W3 Total Cache
by BoldGrid · Performance
Also makes 13 other plugins · 1M+ installs across the portfolio →
Search Engine (SEO) & Performance Optimization (WPO) via caching. Integrated caching: CDN, Page, Minify, Object, Fragment, Database support.
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
no flags
Active installs
900K+
≈990K estimated
Momentum
+12%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “optimize” and “performance” for “memory” and “object cache”. “optimize” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #17. “memory” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “performance” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #15. “object cache” sits at #4 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 1,806 Performance plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.3%
of downloads still active
At least 900K of 67.6M lifetime downloads are still running, in line with its category: the median Performance plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,099 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.
Details
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 12 reviews to 2026-07-13Recent five-star praise for speed and support sits next to unresolved complaints about a security issue met with deleted comments and updates that broke Redis auth or the JSON API.
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: Support resolution
Updated 11 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.4★ over 5,420 reviews, smoothed to 4.40★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
8 of 13 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
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.
54
Momentum
Holding steady
+1.5
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
50%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| w3 total cache | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| total | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| fragment | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| wpo | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| clear cache | #1 | #1 | up 2 |
| cache busting | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| apc | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| w3tc | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| advanced cache | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| cache | #3 | #3 | down 1 |
| cache control | #2 | #2 | up 1 |
| content delivery network | #2 | #2 | up 2 |
| full page cache | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| minify javascript | #2 | #2 | up 6 |
| purge cache | #2 | #2 | up 3 |
| minification | #2 | #2 | up 1 |
| varnish cache | #2 | #2 | up 4 |
| largest contentful paint | #2 | #2 | up 5 |
| caching your tag | #4 | #2 | up 2 |
| pagespeed your tag | #4 | #3 | 0 |
1100 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 968 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Swap “optimize” and “performance” for “memory” and “object cache”. “optimize” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #17. “memory” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “performance” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #15. “object cache” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- One page off on “performance”. #15 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 1.5M · 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
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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.
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 “900K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 9 months ago and the previous band took 10.3 years to cross, so the real count is still just under 1M.
Install history since 1 Jun 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ prolibre4mo ago
An effective plugin with an effective team of developers. / Un plugin efficace avec une équipe de développeur efficace.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ OnePressTech4mo ago
Excellent plugin. Been using it for over a decade with no issues except for one release. Very flexible and powerful.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ remonoesine4mo ago
After installing W3 Total Cache, I noticed a significant improvement in my website’s loading speed. The plugin offers many optimization options and helped reduce page load times, improving the overall user experience. It took a little time to configure properly, but the results were definitely worth it. If you’re serious about improving your WordPress site’s performance, this plugin is an excellent choice.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ theorygeorgiou7mo ago
Worked great for years, I setup redis for page cache and it worked great then one day it will no longer recognize my redis auth (nothing changed) and now I get millions of errors a day making my error logs usesless and changing settings turning off redis, reinstalling the plugin, nothing will stop the errors. This plugin has fucked all our websites that we setup redis for with no communication or acknowledgement from their team.So the plugin works great then you rely on it and get comfortable then after a couple years it breaks your website to try and pressure you to purchase their paid only support. I can’t think of anything more scummy.A.I. search engines, seo, reddit. Anyone looking up this plugin on the internet will see my content warning people about this company going forward. This topic was modified 3 months, 2 weeks ago by theorygeorgiou. This topic was modified 3 months, 2 weeks ago by theorygeorgiou.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ weeix7mo ago
