even with Cloudflare’s free CDN, Automatic Platform Optimization is an effective way to speed up your WordPress site.
You’ll need to obtain a token and add it to Cloudflare’s plugin (make sure caching is enabled), as the plugin caches locally and APO sends it to the edges. As these are distinct caching types, it is essential to allow both.
Cloudflare Pro:
Cloudflare Pro is a solid option if you can afford $25/month and is primarily designed for small to mid-sized websites.
If you wish to customize things to your preferences, Pro is the right choice for you – it delivers content to your websites quickly.
It features several useful tools, including Polish-Mirage image optimization, prioritized loading, CDN monitoring, and platform optimization (APO).
Enterprise:
Most websites don’t need Cloudflare Enterprise. Even so, it offers the best static and dynamic optimization to improve performance and enhance security.
You’ll get all the Cloudflare features. However, the price is over $5,000 if you want to purchase it directly. But you don’t have to use it directly anymore; many providers offer innovative WordPress CDN services that leverage Cloudflare Enterprise.
Many service providers offer Enterprise CDN, including FlyingCDN, Rocket.net Hosting, BigScoots, and 10Web Booster.
Argo Smart Routing:
APO and Argo Routing are two paid services that I would always use on Cloudflare. Argo routes traffic along the optimal network path and identifies issues with the Cloudflare network.
It reduces latency, improves reliability, and conserves bandwidth by optimizing network paths. You can see actual performance improvements with Argo.
Cloudflare states Argo Routing reduces latency by 30 percent and connection failures by 27 percent. It will be charged $5.00 per month + usage ($0.10 per gigabyte over the first GB).
In a nutshell,
Although Cloudflare isn’t the fastest CDN, you can get more out of it with other Cloudflare features. Particularly if you’re using Cloudflare’s paid services. Even with the free, Cloudflare’s WordPress CDN routes traffic to more than 250 data centers.
Argo and APO are good for improving TTFB and overall performance on most WordPress sites. If you’ve got an e-commerce or a multi-page site, even better.
It reduces the distance between your server and visitors and minimizes the number of requests sent to the origin server. (higher cache hit rate).
2. FlyingCDN
FlyingCDN is the official CDN for the FlyingPress cache plugin and an automatic WordPress CDN that runs on Cloudflare Enterprise. As I have already written an overview of FlyingCDN, I do not intend to write a comprehensive section. To be clear, it’s not a typical CDN, but Cloudflare works well even through proxies.
CDNs typically deliver content to visitors, but FlyingCDN does so exceptionally well, leveraging over 300 Cloudflare edge locations.
FlyingCDN can reduce the need for many paid WP plugins, including security, image, and other optimization features, because it includes them by default.
- Full-page caching: Cache entire pages at the edge to deliver content faster, along with other Cloudflare enterprise features like Smart routing, Early hints, Tiered caching, etc. And Rocket.net uses C-enterprise with tons of features.
- Optimizing images: Optimize images with Polish without decreasing quality -convert images to WebP in the background without altering the URLs.
- Security Features: Integrated firewall with protection against DDoS attacks and malicious traffic, plus a free wildcard SSL certificate for any subdomain.
- Manage traffic spikes: 300+ edges reduce server load, make traffic spikes easier to manage, and deliver faster. It can benefit WooCommerce sites.
- Optimized for dynamic websites: It still caches pages even when items are in the user’s cart, and other pages, like cached pages, for signed-in users.
It is a very affordable CDN option compared to others, and it offers enterprise-level features you won’t find elsewhere. You can use FlyingCDN for free for 7 days without a credit card.
One website costs $10 per month, which includes 100 GB of bandwidth; any additional bandwidth costs $5 per 100 GB.
Flying CDN has many other features that I did not mention in this post. However, it has some drawbacks, such as not allowing users to change any settings, and the requirement to use the FlyingPress cache plugin is a notable limitation.
A CDN can provide significantly improved performance when you are using a VPS or dedicated service such as DigitalOcean, Vultr, or UpCloud.
3. BunnyCDN
BunnyCDN is a solid choice and a top option for many web devs and publishers. The primary concern with BunnyCDN is that it lacks a full-page cache option for WordPress users, though Bunny can be used with Cloudflare.
In addition to ranking highly on CDNPERF, BunnyCDN offers large edge networks, various configurations, and a simple setup process.
