100% free. Forever.
No subscription. No per-image fee. No upsell screen inside the plugin. Every feature listed below is included in the free download on WordPress.org.
StaticQ Media
Everything you need to optimize, offload, and clean up WordPress media. No subscriptions. No per-image limits. Ever.
- Queue-based image processing
- Cloudflare R2 offloading
- Cloudflare Image Resizing (optional, requires Cloudflare Pro)
- Media Library Scanner
- Post Content Scanner
- Orphan Detection & quarantine
- Batch Fix All & Regenerate mode
- WebP generation
- Smart <picture> tag delivery
- Lazy loading with eager-first-image
- Cloudflare Worker deployment wizard
- Unlimited images, unlimited sites
How the free tier compares
Most "free" image plugins are free until you hit a monthly cap. Here is what each one actually gives you at $0.
| Feature | StaticQ Media | ShortPixel Free | Imagify Free | Smush Free |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Image limit | Unlimited | 100/mo | ~200/mo | 50/bulk |
| WebP conversion | Yes | Yes | Yes | Paid only |
| AVIF conversion | On roadmap | Yes | Yes | No |
| Cloud offload (R2/S3) | Yes (R2) | No | No | No |
| Library scanner | Yes | No | No | No |
| Orphan detection | Yes | No | No | No |
| Post content scanner | Yes | No | No | No |
| Queue-based processing | Yes | No | No | No |
| Routes through vendor | No | Yes (API) | Yes (API) | No |
Numbers reflect each plugin's free tier as of April 2026. Paid tiers are not shown here — see the comparisons hub for paid-vs-paid analysis.
The questions everyone asks
How is StaticQ Media free?
StaticQ Media is free because it does not run a SaaS in the middle. The plugin processes images on your own server using WordPress's native image editor (GD or Imagick), and stores files in your own R2 bucket if you opt in. There is no per-image API to pay for, no CDN bandwidth bill we have to absorb, and no minimum subscription. The optional Cloudflare Image Resizing integration requires a paid Cloudflare plan on your zone — that is a Cloudflare cost, not a StaticQ cost.
Is there a paid Pro version?
Not at this time. StaticQ Media is the full product today — there is no upsell flow inside the plugin, no upgrade screen, and no feature gated behind a paywall. A paid Pro plugin may exist in the future for advanced or team-oriented workflows; we are not committing in advance to which capabilities that would include.
What does Cloudflare R2 cost?
Cloudflare R2 has its own pricing — separate from StaticQ. R2 includes 10 GB of free storage and 10 million read operations per month. Beyond that it is $0.015/GB/month with zero egress fees, meaning bandwidth is never billed. For most WordPress sites the free tier is sufficient indefinitely. Cloudflare invoices you directly; we do not mark this up.
How does this compare to ShortPixel or Imagify free tiers?
ShortPixel's free tier caps at 100 images per month; Imagify's caps at ~200 images per month (20 MB). Both reset monthly, both stop processing when you exhaust the quota, and both route every image through their API. StaticQ has no quota and never sends images to a third-party SaaS unless you explicitly enable Cloudflare Image Resizing on your own Cloudflare zone.
Can I self-host without using Cloudflare?
Yes. Cloudflare R2 and Cloudflare Image Resizing are optional. You can run StaticQ in fully local mode — images stay on your server, get queued and processed by WordPress cron, and serve via the standard <picture> tag. The Media Library Scanner, Orphan Detection, and Post Content Scanner all work without any cloud account.