TL;DR
NitroPack is a cloud-based, all-in-one speed optimization service that replaces your caching plugin, image optimizer, and CDN with a single subscription (giving users more value compared to buying separate premium tools). It delivers 90+ PageSpeed scores and helps you pass Core Web Vitals with zero configuration.
You’ve seen the screenshots. The glowing green “99” scores. The before-and-after charts that promise PageSpeed nirvana in three clicks.
It’s everything you want from a piece of software.
But you’ve got some reservations: What if your analytics stop tracking? What if the “optimized” site looks fast in a test but fails when customers click around? And worst of all, what if your site breaks?
The real question isn’t whether NitroPack can boost your PageSpeed Insights score. (Spoiler: It absolutely can.)
The question is whether those improvements translate into faster experiences for the people who matter—your visitors—and whether you can implement the tool without breaking your site.
This review digs into both sides of that equation. We’ll show you the genuine performance gains, the “gotchas” that trip people up, and exactly when NitroPack delivers real value versus when it’s optimizing for the wrong target.
What NitroPack does and how it works
NitroPack is a cloud-based, all-in-one performance optimization service, not just a caching plugin.
Traditional plugins are installed on your server and consume your hosting resources.
NitroPack works differently: It installs a lightweight connector, but all the heavy lifting happens on their cloud infrastructure. Visitors get optimized files served from NitroPack’s global CDN (Content Delivery Network), not your server.
The core feature stack (60+ optimizations total):
- Caching: Smart Invalidation and Cache Warmup that pre-generates pages instantly.
- Images: Automatic WebP conversion, adaptive sizing per device, lazy loading (including CSS backgrounds).
- Code: Per-page Critical CSS (unique layouts, not generic templates), minification, JavaScript delay.
- CDN: Global Cloudflare-powered CDN included in all plans.
- Advanced: LCP preload and speculative loading.
It’s also important to mention the optimization modes. These range from Standard to Ludicrous, which provide different options for optimization.
With Standard mode, for instance, your images are automatically optimized and get HTML preconnects. But switch it up to Medium, and you get minification, pre-emptive image sizing, and lazy loading.
“When designing NitroPack, we boldly decided to remove all the heavy lifting and optimization operations from the hosting provider and put them on our servers in the cloud. [This] allowed us to scale and apply much more significant optimizations than any other solution could provide.“
—Georgi Petrov, Co-founder of NitroPack.
Test NitroPack yourself
NitroPack review: Pros, cons, and common misconceptions
We’ve given you the rundown on features, but how does that actually work in practice? Take a look:
| What is it? | What does that mean for you | |
|---|---|---|
| Pros | Setup (really) takes 3 minutes | One-screen interface, no diving through nested menus |
| Set-and-forget automation | No code, no manual updates. It optimizes continuously | |
| All-in-one consistency | One subscription replaces your cache plugin, image optimizer, and CDN | |
| Measurable performance gains | Real PageSpeed and Core Web Vitals improvements (we’ll show the data next) | |
| Cloud infrastructure | Works regardless of your hosting quality | |
| Cons | No database optimization | NitroPack focuses entirely on frontend delivery—how fast files reach browsers. It won’t clean up post revisions, transients, or bloated database tables. You’ll need a separate plugin for that. |
| Server-level limitations | NitroPack can’t fix slow backend processing. If your host has a terrible Time to First Byte (TTFB), cached pages will load fast, but uncached actions—checkout, “My Account,” WP-Admin—will still crawl. NitroPack isn’t a hosting replacement; it makes delivery faster, not your server faster. |
Common misconceptions
As one of the more established players in WordPress performance optimization, NitroPack has accumulated its share of myths—some dating back to early versions that have since been fixed.
Here’s what’s actually true:
- NitroPack doesn’t “cheat” PageSpeed tests using sketchy SEO tricks and “Black Hat SEO”. NitroPack collaborated with Google’s Chrome team (including Barry Pollard) on Core Web Vitals optimization. Our techniques—such as JavaScript delays—are standard industry practices.
- JavaScript delay explained: Yes, NitroPack delays non-critical scripts until user interaction. That’s intentional. As Ivailo (former CTO of NitroPack) puts it: “If you’re not going to watch the video, why load the resources?” It improves scores and actual performance by prioritizing what matters first.
- FOUC (Flash of Unstyled Content): This may have been an issue in 2021, but has been resolved. As WP Johnny noted in 2023: “The sites I’ve seen lately are well-optimized, snappy, quick, and not as obvious FOUC issues from before.”
Worried about compatibility with your specific setup?
Use Test Mode to preview how NitroPack works with your theme, plugins, and scripts before going live. It’s the safest way to verify everything works as expected.
Does it really improve site speed? Real test data for NitroPack
The short answer is yes, but let’s actually see the numbers.
PageSpeed scores
Let’s start off with a quick benchmark: Most sites see 90+ on Desktop and 75+ on Mobile after enabling NitroPack.
