Spoiler Alert – I’d pick Perfmatters over Asset CleanUp any day of the week.
Why?
Read the blog below!
So far, we have done some amazing comparisons, be it plugins, extensions, and hosts. Today, we will compare two different performance optimizing plugins for your WordPress website.
We will be comparing prices, features, and design, and I will also share my personal opinion on using both plugins.
It will honestly boil down to your website requirements and budget, but when it comes to the performance and features, we should see what stands out from the rest.
So, let’s dive into it.
Overview of the Comparison
In all honesty, both the plugins have their unique features as well as similar functions.
When it comes to Perfmatters, it has a cleaner interface and is easier to use, even for beginners, you can easily maintain it and even get extra features like removing unused CSS, preloading critical images, delaying JS, and Google Analytics for tracking.
Related: Perfmatters Review
Asset Cleanup, on the other hand, is a free plugin that does the same work, but the performance and efficiency are unmatched. It does not come with any extra features as of now.
The best way to compare both plugins is to test them on your website and see what works for you. Perfmatters also comes with a 30-day money return policy, which you should take advantage of.
Now, let’s see how they are compared to each other when it comes to features.
Perfmatters vs. Asset CleanUp: Features comparison
Image Optimization
Image optimization basically decreases the size of images without impacting their quality. You can do it by methods like compression, resizing, and more. Another way to go about it is lazy loading, where you can defer or delay the loading of images until they are needed.
Perfmatters has JS-based lazy loading, as it helps improve the loading speed without decreasing the size of the image at all. You can also find settings like iFrames, videos, YouTube preview thumbnails, fade-in effects, and others.
You can also exclude a few URLs from lazy loading as per your requirement.
Asset Cleanup does not have any image optimization or lazy loading options as of now.
Delay JavaScript
Delay Javascript means that you can defer the execution of JS until user interaction, such as clicking, occurs. Perfmatters has the option of delaying JS by adding those files manually to it.
You can also add delay behavior on specified scripts such as analytics, ads by Google, Google Tag Manager, AdSense, Facebook Pixel, and more. Along with it, you can customize and set the delay timeout as per your requirement.
This function is useful even if you are using another plugin, such as WP Rocket, as using this, you can add more JS Files to delay.
To do this:
- You can click on the Perfmatters plugin settings.
- Then, click on the “Assets” submenu.
- Under the Javascript section, you will see toggle features like “Delay JavaScript”.
When using this feature, it’s important to keep in mind that you may need to exclude some JavaScript files from delay and find JavaScript delay exclusions to fix any JavaScript console errors that might happen.
To understand more, you can see various examples on the Perfmatters site. Although you can perform quite the same using the other plugins as well, so this would not be the only reason why you should not give Asset Cleanup a try.
In fact, Asset Cleanup also gives you an option to defer the execution of Javascript. But only the pro version of this plugin will do justice to this feature rather than the free one.
Script Manager
Script manager basically gives you the ability to edit texts and modify them as per your requirements.
Now, the primary function of both these tools is to optimize CSS/JS by unloading them.
Perfmatters:
In Perfmatters, you can do this with the help of the Script Manager.
Under the Assets Settings, you can see Script Manager on the top menu and enable it. Under that, you will see various settings such as test mode, MU Mode, and display dependencies.
You can also see a very detailed view of each script and style that has been unloaded. Once you are done with the settings, you can check all the CSS and JS files that are present on the page.
When you compare Perfmatters with Asset Clean up, you will see that Perfmatters has more defined and exception rules for unloading assets. After all the changes are done in one go, you can then set off toggle keys and run the test on your web pages.
Asset CleanUp:
Asset CleanUp also gives you a test mode in settings.
Under the test mode, you will be able to edit options like Optimize CSS, Optimize JS, rewrite assets URLs, and Sitewide common unloads. You will see a few other options and configure the same.
Some of the options in Asset CleanUp that will come in handy are making exceptions such as unloading on this page, loading it for URLs with the request URI matching RegEx, and if the user is logged in. This smaller configuration makes this tool one of its own.
