Photon
Claim this toolAccelerate your WordPress.com site with optimized image and static file delivery.
Free plan available Visit WebsiteThe Bottom Line
- Price
- Free plan available. Compare plans
Key facts
- 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.
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
What is Photon?
Available on: Web
Ratings Across the Web
Photon holds an aggregate rating of 4.5 out of 5 from 17,718 reviews across G2 and Capterra, last checked October 28, 2026.
Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more
Preview
Key Features
- Image CDN for faster image loading
- Automatic image resizing and optimization (including WebP conversion)
- Static file CDN for JavaScript and CSS (WordPress core, Jetpack, WooCommerce)
- Uses multiple subdomains for parallel downloads
- Works on secure (HTTPS) pages without mixed content warnings
- Applies to both old and new posts
- Easy toggle to enable/disable feature
Pricing Plans
Pricing checked Oct 3, 2026. Source: developer.wordpress.com/docs/photon, read Oct 3, 2026
| Plan | Price | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | |
| Personal | Upgrade plan | |
| Premium | Upgrade plan | |
| Business | Included | |
| Commerce | Included |
Included in all plans
- Site accelerator (CDN)
- Speed up image load times
- Speed up static file load times
Is Photon worth the price?
Photon's pricing is unique as it's not a standalone product but rather a feature bundled with higher-tier WordPress.com plans.
The 'Free' tier offers basic Photon functionality, which is generous for simple sites. For advanced features, users must upgrade to the Business or Commerce plans, making it more expensive for those who only need image optimization.
Hidden Costs & Gotchas
Requires a full WordPress.com Business/Commerce plan for advanced features.
Photon by the numbers
| Metric | Photon | Peer median | Position (1 is best) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | 23 of 34 have one | n/a |
| User rating | 4.5/5 (across the web, 17,718 ratings) | 4.4/5 | #8 of 22 (joint) tools with 20+ reviews |
Each position is counted among the tools that have data for that row, as noted under it. All CDN data · How we compute this. Advertising and placement fees are not inputs to any position.
Cite this: Toolradar, “Photon by the numbers”, Oct 2026.
Reviews
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Across 17,718 verified user reviews on Capterra, G2
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Photon FAQ
How does Photon improve the loading speed of a WordPress.com site?
Which teams benefit most from using Photon?
What kind of assets does Photon optimize and deliver?
How is Photon priced?
What are the main limitations of using Photon for content delivery?
How does Photon compare to a service like BunnyCDN?
Source: developer.wordpress.com