A great example of this is the Norwegian digital marketing agency Mikalsen Utvikling, which saw great improvement even with Nitropack’s free plan at the time:
“Through the free trial version, we had the chance to experience NitroPack’s immense impact on site performance ourselves. That made the decision to make a full transition free of concerns.”
—Mikalsen Utvikling
And with the Demo Tester, you can see what those numbers might look like for your website. We tested Rosalia’s website, which currently scores 47/100 on desktop PageSpeed Insights. NitroPack’s analysis shows it could jump to 100/100—a 127% improvement, with page load time dropping from 11.3 seconds to 0.51 seconds. That’s 22x faster.
Note: Any score discrepancies are likely due to how Google PSI loads a page (it tries to mimic actual users).
Third-party testing from WP Marmite confirms similar gains in their neutral evaluation (so you know it’s not just us tooting our own horn). They saw 81/100 on desktop with NitroPack, jumped to 98/100 on a desktop computer when the optimization mode was set to “Ludicrous”.
⚠️ Important
If you’re scoring lower than what’s been predicted by the Demo Tester, contact support, as something’s likely misconfigured.
Still, your PageSpeed score depends heavily on which mode you choose:
| Mode | Typical score | What’s happening |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 80-85 | Conservative optimizations, minimal script delay |
| Medium | 85-90 | Balanced approach with some aggressive features |
| Strong | 90-95 | Recommended starting point—aggressive but tested |
| Ludicrous | 95-100 | Maximum optimization—delays most JavaScript |
Standard mode protects compatibility but delivers modest score improvements. Ludicrous delivers those screenshot-worthy 99 scores and is actually NitroPack’s default setting—it’s aggressive but uses smart exclusions to prevent breaking functionality. Strong mode offers a balanced middle ground if you prefer less aggressive optimization.
If interactive elements do have issues in Ludicrous mode, NitroPack’s performance engineers will help configure exclusions and advanced settings to get everything working properly. You’re not left to troubleshoot alone.
Core Web Vitals
PageSpeed scores measure lab performance, which is obviously important. However, Core Web Vitals measure actual user experience from real Chrome data collected from millions of users—something we believe should be a priority over scores.
NitroPack has the highest Core Web Vitals pass rate among optimization tools, according to HTTP Archive and Looker Studio data tracking millions of sites. As of November 2025, 52% of NitroPack-powered sites pass all Core Web Vitals compared to 48% for WP Rocket and 47% for WP-Optimize.
Still, it’s important to know that real-world performance depends on many different factors, not all of which NitroPack can control. These include:
- Lab vs. Field gaps: Test scores differ from the real visitor experience.
- Third-party scripts: Ads, tracking, and chat widgets load outside NitroPack’s optimization.
- Dynamic pages: Cart/checkout speed depends on your hosting backend.
- Browser extensions: Chrome extensions significantly impact INP.
Test your website speed to establish your baseline before implementing NitroPack.
Who can use and benefit from NitroPack?
NitroPack is best for anyone seeking an all-in-one solution who values automation over manual control.
That said, NitroPack works exceptionally well for three specific groups:
Non-technical small business owners
If you run a service business or local shop and see “slow site” warnings in Google Search Console, NitroPack solves this without hiring a developer. You don’t need to understand caching or CDNs—just connect it and pick a mode that suits you.
High-traffic eCommerce and publishers
Online stores (including WooCommerce sites) and content sites with thousands of daily visitors benefit from NitroPack’s Cart Cache feature and automated image optimization. The performance gains translate directly to lower bounce rates and better conversion.
As one Trustpilot reviewer put it:
“We’ve been using Nitropack (paid plan) on our large ecommerce site for a few years now and couldn’t be happier with the performance results. Whenever we have a question, the support team is eager to help and solve our problem.”
Agencies and developers
Managing multiple client sites? NitroPack’s agency plans let you deliver consistent performance across portfolios without custom-configuring each site. Those green PageSpeed scores also make client reporting much easier.
Who should skip it
If your website is weighed down by custom JavaScript widgets and interactives, NitroPack’s highest optimization modes could affect your website. However, NitroPack’s performance engineers will assist you and deliver a solution that will work for your website.
That being said, if you’re a team with a very tight budget (less than $8 per month) or need deep server-level tuning capabilities, NitroPack might not be your best option.
Test NitroPack yourself
How to test NitroPack safely on your site
Worried about breaking something? NitroPack includes built-in safety features, allowing you to test without risk.
Use Test Mode (the sandbox approach)
Test Mode lets you preview optimizations without affecting live visitors:
- Enable Test Mode in your NitroPack dashboard.
- Add
?testnitro=1to any page URL to see the optimized version.
- Run PageSpeed tests on these test URLs to check performance.
- Browse your site with the parameter to verify that nothing breaks.
- Disable Test Mode once you’re satisfied, and the optimizations will go live for all visitors.
While Test Mode is active, regular visitors see your unoptimized site. Only URLs with ?testnitro=1 show the NitroPack version.
Note: If you don’t want to keep your changes, revert them before turning off Test Mode. Any optimizations will be automatically applied otherwise.
🙂 Still nervous?
