Menu Caching
by Theo Gkitsos · Performance
This plugin caches WordPress classic menus to improve page loading time.
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
400+
≈480 estimated
Momentum
-18%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “menu cache” for “classic menus”. “menu cache” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “classic menus” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
86 health vs 69 average across 1,808 Performance plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.3%
of downloads still active
At least 400 of 12.3K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Performance plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,103 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 1 release 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 63 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 4 reviews, smoothed to 4.17★ 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
-0.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
17%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| menu caching your tag | #1 | #3 | 0 |
| classic menus | #5 | #13 | 0 |
| caching your tag | #7 | #23 | down 2 |
| wordpress caching | #6 | #23 | 0 |
| speed up menu your tag | #19 | #21 | 0 |
| any caching plugin | #8 | #22 | down 1 |
| page caching | #10 | #21 | down 1 |
| menu cache your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| wordpress menu your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
34 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 7 listed. 27 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “menu cache” for “classic menus”. “menu cache” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “classic menus” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 785 · 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.
1
releases in the last 12 months
2mo ago
latest release · v1.1.5 · 29 Aug 2026
7
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 “400+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 months ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 500.
Install history since 13 Aug 2022
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ clementrectangle4.3y ago
Thanks for this plugin ! I’m currently trying to optimize some big e-commerce websites, and I installed the New Relic tool on our test server to analyze what is slowing done the page loading. Turns out the navbar menu generation is pretty heavy in WordPress, with a big menu it adds around 500-600 ms on the page load. With this plugin on, it’s gone ! On the production website, we’re using WP Rocket, but some pages (cart, checkout, …) aren’t cached, and this is where this plugin is a must have. The compatibility with WP Rocket and WPML is a big plus ! My only concern now is that I hope the plugin author will continue to update it in the coming months/years, could you give me any informations about your plans regarding updates ? Thanks again anyway, very pleased by this easy 600ms win ! 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Vu Tru So4.4y ago
Good plugin, thank you so much!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ teeboy4real4.4y ago
This plugin is absolutely awesome so much thanks to the developer
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jimmy Lee4.7y ago
Have never seen such care taken in releasing a little plugin like this. Beautiful, well thought out Description with NO Type-O’s! Beautiful UI. Everything working perfectly. No conflicts on a site currently running 53 other plugins! Sweet Plugin I hope goes far! Thanks Theo and Best Wishes! 5-Stars!
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.7.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 4 languages, 3 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
7 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "This plugin caches WordPress classic menus to improve page loading time."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 8 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 8 of 8 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you have"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Block editor, WPML, TranslatePress.
- ✓ Headings and lists 5 headings and 4 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 5,458 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "speed up menu" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-08-14 500+ → 400+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-08-13 400+ → 500+ up after 5 days in tier
- 2026-08-08 500+ → 400+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-08-07 400+ → 500+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-08-05 500+ → 400+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2026-08-02 400+ → 500+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2026-07-30 500+ → 400+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-07-29 400+ → 500+ up after 1 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).
-
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag B -
WP Super Cache 1M+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag A -
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ installs · 4.1★ · 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 -
W3 Total Cache 900K+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag A -
Redis Object Cache 500K+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Menu Caching into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/menu-caching" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Menu Caching — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Menu Caching: 400+ active installs, 5.0★ (4 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/menu-caching
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