Is a Hosting Plan With Redis or Memcached Worth It?

A practical question from the trenches: "Is it worth going for a hosting plan with Memcached or Redis?" Hosts increasingly list them as premium features, so it's fair to ask whether they actually matter for your site or just pad the spec sheet.

Short answer: for a dynamic, database-heavy site (especially WooCommerce or a busy WordPress site), yes — it's one of the highest-impact upgrades. For a small static-ish site, no. Here's how to tell which you are.

What Redis and Memcached Actually Do

Both are in-memory object caches. They store the results of expensive database queries in RAM so your app doesn't re-run them on every request.

• Without an object cache, every page load can fire dozens to hundreds of database queries.
• With one, repeated queries are served from memory in microseconds.

This is different from page caching (which serves whole pre-built HTML pages). Object caching speeds up the dynamic parts that page caching can't — logged-in users, carts, dashboards, search.

Redis vs Memcached: Redis is more capable (persistence, data structures, also used for queues/sessions) and is the modern default. Memcached is simpler and fine for pure caching. If a host offers either, prefer Redis.

When It's Worth It ✅

• WooCommerce / any store — carts and checkout are dynamic and uncacheable by page caches. Object caching is a big, visible win.
• Busy WordPress sites with lots of plugins, logged-in users, or a membership area.
• Web apps (Laravel, etc.) using it for cache, sessions, and queues.
• Sites where the database is the bottleneck — high TTFB that page caching didn't fix.

If your TTFB is high and you've already added page caching/CDN, object caching is often the next real gain.

When It's a Waste ❌

• Static sites / simple brochures — no database queries to cache.
• Tiny low-traffic blogs — page caching alone already serves nearly everything; the database load is trivial.
• Sites already fully page-cached with few logged-in users — most requests never touch PHP/MySQL anyway.

Paying extra for Redis on a five-page brochure site is money for nothing.

How to Decide in 30 Seconds

Your site	Redis/Memcached?
Static site / brochure	No
Small low-traffic blog	No (page cache is enough)
Busy blog / many plugins / members	Yes
WooCommerce / any store	Yes
Laravel / custom app at scale	Yes (also for queues/sessions)

Getting It Working

Having Redis on the plan isn't enough — you have to use it:

• WordPress: install a plugin like Redis Object Cache and enable the drop-in. Confirm it shows "Connected."
• Laravel/apps: set CACHE_DRIVER=redis (and optionally SESSION_DRIVER/QUEUE_CONNECTION=redis).

Hosts that make this easy include managed platforms and VPS hosts: Cloudways, Kinsta, and any VPS where you install Redis yourself. Many budget shared plans don't offer persistent Redis at all.

FAQ

Do I need Redis for a small WordPress blog?

Usually no. A good page cache plus a CDN handles a low-traffic blog. Redis matters once you have lots of dynamic content, plugins, logged-in users, or a store.

Redis or Memcached — which should I pick?

Redis. It does everything Memcached does plus persistence, queues, and sessions, and it's the modern standard. Only pick Memcached if it's your only option.

Will Redis speed up a static site?

No. Static sites have no database queries to cache. Object caching only helps dynamic, database-driven sites.

Is object caching the same as a CDN?

No. A CDN serves static assets (and cached pages) from edge locations near the visitor. Object caching reduces database work on the server. Busy sites benefit from both.

Key Takeaways

1. Redis/Memcached cache database queries in memory — they speed up dynamic content.
2. Worth it for stores, busy/membership WordPress, and apps at scale.
3. Not worth it for static sites and tiny low-traffic blogs.
4. Prefer Redis over Memcached when given the choice.
5. You must enable and verify it (e.g. the Redis Object Cache plugin) — having it on the plan isn't enough.

Comparing hosts on caching and performance features? Use our comparison tool or read why is my website slow.

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Last updated: June 2026