Smush Compresses the Upload, Infinite Uploads Delivers It Optimized Worldwide
Smush compresses images the moment they land in your Media Library and can save a local WebP copy next to every original. Infinite Uploads compresses and converts images again at delivery, from a global CDN, without touching the source file. Doing both wastes CPU and doubles your storage for nothing.
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Smush and Infinite Uploads: Two Jobs, Not One Redundant Job
Smush users end up paying for the same job twice: Smush Pro's CDN on top of hosting, a slow Bulk Smush run that eats server CPU, and a Media Library full of WebP files sitting next to their originals. Compression happens, and Core Web Vitals still fail, because the file ships from one server to every visitor on earth.
Infinite Uploads takes the delivery half of that job off Smush's plate. Image Optimization, on the Business plan, compresses JPEG and PNG files and converts them to AVIF or WebP the moment a visitor requests them, from CDN edges worldwide, without touching the Media Library original. Turn off Smush's own compression and local WebP conversion and let this run instead.
Smush keeps the parts that happen before the file leaves your server: resizing an oversized original down to a sane width, and lazy loading offscreen images. Nothing about how you build a page or manage media in WordPress changes. What changes is where the compressed, next-gen version of every image comes from, and what it costs to keep it there.
Four Problems This Split Actually Solves
Running two optimizers the same way just means paying twice. Here's what changes when you divide the work correctly.
One CDN Bill Instead of Two
Infinite Uploads already serves every offloaded image from its own global CDN. Smush Pro's CDN add-on does the same job over the same files, two services rewriting the same URLs for no added benefit. Turn Smush Pro's CDN off and keep the one bill that covers storage and delivery.
Compression Happens Once, at Delivery
Smush compressing on upload and Infinite Uploads compressing again at delivery is double compression, and Infinite Uploads' own documentation warns that re-compressing an already-lossy file can soften it for no size gain. Turn off Smush's Super Smush or Ultra Smush setting and let delivery-time optimization do that job once.
No More WebP Files Doubling Your Library
Smush's local WebP and AVIF conversion writes a second file next to every original, and that copy counts against your storage and sync time. Infinite Uploads generates AVIF and WebP at delivery with per-browser fallback, so nothing extra sits on disk or syncs to the cloud.
Fast Pages Compression Alone Can't Reach
A well-compressed image still loads slowly if it only ships from one origin server. Infinite Uploads serves every offloaded file, images included, from CDN edges close to each visitor, closing a distance gap that compression settings alone were never going to fix.
Why Sites Running Smush Add Infinite Uploads
One Invoice for Every Site You Run
Agencies standardizing an image stack across client sites connect every one to a single Infinite Uploads account. Unlimited sites on every plan, one usage dashboard, no per-site cloud credentials to hand over when a client changes hands.
Move an Already-Smushed Library Without a Rebuild
The first sync moves your existing Media Library, compression history and all, to cloud storage and rewrites URLs to the CDN. Nothing about how Smush processed those files changes, and one click restores everything locally if you want it back.
Video Cloud Is Already There If You Need It
Smush doesn't host or optimize video beyond lazy loading a YouTube or Vimeo thumbnail. Video Cloud, included on every plan, encodes uploaded video for adaptive streaming and plays it in a brandable player from the same CDN, no separate account.
What to Keep, What to Turn Off
Feature
What to do
Lazy load
Runs before the file loads at all. Keep it; nothing about Infinite Uploads changes what it does.
Works
Resize originals on upload
Shrinks oversized originals before they're stored. Keep it if you want smaller files taking up the storage you pay for.
Works
Lossless or lossy compression on upload
Infinite Uploads compresses again at delivery, so running both adds nothing and can soften images. Optional at best.
Optional, turn off
Local WebP and AVIF conversion
Infinite Uploads serves AVIF and WebP from the CDN with per-browser fallback. A local copy is a duplicate file.
Turn off
Smush Pro CDN
Infinite Uploads already serves offloaded media from its own CDN. Two URL rewriters over the same files conflict.
Not needed
Directory Smush
Compresses images in theme and plugin folders it can read locally. Files Infinite Uploads has offloaded aren't there anymore.
Local files only
Bulk Smush on an offloaded library
Runs through the cloud-backed uploads folder, which is slow and mostly redundant. Run it before you connect instead.
