Cachebuster
by Albert Peschar · Performance
Also makes 1 other plugin · 11K+ installs across the portfolio →
Stop force refreshing or clearing your browsers cache by preventing caching of stale files.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
A 86/100
Few reviews
Active installs
1K+
≈1.9K estimated
Momentum
+21%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “cache” isn't earning a slot. You list it, but you're not in the first 24 results for that search. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
86 health vs 69 average across 1,809 Performance plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →5.7%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 17.7K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Performance plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,105 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Performance plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 2 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Excellent listing optimization
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 80 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 6 reviews, smoothed to 4.20★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
38
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.2
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
20%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.7
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| cachebuster your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| modification time your tag | #4 | #12 | 0 |
| cache busting your tag | #6 | #10 | down 1 |
| timestamp your tag | #9 | #22 | down 1 |
| busting | #6 | #7 | 0 |
| modification | #10 | #18 | — |
| cache your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
11 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 6 listed. 5 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “cache” isn't earning a slot. You list it, but you're not in the first 24 results for that search. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 2.8K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
2
releases in the last 12 months
3mo ago
latest release · v1.10 · 13 Aug 2026
10
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “1K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3.9 years ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 90% of the way through.
Install history since 15 Aug 2022
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ CleanCode1.2y ago
A plugin that you must install. I can’t build a site without installing this plugin. I hope it gets updated regularly and supports newer versions of WordPress. I love you Albert Peschar.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ deffo2.7y ago
This plugin is awesome. Solved my problem of css version in a flash. It should be by default in wordpress installation.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Ross3.8y ago
Seems to work well as intended!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ chicagolandcoders4.4y ago
This logic of adding a hash based on last edited date is pure genius and keeps our clients from seeing broken sites.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jesse Sugden5.0y ago
Amazing that it only has 100+ installs. Life was so much harder when I had to tell clients to clear their browser cache all the time, and users had a bad experience until their browser cache was refreshed. This plugin completely removes those hassles. Thanks a lot.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ rtpHarry5.6y ago
This plugin has been amazing. Gone are the days where I have to tell the client “if something doesn’t look right then try refreshing the page, clearing the cache or using an incognito tab”.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.6.2
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
1 of 8 pass · checked 26 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Stop force refreshing or clearing your browsers cache by preventing caching of stale files."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 317 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("cache busting", "cachebuster", "timestamp" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2022-12-16 900+ → 1K+ up after 73 days in tier
- 2022-10-04 800+ → 900+ up
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
- S Super Light Cache Buster 1K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags B
-
WP Super Cache 1M+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag A -
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A -
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
SpeedyCache – Cache, Optimization, Performance 500K+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag B -
Breeze Cache 300K+ installs · 3.6★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Cachebuster into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/cachebuster" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Cachebuster — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Cachebuster: 1K+ active installs, 5.0★ (6 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/cachebuster
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