Description
Most image optimizers try to convert the whole library as fast as possible. On shared hosting that ends in timeouts, memory errors or a host warning about CPU usage. Pload takes the slow road: it first tests what your server can handle, then converts a few hundred images every minute and stays inside those limits. A library of 200,000 images simply takes a couple of days instead of crashing.
Your original files are never changed. Pload writes a WebP copy next to each JPEG and PNG (photo.jpg gets photo.jpg.webp) and keeps it only if it is really smaller.
What it does
- Tests the server before starting: which image engine works (Imagick or GD), how much memory and time a step may use, and how much disk space the WebP files will need.
- Converts in short background steps through WP-Cron. If WP-Cron is off or blocked, site visits, an open admin page, a server cron job or a free online cron service can drive the steps instead.
- Handles new uploads first, then works through the library, newest images first.
- Shows WebP to browsers that support it with a tag. No .htaccess rules, so it works on Apache, Nginx and LiteSpeed, and with page caches.
- Works with theme lazy loading (WoodMart and similar themes that keep the real address in data-src).
- Optional compatibility mode for images that page builders print without the WordPress image functions.
- Pauses by itself when disk space runs low. On cPanel it reads the real account quota, not the size of the whole server disk.
- Three quality levels, or your own number, and an option to rebuild existing WebP files after a change.
- Exclusions by image, by page address or by CSS class.
- A Pload column in the media library: optimize, apply new settings or exclude an image with one click, and see the saving for every size.
- Control the maximum size of new uploads (WordPress keeps the original).
- Optional CDN address for the WebP files.
- One click removes every WebP file again, a little at a time, before you delete the plugin.
Privacy
Everything happens on your own server. Pload does not send images or any other data anywhere and needs no account or API key.
Screenshots
Installation
- Install and activate the plugin.
- Go to Media Pload. The server test and the disk space estimate run by themselves.
- Pick a quality and click “Start optimizing”.
- Once the first WebP files exist, turn on “Show WebP to visitors” and clear your page cache.
FAQ
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Will it change my original images?
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No. WebP files are saved next to the originals. If you turn off “Show WebP to visitors”, the site is back to the original images right away.
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Why is it slow?
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On purpose. Each step stays within the time and memory the server test measured, so the site keeps running normally. On a VPS you can set the processing speed to “Fast”.
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Does it support AVIF?
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Not yet. The server test already checks whether your host can create AVIF files; converting to AVIF is planned for a later version.
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Does it work with a CDN?
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Yes. If your CDN mirrors the site (a pull zone), put its address in Settings Advanced CDN address and the WebP files are loaded from it. If a CDN plugin already rewrites all image addresses, leave the field empty.
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How do I remove everything?
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Go to Media Pload Tools and use “Remove all WebP files”, then delete the plugin. Deleting the plugin removes its settings too, but it only has a few seconds to delete files, so on a large library run the removal first.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
“Pload – Smart Image Optimizer & WebP” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
“Pload – Smart Image Optimizer & WebP” has been translated into 1 locale. Thank you to the translators for their contributions.
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Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
1.1.0
- New Pload column in the media library: Optimize, Apply new settings and Don’t optimize buttons that work without reloading the page, the saving for each image and a details list for every size. The same block appears in the attachment details.
- New setting: maximum size of new uploads. WordPress scales larger images and keeps the original.
- New setting: CDN address for the WebP sources.
- New quality levels based on a benchmark with real store photos: Balanced is now 75 (was 80) and High quality 85 (was 90), for clearly smaller files with no visible difference. Existing WebP files are kept; the Pload page offers to rebuild them.
1.0.0
- First public release.
