Photon
UnclaimedAccelerate your WordPress.com site with optimized image and static file delivery.
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TL;DR - Photon
- Speeds up WordPress.com sites by delivering images and static files via CDN.
- Optimizes images by resizing and serving them in WebP format.
- Reduces server load and improves page load times for visitors.
Pricing: Free plan available
Best for: Growing teams
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Significantly improves website loading speed
- Reduces server load on the main WordPress.com site
- Automatically optimizes images for various screen sizes and formats
- Enhances user experience with faster content delivery
- Simple to enable and manage for eligible plans
Cons
- No cache invalidation
- No support for custom theme or plugin assets
- Manual image purging only
Key Features
Image CDN for faster image loadingAutomatic image resizing and optimization (including WebP conversion)Static file CDN for JavaScript and CSS (WordPress core, Jetpack, WooCommerce)Uses multiple subdomains for parallel downloadsWorks on secure (HTTPS) pages without mixed content warningsApplies to both old and new postsEasy toggle to enable/disable feature
Pricing Plans
Free
Free
Personal
Upgrade plan
Premium
Upgrade plan
Business
Included
- Site accelerator (CDN)
- Speed up image load times
- Speed up static file load times
Commerce
Included
- Site accelerator (CDN)
- Speed up image load times
- Speed up static file load times
About Photon
By Toolradar Team·
Photon is WordPress.com's built-in Content Delivery Network (CDN) designed to significantly improve the performance of WordPress.com websites. It achieves this by offloading the delivery of images and static assets (like JavaScript and CSS) to WordPress.com's global network of servers. This reduces the load on the user's primary server and ensures faster content delivery to visitors, regardless of their geographical location.
The site accelerator is particularly beneficial for WordPress.com users on Business and Commerce plans who want to enhance their site's speed and user experience. It automatically optimizes images by resizing them and serving them in modern formats like WebP to compatible browsers. For static files, it caches and delivers core WordPress, Jetpack, and WooCommerce assets. By distributing content across multiple subdomains, it also leverages parallel downloads to further speed up page load times, making websites more responsive and efficient.
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Photon FAQ
What is Photon?
Photon is WordPress.com's site accelerator, which functions as a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to speed up your website by delivering images and static files (like JavaScript and CSS) from WordPress.com's servers.
How much does Photon cost?
The site accelerator is included with WordPress.com Business and Commerce plans. For Personal and Premium plans, an upgrade is required to access this feature.
Is Photon free?
No, the site accelerator is not free. While it's enabled by default on all WordPress.com sites, the ability to turn it on or off and fully utilize its features is available on Business and Commerce plans. Free, Personal, and Premium plans require an upgrade to access this control.
Who is Photon for?
Photon is primarily for WordPress.com users, especially those on Business and Commerce plans, who want to improve their website's performance, speed up image and static file delivery, and reduce server load for a better user experience.
Source: developer.wordpress.com