There are more than 120 BUNNY Global POPs, with over 30 in Europe and 38 in North and South America. It is very cost-effective, with pricing lower than that of other content delivery networks. Prices are based on regions. If you don’t receive traffic from certain areas, such as South America or Oceania, you can restrict them. Using Bunny’s traffic manager, you can select, reroute, or exclude specific countries.
If you consider where your visitors come from and how expensive your bandwidth is, you can calculate an approximate monthly traffic charge.
WordPress users can set up Bunny using the BunnyCDN plugin. Go to Advanced Configuration to add your access key, which lets you clear the cache directly from the plugin UI. It can enhance the CDN to serve more content.
If not, you can add the pull zone name with another CDN or cache plugin.
BunnyCDN Perma-Cache: (Perma-cache, AKA geo-replication). When this setting is enabled, Bunny will routinely copy web files to the designated storage locations.
You will need to select the areas where you would like your files duplicated – pick locations that get a lot of traffic. Most requests will not be sent to the origin server; the nearest zone will pull assets, increasing cache hit ratios and reducing latency.
BunnyCDN incurs an additional cost, and I prefer the full-page cache over perma-cache. You can use full-page caching with cloud hosting control panels.
Bunny Optimizer:
This is another extra-cost feature, but it’s worth it since it doesn’t use server resources like most asset and image optimization plugins – it costs $9.50/M
This optimizer features several benefits, including WebP image compression, integrated image optimization, and CSS/JS minification. (BunnyCDN WordPress)
So, BunnyCDN is ideal for WordPress users, and yes, there is an additional cost for all its features. It’s up to you, but I prefer Cloudflare, FlyingCDN, etc.
4. QUIC.cloud
It’s the first WordPress CDN to support full-page caching. If you are a LiteSpeed user, QUIC.cloud is a suitable CDN with additional security features. QUIC is designed for LiteSpeed and has grown edge locations with dynamic caching.
It is acceptable for users with technical prowess to set up and customize all the settings. But QUIC.Cloud doesn’t appeal to me as much as LiteSpeed Cache.
You can get QUIC.cloud for free, but the free plan only uses 6 points of presence and lacks DDoS protection. Paid plans provide access to more than 80 locations with DDoS protection. Bandwidth costs $0.02 to $0.08 per GB in USD under the paid plan.
Advantages:
- QUIC.cloud offers the critical benefit of caching dynamic HTML content (improves TTFB around the world).
- With QUIC, you get proper HTTP/3, which optimizes images and pages and handles elements such as critical CSS and low-quality photos.
- With LiteSpeed’s caching, you can benefit even if your server doesn’t use it.
- QUIC CDN provides additional WordPress security features, including Brute Force Defense, CAPTCHA protection, security measures, and XML-RPC restrictions.
On your QUIC.cloud dashboard, you can see all the information you need. LiteSpeed Cache enables you to utilize these features.
Most WP cache plugins support CDN integration. I think QUIC.cloud isn’t that attractive or easy for the average person to set up. Although it doesn’t work as well as other Cloudflare integrations, using LiteSpeed Cache may make it more useful.
5. KeyCDN
KeyCDN is another well-known European content delivery network. Yes, it’s pricey and has fewer server locations than Bunny OR Cloudflare. The majority of KeyCDN’s Points of Presence are located in Europe and the US.
If most of your traffic comes from the US, UK, or EU, KeyCDN is a solid choice given its performance features. However, KeyCDN is outdated due to the lack of page caching and a less compelling dashboard.
Costs for KeyCDN:
The minimum monthly fee, which applies even if you’ve never used the connection, makes it an expensive option. Additionally, there’s a $50 minimum top-up requirement. For BunnyCDN, it is almost the lowest possible annual cost.
The price of KeyCDN is significantly higher than that of BunnyCDN, FlyingCDN, etc. You can also try KeyCDN for free for 14 days, with no payment required.
Advantages:
- In Europe and the US, KeyCDN has many active POPs.
- KeyCDN’s setup is uncomplicated, offering a CDN integration plugin for WordPress users.
- Paid image optimization gives you all the features you can’t get in WP plugins.
- Have helpful documents, blog posts, and measurement tools.
- Additional security features include bot protection, SSL enforcement, custom robots.txt files, and blocklists.
BunnyCDN, however, is more affordable, offers 120 POPs, and includes an optimizer to accelerate static assets on your website.
