Memcached Object Cache
by Mark Jaquith · Performance
Also makes 28 other plugins · 165K+ installs across the portfolio →
Use memcached and the PECL memcache extension to provide a backing store for the WordPress object cache.
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
D 43/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
10+
≈17 estimated
Momentum
+8%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Add “memcache” to your wp.org tags. You rank #16 for it without listing it, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 2 listed it's a slot worth spending.
43 health vs 69 average across 1,807 Performance plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.0%
of downloads still active
At least 10 of 179.6K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Performance plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,101 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.
Removal-risk signals
53/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 3+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Falling behind WordPress. Tested up to WordPress 6.1.16.
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.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 1453 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.1.16; the current branch is 6.8
3.8★ over 28 reviews, smoothed to 3.99★
2 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 1453 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
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.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| memcache | #16 | #14 | down 2 |
| cache your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| memcached your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Add “memcache” to your wp.org tags. You rank #16 for it without listing it, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 2 listed it's a slot worth spending.
Daily downloads
Since 6 Oct 2022 · 1,486 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 6.4K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #30,100 to #45,000, alongside the other plugins at 10+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 21 Oct 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
4.0y ago
latest release · v4.0.0 · 8 Nov 2022
13
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. 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 “10+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 4 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 70% of the way through.
Install history since 20 Mar 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ rambillo3.0y ago
Install is not like other plugins — and in fact if you do upload it to plugins and then activate it, it’ll bring your site down in many cases. You can upload it (but don’t activate!) and then use the server side to move the plugin file manually into wp-content (and then delete the uploaded plugin folder and readme.txt). But that’s not enough to make the whole thing work! You also need memcached running on your server and properly configured, and the pecl memcache extension compiled on the server side in your php configuration, too. Make sure to use a unique salt as well. Once it’s all there, the speed improvement is significant! Happy to try and help those that respond to this thread if you need — or at least try to get you pointed in the right direction. Thanks for the plugin, devs! Appreciate as you update and keep current as well!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kalagan803.2y ago
Unable to install the plugin : application not recognized.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ terrykernan3.5y ago
Tip for others here, if you are getting this error: “Cannot redeclare wp_cache_add” It probably means you have the object-cache.php file in the wrong directory, it should not be in the plugins/memcached/ folder, it should be moved to the wp-content folder!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ legarsfred3.6y ago
Fatal error: Cannot redeclare wp_cache_add() (previously declared in /htdocs/wp-includes/cache.php:41) in /htdocs/wp-content/plugins/memcached/object-cache.php on line 19
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Miguel3.7y ago
It works well even with WPRocket Cache plugin. If you get fatal errors don’t forget to install PECL memcache module to PHP.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Alex Volkov3.7y ago
Fatal error: Cannot redeclare wp_cache_add() (previously declared in /home/accessib/public_html/wp-includes/cache.php:41) in /public_html/wp-content/plugins/memcached/object-cache.php on line 19
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sibermedya3.8y ago
Php 7.4 Cannot redeclare wp_cache_add() (previously declared in C:\xampp\htdocs\wp-includes\cache.php:41) in C:\xampp\htdocs\wp-content\plugins\memcached\object-cache.php on line 19
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Daschmi3.9y ago
Not working PHP8
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.4.8 · WP 5.8
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 8 languages, 7 at 90% or more
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
2 of 8 pass · checked 27 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Use memcached and the PECL memcache extension to provide a backing store for the WordPress object cache."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! 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 149 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 2 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-07-14 20+ → 10+ down after 295 days in tier
- 2025-09-22 30+ → 20+ down after 5 days in tier
- 2025-09-17 20+ → 30+ up after 23 days in tier
- 2025-08-25 30+ → 20+ down after 68 days in tier
- 2025-06-18 20+ → 30+ up after 26 days in tier
- 2025-05-23 30+ → 20+ down after 28 days in tier
- 2025-04-25 20+ → 30+ up after 92 days in tier
- 2025-01-23 30+ → 20+ down after 351 days in tier
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).
-
Object Cache 4 everyone 5K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags A - M MemcacheD Is Your Friend 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
- B Batcache 700+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Cache Master 400+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D - M Memcached Redux 100+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
- W WP Memcached Manager 50+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Memcached Object Cache into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/memcached" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Memcached Object Cache — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Memcached Object Cache: 10+ active installs, 3.8★ (28 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/memcached
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