Surge

How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.

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.

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.

10 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 1 listed. 9 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.

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

How often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.

Share of active installs on each version of this plugin · 72% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.

Crossed into this band 12 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 90% of the way through.

1. ★★★★★ adamshand

   10mo ago

   Love this plugin. Works great and couldn’t be simpler.Thank you!

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ Marko Dimitrijević

   1.4y ago

   Absolutely blown away by Surge! This plugin is a game-changer for WordPress performance. I saw an instant boost from 74 to 78 on PageSpeed Insights compared to another caching plugin, simply by activating it. The claim of generating static HTML for quicker requests, faster load times, and a shorter TTFB is spot on. What truly sets it apart is the zero-configuration – it just works out of the box, making it incredibly user friendly. The load test results mentioned are impressive, and it’s clear this plugin delivers on its promises. Huge thanks to Konstantin Kovshenin for this fantastic, no-nonsense performance solution!

   Read on wp.org ↗
3. ★★★★★ skeeterseatery

   2.7y ago

   I wanted to extend my deepest appreciation for your invaluable contribution. Your Surge Cache plugin has revolutionized the performance of my website. Amidst the challenges of compatibility issues between FlyingPress and WP Rocket with Sucuri WAF, your plugin emerged as the beacon of hope. Previously, grappling with other caching plugins led to severe CPU spikes, pushing my site to the brink of breakdowns. While perfmatters provided some relief, I still needed a lightweight page cache plugin to navigate peak traffic periods seamlessly. Enter your Surge Cache plugin. Its seamless integration with my site has not only bolstered its speed but also its overall performance. I am now confident that my website remains steadfast and responsive even during the busiest of times. Thank you, from the depths of my heart, for crafting such an exceptional tool. Your unwavering dedication to enhancing website functionality is truly commendable. With warm regards, Greg

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ silzsyk

   3.1y ago

   Hello, for this plugin to work must the fpassthru function be activated or not? There is a difference? This topic was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by silzsyk.

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ Anonymous

   3.3y ago

   Over the years, I’ve looked at all the top caching plugins, and never found one that I liked. They were either too complex, too finicky, or tried to do too many things. Surge just works, and it works great. Update: I ran some basic performance testing of the same sample content with and without Surge activated.Surge increased my Requests per second by a factor of 21x and reduced my time per request by a factor of 25x. Beyond that, Konstantin has been amazing as far as support goes for a free plugin. Besides addressing issues and requests, he’s gone above-and-beyond at helping work through issues, to the point of looking at where we are using Surge and making additional configuration recommendations. If it were possible to give 6 stars, I would! This topic was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by Jason LeMahieu (MadtownLems). This topic was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by Jason LeMahieu (MadtownLems).

   Read on wp.org ↗
6. ★★★★★ Timi Wahalahti

   3.8y ago

   This plugin works! Install, activate, and check WP_CACHE value and boom – your site is fast!One nice feature that is happening under the hood is caching of specific REST API requests. That makes, for example, dynamic parts of the site with javascript filtering blazingly fast.

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ James

   4.1y ago

   I almost gave up on finding a WP cache plugin that ONLY did that… cache! Everything is bloated with minify, CDN, image optimize, and a bunch of features I just don’t need because we have those taken care of otherwise.

   Read on wp.org ↗
8. ★★★★★ SickNick

   4.6y ago

   I’m using it for 1 month on different sites with different themes and plugins, and some big ones over 150-200GB. Works just perfect!

   Read on wp.org ↗

Recent releases and news for this plugin

1. — Version 1.2.1 Bug fix in SURGE_ config constants Add support for SURGE_CONFIG_CALLBACK 1.2.1
2. — Version 1.2.0 Added fpassthru_alt configuration option for compatibility with hosts that do not support fpassthru Added the cache status to the event system Added a CLI status command Added support for SURGE_ configuration constants U 1.2.0
3. — Version 1.1.0 Improved Multisite compatibility Fixed occasional stat() warnings in cleanup routines Fixed expiration by path being too broad Added a filter for flush actions Feature: added a simple events system for s-maxage and stale 1.1.0
4. — Version 1.0.5 Fix woocommerce_product_title compatibility Honor DONOTCACHEPAGE constant Use built-in is_ssl() WordPress function for better compatibility 1.0.5
5. — Version 1.0.4 Add a WP-CLI command to invalidate/flush page cache Fix redirect loop with Core’s redirect_canonical for ignore_query_vars Fix warnings for requests with empty headers Fix warnings when cron cleanup attempts to read a fi 1.0.4
6. — Version 1.0.3 Invalidate cache when posts_per_page is changed Fix redirect loop with unknown query vars caused by Core’s redirect_canonical Ignore X-Cache and X-Powered-By headers from cache metadata Allow multiple headers with the sa 1.0.3

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1

Translated into 10 languages, 7 at 90% or more

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.

Growth timeline

Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow

1. 2025-10-24 3K+ → 4K+ up after 2 days in tier
2. 2025-10-22 4K+ → 3K+ down after 1 days in tier
3. 2025-10-21 3K+ → 4K+ up after 671 days in tier
4. 2023-12-20 2K+ → 3K+ up after 442 days in tier
5. 2022-10-04 1K+ → 2K+ 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).

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Drop a live Pulse card for Surge into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

Surge: 4K+ active installs, 4.9★ (31 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/surge