--- title: "Discover Netlify’s Top 10 Build Plugins of 2021" description: "With Netlify Build Plugins, developers can hook automations directly into the CI/CD infrastructure and developer workflow. Explore the Top 10 Netlify Build Plugins, at the top of 2021." source: "https://www.netlify.com/blog/2021/01/25/top-10-netlify-build-plugins-2021-update/" last_updated: "2026-07-10T21:28:45.000Z" --- Last May, Netlify announced the general availability of Build Plugins. Since then, a number of [technical partners have launched new plugins](https://www.netlify.com/blog/2020/10/07/tech-partners-create-custom-build-plugins-to-reach-developers-in-their-workflow/), allowing automated workflows to run on top of Netlify’s CI/CD infrastructure. For example, you can now run end-to-end tests with the Cypress plugin or [index your site for search with Algolia](https://www.netlify.com/blog/2021/01/20/how-algolia-created-its-netlify-build-plugin/), directly from your Netlify build. With an expanding catalog of available plugins and integrations, we wanted to take this moment to check on the leaderboard. Here’s a look at the most popular Netlify build plugins to-date, and some notes on their standing [compared to last June](https://www.netlify.com/blog/2020/06/22/top-10-netlify-build-plugins/). ## Top 10 Netlify Build Plugins ### 1\. Gatsby Cache Holding strong at #1, this plugin by Jason Lengstorf allows you to persist the Gatsby cache between Netlify builds for huge build speed improvements. [Install Gatsby Cache plugin](https://app.netlify.com/plugins/netlify-plugin-gatsby-cache/install) | [Git repo](https://github.com/jlengstorf/netlify-plugin-gatsby-cache) ### 2\. Submit Sitemap New to our Top 10, this plugin by Cassius lets you automatically submit your sitemap to Google, Bing, and Yandex after every production build. [Install Submit Sitemap plugin](https://app.netlify.com/plugins/netlify-plugin-submit-sitemap/install) | [Git repo](https://github.com/cdeleeuwe/netlify-plugin-submit-sitemap#readme) ### 3\. Sitemap plugin Another popular sitemap option, this plugin by Netlify Labs automatically generates a sitemap on PostBuild. [Install Sitemap plugin](https://app.netlify.com/plugins/@netlify/plugin-sitemap/install) | [Git repo](https://github.com/netlify-labs/netlify-plugin-sitemap#readme) ### 4\. Image Optim For performance-minded developers, the Image Optim plugin by Chris Draycott-Wheatley automatically optimizes images during the build in PNG, JPEG, GIF, or SVG file formats. [Install Image Optim plugin](https://app.netlify.com/plugins/netlify-plugin-image-optim/install) | [Git repo](https://github.com/chrisdwheatley/netlify-plugin-image-optim#readme) ### 5\. Next on Netlify New to our list, and quickly climbing the charts in terms of popularity, the Next on Netlify plugin lets you build and deploy Next.js applications with server-side rendering, no extra configuration required. [Install Next on Netlify](https://app.netlify.com/plugins/@netlify/plugin-nextjs/install) | [Git repo](https://github.com/netlify/netlify-plugin-nextjs#readme) ### 6\. Next.js Cache Still very popular, the Next.js Cache plugin from Jonah Snider, aka pizzafox, caches the `.next` folder between builds. [Install Next.js Cache plugin](https://app.netlify.com/plugins/netlify-plugin-cache-nextjs/install) | [Git repo](https://github.com/pizzafox/netlify-cache-nextjs) ### 7\. Minify HTML By Phil Hawksworth, this framework-agnostic utility adds HTML minification as a post-processing optimisation. [Install Minify HTML](https://app.netlify.com/plugins/netlify-plugin-minify-html/install) | [Git repo](https://github.com/philhawksworth/netlify-plugin-minify-html#readme) ### 8\. Lighthouse Another fun one in the performance space, the Lighthouse plugin by Netlify Labs generates a Lighthouse audit report for every build, so you can watch for improvements or degradations in page speed as part of your workflow. [Install Lighthouse