Are you struggling to make your website responsive and fast enough for users all over the world?
Using the best WordPress CDN service may be able to help and keep driving more traffic towards your site. In fact, the integration of a CDN service is almost mandatory these days.
In this article, you’ll find out how it can be of benefit and what providers offer some of the best CND services optimized for WordPress sites.
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What is a CDN Service?
A CDN service is a Content Delivery Network service. It uses networks of proxy servers with varied geographical distribution in order to push cached static content on sites. Cached static content is necessary because it can be delivered based on specific geographical locations.
This means that users that visit a website from far away can still encounter a highly responsive website if enough content is static and cached based on a location close to the user. It’s a very important service for any website with high numbers of worldwide visitors, and especially for a WordPress website that’s usually hosted on a single server or a dedicated server that all visitors access.
6 Best WordPress CDN Services
1. MaxCDN/Stackpath
MaxCDN is one of the most popular CDN providers among WordPress website owners. It has a user-friendly UI and is simple to install. It also allows you to use high-quality plugins such as WP Super Cache and W3 Total Cache in order to deliver static content.
The provider offers servers with high-speed SSD drives and many international data centers. While using MaxCDN you can set up your own locations based on reports, purge the cache when you want, and you can also use an SSL certificate.
One of the great advantages is that the service is also rather cheap even with the base monthly package.
2. Cloudflare
Cloudflare is another WordPress CDN that offers both a free and premium version. It’s great at optimizing loading speeds and it doesn’t charge for bandwidth. The service allows you to add SSL certificates too, and most of the features are available in the free version.
However, if you want to benefit from mobile optimization, multi-user access, and fast customer service, then the premium subscription is for you. One of its standout features is called Rocket Loader, a proprietary method of optimizing connections and resource usage.
As far as pricing goes, the premium Cloudflare packages are pricier. Instead of upselling the bandwidth costs, the company probably already factors it into the subscription price. Yet with unlimited bandwidth, if you have a popular website you can get more than your money’s worth.
3. Sucuri
Sucuri offers coverage in the US, Europe, Australia, Asia, and Brazil. It also comes with a variety of caching options and it runs on the reliable Anycast network.
The service includes a very good WordPress firewall which helps add another layer of protection against DDoS attacks. It’s also efficient at blocking malware and spam.
With its global coverage and fast firewall, the Sucuri WordPress CDN may reduce server load times by up to 70% on average. Needless to say, it’s a solid performer for high-traffic websites or small eCommerce websites.s
4. KeyCDN
If you’re looking for a plugin capable of delivering static content for site visitors from the US and Europe, KeyCDN is one of the best services to add to a WordPress site.
This is a light plugin with decent pricing and a strong presence in North America, Europe, and even some parts of Asia. Where it may lack some speed is for audiences from Australia and Japan.
Yet despite this being a light plugin it also offers tons of features. One of the reasons KeyCDN is so successful is the fact that it has a network of high-speed SSD servers. Another is the implementation of custom SSL certificates.
It even provides some DDoS attack prevention and 24/7 customer support. Its control panel may not be super-intuitive but offers very detailed tracking and monitoring of website traffic.
Even better, you can pay only for the bandwidth you use, at very low yearly rates.
5. Amazon Cloudfront CDN
Granted this is not the CDN service provider for small blogs and websites, but it’s great for anyone looking to scale quickly and reliably. Its level of security is nothing short of impressive and the AWS integration provides a reliable dedicated server infrastructure.
That said, the Amazon CloudFront is geared towards experienced users and developers. It’s a complex service that comes with tons of tools. It offers regional edge caches, static asset caching, support for live streaming, and many more features.
Luckily, it’s easy to get started with it and you can even test it out for free. Yet for a full implementation, you have to pay for the service. Even though it requires some additional documentation and hands-on experience, it’s perhaps the best choice for anyone looking to offer a lot of video content or who wants to start an eCommerce WordPress website.
6. Rackspace
Rackspace is a CDN provider with one of the most versatile pricing plans. It can accommodate almost any type of website, even if you plan on uploading HD videos or making multiple website backups.
One of the things that truly makes it stand out is its over 90% uptime rating. Furthermore, the service stores files in three locations and assures that their data centers have backup power supply systems. Yet another reason why the service rarely fails.
Although Rackspace isn’t a free CDN or spread globally as similar service providers, it still does a very good job. And having servers in some of the biggest cities like London, Hong Kong, Dallas, Sydney, and others, still matters a lot to plenty of site visitors.
Final Recommendation
There’s a lot that goes into making a content delivery network great for WordPress – and it’s not just about how easy it is to integrate.
There needs to be a good balance between user friendliness, DDoS and malware protection, spread out data centers, and static content optimization.
Most of the CDN providers on this list offer all of the above and more, each with its own unique features and pricing plans.
Yet to all intents and purposes, MaxCDN/Stackpath still stands out from the rest. It’s among the most balanced services and works flawlessly with WordPress cache plugins. But it may not cater to enterprise needs as well as Amazon’s Cloudflare CDN.