NitroPack offers a free plan to get you started. If you do opt for one of the paid plans, Nitropack also provides a 14-day money-back guarantee. Test it thoroughly, and in the unlikely event that it doesn’t work for your site, request a full refund.
NitroPack pricing and what you actually get?
Now, to find out how NitroPack will affect your wallet.
Plans are based on page views, CDN bandwidth, and access to premium features. NitroPack also offers a completely free plan, allowing you to test the waters before opting to pay.
| Plan | Price | Pageviews | CDN Bandwidth | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1,000 | 1GB | Testing (includes footer badge) |
| Starter | $8/month ($84/year) | 8,000 | 5GB | Small blogs and service sites |
| Plus | $22/month ($216/year) | 40,000 | 25GB | Growing businesses and stores |
| Pro | $100/month ($996/year) | 540,000 (3 sites) | 270GB | High-traffic sites and agencies |
Annual billing saves 15-30% depending on plan.
Is it actually expensive?
Big news: NitroPack drastically lowered the entry price in 2025. The starting point dropped from $21/month to just $8/month—a 62% reduction that makes premium optimization accessible to small sites for the first time.
Here’s what many people miss: NitroPack isn’t just a caching plugin. It’s a comprehensive performance suite that replaces your caching plugin, image optimizer, AND CDN with a single subscription.
When you compare the full stack, you’d need to build the same capabilities:
- WP Rocket (caching): $59/year
- RocketCDN: $96/year
- Imagify (images): $60/year
- Total: $215/year = $18/month
NitroPack Starter at $8/month includes all three. You’re not just getting caching—you’re getting the entire optimization stack for less than half the cost of assembling it yourself.
Understanding pageview counting (avoid billing surprises)
NitroPack counts optimization hits, not visitor sessions like Google Analytics.
Protection against traffic spikes: Resource Overages let you set a monthly budget (minimum $50) to keep optimization running during unexpected traffic surges. You’ll get notified at 80% usage.
Agency plans: Multi-site economics
Managing multiple client sites? Agency plans start at $229/month for 10+ sites with shared resource pools. Custom agency pricing becomes significantly cheaper per site than individual subscriptions.
Support quality and what to expect
NitroPack’s support earns consistent praise on Trustpilot, with a 4.9/5 rating from over 1,100 reviews.
Users frequently mention specific support agents by name—Miroslav, Alina, Atanas, and Delia appear repeatedly.
One customer captured the typical experience:
“Delia from NitroPack did an excellent job of giving me the support I needed to get NitroPack set up correctly on all three websites. The results are fantastic.”
“The support worked very well. Alina got in touch directly and I only had to wait a short time for a follow-up response. In the end, all problems were solved without complications.”
Support is available 24/7 via live chat, with typical response times under 2 minutes and resolution times around 30 minutes according to their internal metrics.
The WP Engine acquisition: NitroPack was acquired by WP Engine in July 2024, which should provide additional resources and stability. WP Engine’s backing suggests long-term commitment to the platform and potential integration with their managed hosting services.
Making the call on NitroPack: Your next steps
You’ve found the right tool if you want:
- All-in-one value without assembling multiple plugins.
- Non-technical setup that works in 3 minutes.
- Consistent performance without ongoing maintenance.
- Usage-based pricing that you can scale as you grow.
“After spending many years improving my three websites to be Google compliant in speed, NitroPack has finally given me the ability to improve the Core Web Vitals for mobile to 99-100… I can only recommend NitroPack to improve the performance of a website in the best possible way.”
Ready to try it? Sign up for the free plan to preview optimizations without the risk, then check pricing plans to find your fit. Remember: 14-day money-back guarantee on all paid plans.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is NitroPack good?
Yes, NitroPack has the highest percentage of sites with passing Core Web Vitals scores among all optimization tools, according to HTTP Archive and Looker Studio data tracking millions of websites. It’s particularly effective for non-technical users who need reliable performance without manual configuration.
Can a fast server replace NitroPack?
A fast server is the foundation, but it’s not enough on its own. Even with premium hosting, unoptimized HTML, bloated CSS, and large images will slow down your site. As Ivailo (former CTO of NitroPack) explains: “If your HTML is not optimised, if your site structure is not well built, then your site will still load slowly.” NitroPack optimizes how content is delivered to browsers, which your server doesn’t handle.
Does NitroPack work with WooCommerce?
Yes, NitroPack includes specific WooCommerce features like Cart Cache that maintains optimization even when users add items to their cart. Dynamic pages like checkout still depend on your hosting speed, but cached product pages and category pages load instantly.
Will NitroPack break my site?
It can cause compatibility issues on JavaScript-heavy sites, particularly in Ludicrous mode. Use Test Mode to preview optimizations safely, start with Strong mode instead of Ludicrous, and contact support if you encounter issues. They will happily help exclude problematic scripts.
Is NitroPack worth it for small sites?
Yes, especially with the new $8/month Starter plan for sites under 8,000 monthly pageviews. For small service businesses and blogs, this is cheaper than building your own optimization stack and requires zero technical knowledge.
