Smart Varnish
by Smartpixels · Performance
Also makes 2 other plugins · 20+ installs across the portfolio →
Varnish cache bypass plugin.
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 45/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
10+
≈15 estimated
Momentum
-5%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “varnish”, “varnish bypass” and “varnish cache” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
45 health vs 69 average across 1,808 Performance plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.5%
of downloads still active
At least 10 of 2.1K lifetime downloads are still running, below 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.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance 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 10+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.6.0, well behind 6.8.
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 3714 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.6.0; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 2 reviews, smoothed to 4.13★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description under 30 characters
To rank higher: Last updated 3714 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| varnish your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| varnish bypass your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| varnish cache your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| varnish caching your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “varnish”, “varnish bypass” and “varnish cache” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 53 · 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.
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
10.2y ago
latest release · v1.0.2 · 30 Aug 2016
2
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 4.2 years ago; the previous band took 4 years to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 22 Feb 2018
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ General Seed11.8y ago
Thanks for varnish plugin, keep update please.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dskvr11.9y ago
Fixes the issue with Varnish running when trying to manage the site. Particularly useful when in “maintenance mode.” Cheers!
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.4
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
3 of 8 pass · checked 31 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description is 28 characters, too short to say what the plugin does.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 4 of 4 read like questions a user would type.
- ! 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 488 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 4 tags appear in the text; "varnish bypass" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2022-08-16 20+ → 10+ down after 1443 days in tier
- 2018-09-03 30+ → 20+ down
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).
-
CLP Varnish Cache 10K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags B -
Is Varnish Working? 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
Proxy Cache Purge 50K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag A -
Purge Varnish Cache 1K+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag B -
Fastcache by Host.it 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag B -
Varnish/Nginx Proxy Caching 600+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Smart Varnish into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/smart-varnish" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Smart Varnish — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Smart Varnish: 10+ active installs, 5.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/smart-varnish
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