Smaller images. Faster pages. Nothing to learn.
LeanPixel compresses every image in your WordPress media library and adds WebP and AVIF versions. Your originals are kept, so one click puts any image back.
Free for 1,000 images a month. Works with WordPress 5.8 and later.
75% smallerFrom our test site. Results depend on your images.
What it does
- Optimizes new uploads automatically, including every thumbnail size WordPress creates.
- Bulk-optimizes your existing library in the background. Close the tab and it keeps going.
- Three compression levels: lossless, balanced and aggressive.
- Creates WebP and AVIF versions and serves them to browsers that support them, at the same image address.
- Resizes oversized images to a maximum size you choose (1920, 2560 or 3840 pixels).
- Keeps your originals. Restore any image, or several at once, with one click.
- Shows what you saved, per image and for the whole library.
- Works with JPEG, PNG and GIF.
- Optional: process images on your own server. No account, and nothing is sent anywhere.
- Exclude rules. Tell it which folders or files to leave alone.
- Works with your CDN. Enter your CDN’s address and your images are loaded from it. Step-by-step instructions for Bunny CDN are built in.
Our servers do the work, not yours.
Compressing images takes a lot of processing power. Most shared hosting plans do not have it to spare. LeanPixel sends each image to our optimization service, which shrinks it and sends it back.
Your site does not slow down while this happens, and it works on any hosting plan.
Prefer to keep images on your own server?
Choose “Process images on this server” and LeanPixel does the work with the image software your host already provides. No account, no API key, no monthly limit, and no contact with our service at all.
The honest trade-offs:
- Savings are usually smaller than with our service, most of all for PNG images.
- The work uses your own server, so a large library takes longer on a small hosting plan.
- GIF images are left as they are.
- WebP and AVIF versions are created only if your server can write them. The plugin tells you which it can.
This option is off by default. You can switch between the two at any time.
Your images stay yours
When you use our service:
- Nothing is sent until you connect the plugin.
- Each image is deleted from our servers as soon as its request finishes.
- We do not keep, share or use your images for anything else.
- Location data and other hidden photo details are removed from the optimized copies unless you choose to keep them.
Hard to break anything
- Originals are stored in a private folder that cannot be reached from the web.
- Every file we send back is checked to be the same picture at the same size before anything is replaced.
- If an image would shrink by less than 5%, LeanPixel leaves it alone.
- Remove the plugin and your images stay optimized; nothing breaks.
Requirements
- WordPress 5.8 or later
- PHP 7.4 or later
- WebP/AVIF serving is automatic on Apache and LiteSpeed. On nginx, the plugin shows the few lines to add to your server configuration.
See what your site would save
On our test site, a 433 KB photo and its thumbnails came out at 108 KB. Enter a page of yours and we will measure it.
Lighter images in three steps
- Install and activate the plugin.
- Enter your email to get a free key.
- Click “Optimize all images”. New uploads are handled automatically from then on.
Questions
Is it really free?
Yes. The free plan covers 1,000 images a month through our service, for one website, with WebP versions. Each image counts once, however many thumbnail sizes WordPress makes from it. Each website can use one free key, and the site must be reachable from the internet. Processing on your own server has no limit.
What do the paid plans add?
More images a month, more websites per key, and AVIF versions, which are smaller again than WebP. Plus is $5 a month or $49 a year for 20,000 images on 5 websites. Agency is $15 a month or $149 a year for 100,000 images on 25 websites.
Can I use it without sending my images to your servers?
Yes. Choose “Process images on this server”. No account is needed and nothing leaves your site. Savings are usually smaller than with our service, and the work uses your own server.
How big can an image be?
Up to 25 MB per file.
Can I get my original images back?
Yes, as long as “Keep a copy of every original” is switched on, which it is by default. Use “Restore original” next to the image in your media library.
Will keeping originals use more disk space?
Yes, until you delete them. The plugin shows how much space the kept originals use and has a “Delete kept originals” button to free it once you are happy with the results.
How are WebP and AVIF versions served?
They are saved next to the original. With serving switched on, browsers that support the newer format receive it at the same image address, so you do not need to change your pages.
Can I use it on more than one site?
A free key covers one website, and each website can have its own free key. One Plus key covers 5 websites and one Agency key covers 25, sharing the monthly allowance. Processing on your own server works on any number of sites.
Does it work with a CDN?
Yes. Enter your CDN’s address in the settings and images on your public pages are loaded from it. Nothing is changed in your posts, so clearing the box puts everything back. The plugin includes step-by-step instructions for Bunny CDN. If you also serve WebP or AVIF, set the CDN to keep separate copies for browsers with and without support for those formats.
What happens if I remove the plugin?
Your images stay optimized and your kept originals stay where they are. Settings and per-image records are deleted.