> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.daftplug.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Free and Pro

> Which optimizations the free version includes and which need a license.

The free version is a complete caching plugin: page cache, browser cache, minification, deferred JavaScript, lazy loading, font preloading, link prefetching, WordPress cleanup, and the Core Web Vitals monitoring that tells you whether it worked.

Pro adds the optimizations that require more machinery: rewriting CSS per page, delaying execution until interaction, converting images, and cleaning the database on a schedule.

## Cache

| Free                                  | Pro |
| ------------------------------------- | --- |
| Page cache, all three serving levels  |     |
| Separate mobile cache                 |     |
| Cache logged-in users by role         |     |
| Page exclusions                       |     |
| Browser cache strategy and expiration |     |
| Object cache detection and advice     |     |

Nothing on the Cache tab is gated.

## Asset optimizations

| Free                              | Pro                                         |
| --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| Minify HTML                       | Lazy render elements                        |
| Minify CSS                        | Remove unused CSS, with inclusions          |
| Minify JavaScript                 | Self-host external CSS                      |
| Defer JavaScript, with exclusions | Delay JavaScript execution, with exclusions |
| Prevent layout shifts             | Self-host external JavaScript               |
| Preload fonts                     | Use system fonts first                      |
|                                   | Self-host external fonts                    |

## Media optimizations

| Free                 | Pro                             |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------- |
| Lazy-load images     | Auto image optimization to WebP |
| Properly size images | Preload critical images         |
| Lazy-load videos     | YouTube video previews          |
| Lazy-load iframes    |                                 |

## Network improvements

| Free                                        | Pro                 |
| ------------------------------------------- | ------------------- |
| Smart link prefetch                         | Speculative loading |
| Preconnect, prefetch, and preload resources |                     |

Both prefetch features do the same job by different means. The free one prefetches links near the cursor or in the viewport; the Pro one uses the browser's Speculation Rules API to predict and prerender the next page.

## Bloat removal

| Free                     | Pro                                |
| ------------------------ | ---------------------------------- |
| Disable block editor CSS | Auto clean database, on a schedule |
| Remove Dashicons         | Post, comment, and table cleanup   |
| Disable emojis           | Disable XML-RPC                    |
| Disable jQuery Migrate   | Disable RSS feed                   |
| Disable oEmbeds          | Throttle heartbeat                 |

## Notifications

Score alerts are free. Lightify emails you when your Core Web Vitals score changes significantly in either direction.

## Elsewhere

| Feature                                     | Free | Pro |
| ------------------------------------------- | ---- | --- |
| Performance score and Core Web Vitals       | Yes  | Yes |
| Optimized pages and assets reporting        | Yes  | Yes |
| Cache purge and preload, admin bar and REST | Yes  | Yes |
| Third-party purge integrations              | Yes  | Yes |

<Note>
  The integrations that propagate purges to Cloudflare, Varnish, and managed hosts are free and have no settings. They detect what is present and hook in. See [integrations](/lightify/guides/integrations).
</Note>

## Which Pro features actually matter

If you are deciding whether a license is worth it for performance rather than for the membership, these are the ones that move the number.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Remove Unused CSS">
    Most themes ship far more CSS than any one page uses. This is usually the largest single improvement available, and it is the main reason to upgrade.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Delay JavaScript Execution">
    The fix for third-party scripts. Analytics, chat widgets, and ad tags stop competing with your content for the main thread.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Auto Image Optimization">
    WebP conversion of the images pages actually use, with the markup left intact.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Preload Critical Images">
    Directly targets LCP, which is 25% of the score.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Pro is sold as the DaftPlug membership rather than as a single-plugin upgrade. One license covers Lightify and every other DaftPlug Pro plugin, and plans differ only in the number of site activations.
</Note>

<Card title="See pricing" icon="rocket" horizontal href="https://daftplug.com/pricing/?utm_source=documentation&utm_medium=mintlify-docs&utm_campaign=upgrade-to-pro">
  Compare the plans on daftplug.com.
</Card>