Index WP MySQL For Speed
View on WordPress.orgScores higher than 90% of indexed plugins
About
Speed up your WordPress site by adding high-performance keys (database indexes) to your MariaDB / MySQL database tables.
Security History
What It Does
Index WP MySQL For Speed adds database indexes (high-performance keys) to your WordPress MySQL or MariaDB tables so that queries against posts, users, comments, and metadata run faster. It scans your database, suggests the optimal indexes, and applies them in a controlled way, with WP-CLI support for server administrators. The plugin focuses purely on database tuning and does not touch front-end caching or page generation.
Who It's For
This plugin is best for owners of high-traffic or content-heavy WordPress sites, large WooCommerce stores, multisite networks, and membership or publishing platforms where slow queries in wp_options, wp_postmeta, and wp_usermeta are the actual bottleneck. It also suits technical users comfortable with WP-CLI and database backups who want a low-overhead performance fix without installing a full caching suite.
Who Should Skip It
If your site is small, on shared hosting, or already running a full caching plugin and responding quickly, you will see little benefit and can skip it. Developers who prefer to manage indexes manually via direct SQL or hosting-managed tools like phpMyAdmin will also not need this plugin.
The Bottom Line
Index WP MySQL For Speed is a narrowly focused, well-maintained plugin that solves a specific problem: slow MySQL queries caused by missing indexes on core WordPress tables. Its 82.94/100 overall quality score and 96/100 user rating reflect a satisfied user base, though the small install count and thin support volume mean it is a specialist tool rather than a mainstream performance plugin. Use it when database profiling actually points at slow indexed queries, not as a first-line fix for every slow site.
Related Plugins
Pick LiteSpeed Cache instead if you want full-page caching, image optimization, and CDN integration, all of which usually deliver bigger wins than database indexes alone.
Choose Jetpack when you need an all-in-one suite covering security, backups, and performance, rather than a focused database tuning tool.
Opt for Redis Object Cache if your hosting supports Redis and you want persistent object caching, which often reduces database load more visibly than adding indexes.
Select Super Page Cache when your bottleneck is serving pages at the edge and you already use Cloudflare as your DNS and CDN.
Go with WP Fastest Cache for a simple, beginner-friendly page cache plugin if you do not want to think about database indexes at all.