Run before sync
WordPress Multisite
Every site in the network offloads to the same Infinite Uploads account, and Smush runs per site as usual.
Works
Up and Running in Three Steps
1. Connect Infinite Uploads
Install the plugin, connect your account, and sync. Your existing Media Library, including anything Smush has already compressed, moves to cloud storage without changing a single Smush setting.
2. Turn Off the Duplicate Settings
In Smush, turn off compression, local WebP or AVIF conversion, and the Pro CDN if it's active. Leave lazy load and resize on upload turned on if you want them.
3. Free Up Local Storage
Once the sync finishes, remove local copies from Infinite Uploads settings. Your hosting plan gets its space back, and every image keeps delivering optimized from the CDN.
Good to Know Before You Switch
Image Optimization is a Business plan feature. Accounts on the Starter plan see an upgrade prompt instead of optimized delivery. Check which plan a site is on before assuming AVIF and WebP are already going out at delivery, and compare plans on the pricing page if a site needs to move up.
Only JPEG and PNG are optimized at delivery. SVG and GIF files are always delivered exactly as uploaded, untouched by either plugin at that stage. If Smush's PNG to JPEG conversion matters to a workflow, it still runs on upload, before the file ever reaches Infinite Uploads.
Running both compressors doesn't add up, it subtracts. Infinite Uploads' own documentation is direct about this: double compression, one plugin's lossy output re-compressed by the other, can soften images for no size gain. Pick one layer to do the compressing and let the other pass the file through.
How We Tested
- Installed Smush and Infinite Uploads together on a fresh WordPress site.
- Uploaded a batch of JPEG and PNG images with Smush's compression and local WebP conversion on.
- Connected Infinite Uploads, synced the library, and turned off Smush's compression and WebP settings.
- Loaded the front end in a modern browser and an older one to compare delivered formats.
- Confirmed images loaded from the CDN domain as AVIF or WebP with the original untouched in storage.
Result: no conflicts, and no image was compressed twice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to turn off all of Smush's features?
No. Keep lazy load, and keep resize on upload if you want smaller originals in storage. Turn off compression and local WebP or AVIF conversion, since Infinite Uploads compresses and converts formats again at delivery on the Business plan.
Will Infinite Uploads re-compress an image Smush already smushed?
Yes, at delivery, not on your server. Image Optimization reads the file from cloud storage, right-sizes and compresses it, and serves AVIF or WebP with a fallback. The stored original, whatever Smush already did to it, is never touched.
What happens to the WebP files Smush already created?
They stay in your Media Library until you remove them. New uploads don't need Smush to keep generating local WebP or AVIF copies once Infinite Uploads is converting formats at delivery, so turning that setting off stops the duplicates piling up.
Should I keep Smush Pro's CDN turned on?
No. Infinite Uploads already serves every offloaded file from its own global CDN. Running Smush Pro's CDN at the same time means two services rewriting the same image URLs, which is redundant and can conflict.
Does Directory Smush still work after I connect?
Only on files still sitting on your server. Directory Smush compresses images in theme and plugin folders it can read locally, and anything Infinite Uploads has offloaded and removed from local storage isn't there for it to find.
Should I run Bulk Smush before or after connecting?
Before, if you want compressed originals synced to cloud storage. Running Bulk Smush after the library is offloaded pulls every file back through a cloud-backed folder to process it, which is slow and mostly redundant.
Does Smush do anything for video?
No. Smush optimizes images and can lazy load a YouTube or Vimeo thumbnail, nothing more. Video Cloud, included on every Infinite Uploads plan, encodes and streams uploaded video from the CDN in a brandable player.
Does this work on a Multisite network?
Yes. Infinite Uploads supports WordPress Multisite on every plan, and Smush's own multisite features are unaffected. Each site shares one storage pool, and our free Big File Uploads plugin lifts the upload limit on any site that needs it.
More Image and Performance Plugins That Work With Infinite Uploads
- Infinite Uploads and EWWW Image Optimizer
- Infinite Uploads and WP Rocket
- Infinite Uploads and FooGallery
- See all integrations
Try Infinite Uploads Free for 7 Days
No credit card. No cloud accounts. No access keys. Install the plugin, connect your site, and your images start moving to the cloud and optimizing at delivery automatically.
Plans from $16/mo. Unlimited WordPress sites included.