plugin](https://app.netlify.com/plugins/@netlify/plugin-lighthouse/install) | [Git repo](https://github.com/netlify-labs/netlify-plugin-lighthouse#readme) ### 9\. A11y Build a more accessible web! The A11y plugin by sw-yx runs your critical pages through [Pa11y](https://pa11y.org/) and fails the build if accessibility failures are found. [Install A11y plugin](https://app.netlify.com/plugins/netlify-plugin-a11y/install) | [Git repo](https://github.com/netlify-labs/netlify-plugin-a11y#readme) ### 10\. Inline Critical CSS New to our Top 10 list, the Inline Critical CSS plugin by Tom Bonnike extracts the CSS for above-the-fold content and makes it inline CSS so that content can render as quickly as possible for users. [Install Inline Critical CSS plugin](https://app.netlify.com/plugins/netlify-plugin-inline-critical-css/install) | [Git repo](https://github.com/Tom-Bonnike/netlify-plugin-inline-critical-css#readme) ## Do more with plugins in 2021 First, thank you so much, plugin authors, for bringing these plugins to life! While we’re seeing more framework-specific plugins rise through the ranks, it’s clear that optimizing performance, search, and accessibility remain popular concerns for Netlify developers. Learn more about [what’s possible with plugins](https://www.netlify.com/integrations/). Check out the [updated list of event handlers](https://docs.netlify.com/configure-builds/build-plugins/create-plugins/), from `onPreBuild` to `onEnd`. You may even feel inspired to roll your own! ### Share - [X (fka Twitter)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Top 10 Netlify Build Plugins - 2021 Update&url=https://www.netlify.com/blog/2021/01/25/top-10-netlify-build-plugins-2021-update//) - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.netlify.com%2Fblog%2F2021%2F01%2F25%2Ftop-10-netlify-build-plugins-2021-update%2F%2F) - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://www.netlify.com/blog/2021/01/25/top-10-netlify-build-plugins-2021-update//) - [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Top 10 Netlify Build Plugins - 2021 Update+https://www.netlify.com/blog/2021/01/25/top-10-netlify-build-plugins-2021-update//) * * * ### Tags - [Build Plugins](/blog/tags/build-plugins/) - [Accessibility](/blog/tags/accessibility/) - [Performance](/blog/tags/performance/) - [Next.js](/blog/tags/next.js/) ## Keep reading ![](/images/blog-fallback-thumbnail.svg) Tools & Services June 22, 2020 [ ### Top 10 Netlify Build Plugins ](/blog/2020/06/22/top-10-netlify-build-plugins/) - ![Profile picture of Lauren Sell](/_astro/7d8cc2c59d5dcb8388fee712d59065344c3916c1-80x80_Z1uJpwt.webp) Lauren Sell ![](/images/blog-fallback-thumbnail.svg) Guides & Tutorials January 20, 2021 [ ### How Algolia Created Its Netlify Build Plugin ](/blog/2021/01/20/how-algolia-created-its-netlify-build-plugin/) - ![Profile picture of Sylvain Bellone](/_astro/d46294d05e6883042295e5a98fd5b39a6607bd13-80x80_Z2fDqsk.webp) Sylvain Bellone ## Recent posts News & Announcements June 25, 2026 [ ### Netlify Functions, designed for Agent Experience ](/blog/netlify-functions-designed-for-agent-experience) - ![Profile picture of Eduardo Bouças](/_astro/52958f21e8450baf6d8e60302341a984e220c0cd-512x512_13VDlu.webp) Eduardo Bouças News & Announcements June 24, 2026 [ ### How we measure Netlify’s Agent Experience ](/blog/how-we-measure-netlify-agent-experience) - ![Profile picture of Sean Roberts](/_astro/bbf2243f8171dbddd80ab2103622106cef84d125-512x512_Z1d2LKE.webp) Sean Roberts Guides & Tutorials May 15, 2026 [ ### How to build a real-time AI chatbot in minutes with Netlify Agent Runners (no backend) ](/blog/how-to-build-a-real-time-ai-chatbot-in-minutes-with-netlify-agent-runners-no-backend) - ![Profile picture of Nahrin Jalal](/_astro/f0e7c8f227a03fe58340c99ef5439d5a896c0733-272x272_Z23kDpD.webp) Nahrin Jalal ![](/_astro/3f255b372fa958df35802666ee33b4609b2d71bd-1200x1586_1VtE2D.webp) ### How do the best dev and marketing teams work together? 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