So, KeyCDN is good, but Bunny is still better due to its features. They’re suitable if your target audience is in the EU or the US (but not in Africa or Asia).
The documentation is helpful, although KeyCDN is too costly and unsuitable for smaller sites. Free resources can also be used to analyze websites.
6. RocketCDN
RocketCDN is part of the official WordPress CDN for the WP Rocket cache plugin, but you can use it even if you’re not a WP Rocket client. RocketCDN previously served static files from StackPath’s servers, but now uses BunnyCDN.
And it is only responsible for delivering static files from BunnyCDN, nothing else. Unlike Cloudflare or modern content delivery networks, it doesn’t cache full pages; instead, it accelerates images and uses 120 edge locations.
RocketCDN is more expensive than Bunny and FlyingCDN. The only thing is that you don’t need a complex setup like Bunny; it’s simple.
If you use Bunny directly, you’ll need to do some manual work. However, you can customize things with it and host more sites. I don’t see any progress in RocketCDN as a WooCommerce and WordPress CDN. It’s just CDN (no reason to use it).
7. 10 Web Booster CDN
10Web Booster is a WordPress speed optimization service with multiple features; however, I’m specifically referring to the 10Web WordPress CDN. With 10Web, you get Cloudflare Enterprise CDN, similar to FlyingCDN, with enhanced security.
It speeds up WordPress sites by applying optimization techniques and caching static/dynamic content across more than 280 locations.
Cloudflare’s free and Pro CDN features reduce load times and bandwidth costs. However, Cloudflare Enterprise provides your website with optimal static and dynamic content caching, enhancing availability and security.
10Web Booster Features:
- Enterprise CDN: Powered by Cloudflare Enterprise.
- Page Cache: Also known as full page caching – Dynamic caching
- Image Optimization: Automatic image optimization based on device and network type. WebP compression, custom resizing, and image preloading speed up image loading. (Utilizing Mirage and Polish)
- Security features: Keep website performance stable while protecting against DDoS and bot attacks with Cloudflare’s WAF, including a free SSL certificate.
| Personal | Premium | Agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Websites | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| Bandwidth | 100GB | 200GB | 700GB |
10Web Booster is a solid option; you can test it for free with their WordPress plugin (free CDN for WordPress). You need to purchase plans such as Personal, Premium, or Agency to access all features.
Prices are reasonable if you pay annually, but monthly costs are high. The personal plan is $6 per month when paid annually, but $14 per month when paid monthly.
8. Jetpack CDN
Using the Automattic free content delivery network, you can use Jetpack to deliver your images and static files. JetPack uses Automattic’s CDN, but I don’t suggest using it. It is slow and lacks features that you are likely to find useful.
It has a lot of autoloads. CDNs are essential for optimizing our websites, but plugins like Jetpack are not ideal for many sites because they can slow them down with bloated features.
Advantages:
- Mobile-friendly image resizing.
- Easily install and set up with one click.
- It offers free WP CDN services to all users.
- It doesn’t matter how big or how busy your site is.
Negatives:
- Features and bandwidth usage aren’t visible to users.
- You cannot customize any aspect of the website or its options.
- There’s no information available about Automattic CDN POPs or their number.
- Jetpack is a free CDN for WordPress, but it requires the Jetpack plugin, which isn’t a good fit due to its slow performance and unnecessary features.
Ultimately, JetPack WP CDN is not an ideal option for most users. Instead, I suggest trying Cloudflare’s free service, which is a more viable option. And CDN Planet is a helpful resource for comparing and understanding CDN performance. CDNs are also critical for WordPress’s caching, including server-side and cache plugins.
To Wrap It Up
The best CDN for WooCommerce and WordPress is particularly helpful for all websites. Still, you don’t need them unless your website has a lot of global visitors or is minimal and doesn’t require more setup.
When your server isn’t up to the task or isn’t fast enough to handle your website load, CDN reduces the load on your web server. Not only that, from a performance perspective, you only need it if your traffic comes from a notable distance. Basically, if you get a lot of traffic from overseas, I mean outside your country.
A content delivery network for WooCommerce and WordPress is unnecessary if your traffic is primarily domestic or from nearby countries. But CDNs are helpful if your site has many plugins and themes.
Considering website security, if you have a popular site, a shopping site, or anything vulnerable to spammers, then even a free Cloudflare can make a difference. Most CDNs have built-in security features, such as anti-malware, firewalls, and DDOS.
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