ShortPixel is one of the most technically respected image compression plugins in the WordPress space. It delivers excellent compression rates, supports WebP and AVIF conversion, and has over 300,000 active installs. Many experienced WordPress developers recommend it as their default image optimisation tool.
So why would a Divi user choose Divi Image Compressor instead?
The answer comes down to how ShortPixel's credit-based pricing model actually works in practice — and why it quietly becomes expensive once you account for how Divi and WordPress handle images behind the scenes.
How ShortPixel's Pricing Actually Works
ShortPixel looks affordable at first glance. The free plan gives you 100 credits per month. Paid monthly plans start at around $9.99 per month for unlimited credits, and one-time credit packs start at $19.99 for a set number of images.
The catch is in how credits are counted.
Every thumbnail costs a credit, not just the original image.
When you upload a single image to WordPress, WordPress automatically generates multiple resized versions of it — typically 3 to 5 thumbnail sizes (thumbnail, medium, medium-large, large, and any custom sizes your theme or Divi registers). ShortPixel counts a credit for each one.
So a single image upload on a typical Divi site does not cost 1 credit. It costs 4 to 7 credits, depending on how many thumbnail sizes are registered.
On a Divi site with a client uploading images regularly — or an agency handling a new site build with 200+ media library images — the credits disappear faster than the pricing page suggests. ShortPixel's own FAQ acknowledges this: "images in your Media Library have 3–5 thumbs associated and a credit will be used for each."
The 100 free monthly credits? In practice, that covers roughly 20–25 real-world image uploads on a Divi site. After that, you are paying.
The API Key Requirement
Before you can compress a single image with ShortPixel, you need to create an account, request an API key, and enter it into the plugin settings. The key is free for the basic tier, but it is a required step.
For a solo Divi designer managing one website, this is a minor inconvenience. For an agency setting up the same plugin across 20 client sites, it means 20 API key configurations to manage, monitor, and keep track of — plus the risk of a client inadvertently hitting their monthly credit limit and compression silently stopping.
External Server Processing
Like most credit-based image compression services, ShortPixel sends your images to their own cloud infrastructure for processing. ShortPixel's documentation specifically notes that "optimisation is handled by the Image Optimisation Cloud, ensuring your hosting resources stay untouched."
This framing positions cloud processing as a benefit — and for some use cases it is. But it also means your images leave your server. For agencies handling client sites with strict data policies, healthcare or legal clients, or simply anyone who prefers their files stay on their own hosting environment, this is a genuine concern.
What Divi Image Compressor Does Differently
Divi Image Compressor takes the opposite approach to ShortPixel's cloud model.
No credits. No API key. No external servers. You pay once per year ($29) and compress as many images as your server can handle — originals and all their thumbnails included — using PHP's GD Library or ImageMagick running directly on your own hosting environment.
For a Divi agency building 10 sites a year, each with hundreds of media library images, the maths are straightforward. ShortPixel's monthly unlimited plan costs $9.99 per month — $119.88 per year — across all those sites on one key. Divi Image Compressor is $30 per year per site, with no credit tracking, no API keys to manage, and no external dependencies.
Compression happens on upload, locally, automatically. The moment an image is added to the media library — whether by a client, a developer, or imported from another site — it is compressed and converted to WebP without any cloud round-trip.
Divi 4 and Divi 5 native. Divi Image Compressor was designed specifically for Divi's image pipeline. It hooks into the WordPress upload process at the correct priority for Divi's custom image sizes, and has been tested for compatibility with Divi 5's React-based Visual Builder.
Feature Comparison
Recommended for Divi
Divi Image Compressor
$29.99 yearly
ShortPixel Free
Free (limited)
ShortPixel Paid
$9.99/ month
Where ShortPixel Has the Edge
To be fair: ShortPixel is a genuinely excellent product. Its compression algorithms are highly regarded, it supports AVIF (the next-generation format after WebP, not yet supported by Divi Image Compressor), and it offers a comparison tool that lets you preview before-and-after compression quality. For developers working on non-Divi projects or sites that need AVIF specifically, it remains a strong choice.
Who Should Use Divi Image Compressor
If you are running a Divi site and want compression that:
- Works without any account setup or API keys
- Costs nothing beyond the annual fee, regardless of upload volume
- Keeps your images on your own server
- Was built and tested specifically for Divi 4 and Divi 5
…then Divi Image Compressor is the cleaner solution. It removes the credit anxiety that comes with ShortPixel's model and replaces it with a simple, predictable workflow: upload an image, it gets compressed, done.
Divi Image Compressor does one thing: compresses and converts every image on your Divi site, automatically, on your own server, without any setup beyond installing the plugin. For Divi 4 and Divi 5 sites, that is exactly what you need.
Divi Image Compressor is available as a one-time purchase on the Elegant Themes Divi Marketplace. There are no subscriptions, no API keys, and no limits on how many images you can compress.
Divi Image Compressor is developed by DiviPerfect — a suite of Divi 5 plugins built for freelancers, agencies, and businesses. Questions? Email us at hello@diviperfect.com or visit diviperfect.com.