Remove Unused CSS
Let’s talk about how to remove unused CSS with Perfmatters, which is something that Asset CleanUp doesn’t do.
If you are a professional website owner, you will relate to this. There are always a few CSS codes that are not specifically being utilized or provide value to your site.
Removing unused CSS files is a common practice that is used widely among developers, mostly to enhance the speed of the website.
Usually, you have to hire a developer who uses different methods to eliminate the same. But a budget-friendly option for you is to use the Perfmatters plugin to do this same feature without the worry of using code anywhere.
Under the CSS setting, you will see the option of removing unused CSS along with Stylesheet behaviors and excluded Stylesheets.
Usually, other plugins such as SiteGround Optimizer and WP Rocket use this same, but they use the slower inline method. Using Perfmatters, you can unload this in a separate file or inline HTML. So Perfmatters is a better option among them.
Bloat Removal
Both Perfmatters and Asset CleanUp come with the Bloat Removal feature.
Perfmatters has a few extra features, such as disabling pingbacks, disabling Google Maps, disabling password strength meter, removing global styles, custom login URLs, and even WooCommerce bloat removal.
These bloat removal features are not included in Asset CleanUp, making Perfmatter a better choice in this particular feature.
Preload, Prefetch, and Preconnect
Resource hints for fonts are the only ones that Asset CleanUp has to offer (for example – preload local fonts and pre-connect fonts.gstatic.com).
On the other hand, Perfmatters allows you to preload any file, any domain, any link (instant page), and any important picture. Hence, you get more options in Perfmatters.
Under the preloading section offered by Perfmatters, you will see many tutorials to configure these preload settings. The instant page is nice, but it can also use more CPU. When preloading, you should only load a few fonts and images above the fold, like background images.
When preconnecting, you should only use CDNs and third-party fonts like fonts.gstatic.com (most other fonts should be prefetched), and when preloading critical images, you should set the number of images shown above the fold.
Minification of CSS and JS files
This is one of the features where Asset CleanUp performs better than Perfmatters.
In Asset CleanUp, you can easily minify, inline, and defer files, such as clearing cache, moving iQuery inline code, and moving script from the header to the body. To begin with, these are some simpler features that are provided by many cache plugins.
With AssetCleanUp, you get advanced settings for cache plugins, CSS, and JS file optimization.
Pricing and Plans
In my opinion, Perfmatters is a cost-effective solution that offers extra features that you can’t get with Asset CleanUp. Perfmatters costs $25.95/year, which is half the price when compared to Asset CleanUp Pro ($49/year for 1 site).
Besides the pricing, Asset CleanUp Pro also doesn’t offer as many features as you get with Perfmatters.
Perfmatters Pricing and Plans
For Perfmatters, you can choose three different prices depending on the number of sites you are optimizing.
- 1 Site – $24.95 per year – Ideal for small websites
- 3 Sites – $54.95 per year – Ideal for Businesses
- Unlimited sites – $124.95 per year
Related: 30% Off Perfmatters Discount Code
Along with this, you get a 30-day money-back policy in all the plans offered. You are also eligible for premium support from an expert team, and regular updates of plugins will be automatically installed.
Asset CleanUp Pricing and Plans
Asset CleanUp also comes with three different pricing.
- 1 Site – $49
- 3 Sites – $79
- Unlimited sites – $149
So if you look at them from the price point of view, Perfmatter is a better option. Considering all the positive reviews, you should consider trying it once before looking for another option in speed optimization.
Wrapping Up…
In the battle of Perfmatters vs Asset CleanUp, it’s clear that Perfmatters is the winner. Not only is it more affordable than Asset CleanUp, but it also offers more features, better UI/UX, and a dedicated team behind the plugin.
And to back up my review, you can also check out a few reviews and comments from people around the world who are using these tools.
You can check the Facebook community of both the plugins along with Linked posts and comments on comparison of these two plugins.
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