I’ve been a long-time user of W3 Total Cache and have generally appreciated its performance benefits over the years. However, my recent experience with version 2.9.3 was quite concerning. After updating, the JSON API stopped working and I was unable to edit content for a while, which disrupted normal operations. I would strongly recommend more thorough testing before releasing updates, especially for critical functionality. Unfortunately, after this experience, I’m hesitant to continue using or recommending the plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Luca8mo ago
A serious security issue was discovered in the plugin two weeks ago, leaving it vulnerable. No updated version has been released yet. Worst of all, they’re deleting comments requesting updates on this issue. This is unprofessional and arrogant behavior, disregarding the needs of thousands of webmasters and customers. Shame on you! This topic was modified 4 months, 2 weeks ago by Luca.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Lenni9mo ago
It’s powerful on it’s own, and almost mandatory. This topic was modified 5 months ago by Lenni. This topic was modified 5 months ago by Lenni.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ashaman1129mo ago
We had been using the free version of the plugin for a while now and were happy with the speed it provided. So we decided to upgrade to the Pro version. We did run into issues with it causing an error on our site, however, after contacting support the issue was resolved. They went into our site and fixed whatever was causing the error. Happy with the result.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.10.2 Fix: Disk cache: Restore file-locking writes on PHP 8+ Fix: Apache: Limit Options -MultiViews in page cache rules to compatibility mode Fix: Page Cache: Skip storing redirect responses 2.10.2
- — Version 2.10.1 Fix: General Settings: “The link you followed has expired” when emptying all caches Fix: Redis/Memcached/CDN: Restore connection handling after 2.10.0 at-rest credential encryption Fix: At-rest credentials: Defer encrypt 2.10.1
- — Version 2.10.0 Security: Hardened authorization, capability, and request-verification (nonce/CSRF) checks across admin and AJAX endpoints Security: Improved input validation and output escaping to prevent cross-site scripting (XSS) Sec 2.10.0
- — Version 2.9.4 Fix: Output buffering: Reverted to the previous output buffering from 2.9.1 Fix: Cloudflare: Token/Key validation Fix: Prevent mfunc processing bypass by user-agent 2.9.4
- — Version 2.9.3 Fix: Output buffering: Discard nested OB contents for non-HTML responses (JSON/AJAX) to prevent HTML prepended to JSON output Fix: Output buffering: Add wp_die_ajax_handler and wp_die_json_handler filters to properly han 2.9.3
- — Version 2.9.2 Fix: Patch broken access control for Image Service AJAX operations Fix: mfunc dynamic output buffering fatal error causing blank pages Fix: Patch mfunc security vulnerability 2.9.2
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 41 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (2.11.0). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 5.4 W3 Total Cache <= 2.10.7 - Unauthenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Comment Content via Predictable Minify Placeholder ↗2026-10-30 CVE-2026-120019 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.10.7 Patched in 2.11.0
- Patched High · 7.2 W3 Total Cache <= 2.10.7 - Unauthenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Comment Content Cached as HTML after License Expiry ↗2026-10-30 CVE-2026-111254 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.10.7 Patched in 2.11.0
- 2026-10-22 CVE-2026-114178 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.10.7 Patched in 2.11.0
- 2026-10-08 CVE-2026-107321 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory Affects <= 2.10.5 Patched in 2.10.6
- Patched High · 7.2 W3 Total Cache <= 2.10.6 - Unauthenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Comment Content ↗2026-10-01 CVE-2026-87920 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.10.6 Patched in 2.10.7
- Patched High · 7.2 W3 Total Cache <= 2.10.5 - Unauthenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting via LazyLoad Background Mutator ↗2026-09-04 CVE-2026-78438 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.10.5 Patched in 2.10.6
- 2026-08-21 CVE-2026-18051 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory Affects < 2.10.5 Patched in 2.10.5
- Patched High · 7.2 W3 Total Cache <= 2.10.3 - Unauthenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Comment Author Name ↗2026-08-13 CVE-2026-18109 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.10.3 Patched in 2.10.4
- 2026-07-31 CVE-2026-66695 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory Affects <= 2.10.2 Patched in 2.10.3
- Patched High · 7.5 W3 Total Cache <= 2.9.4 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Read via 'f_array[]' Parameter ↗2026-07-10 CVE-2026-9282 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory Affects <= 2.9.4 Patched in 2.10.0
- Patched High · 7.5 W3 Total Cache <= 2.9.3 - Unauthenticated Security Token Exposure via User-Agent Header ↗2026-04-01 CVE-2026-5032 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects <= 2.9.3 Patched in 2.9.4
- 2025-10-27 CVE-2025-9501 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command Affects <= 2.8.12 Patched in 2.8.13
- 2025-01-13 CVE-2024-12008 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects <= 2.8.1 Patched in 2.8.2
- 2024-09-23 CVE-2023-5359 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects <= 2.7.5 Patched in 2.7.6
- 2022-06-20 CVE-2022-31090 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects <= 2.2.2 Patched in 2.2.3
- 2021-06-28 CVE-2021-24436 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 2.1.4 Patched in 2.1.4
- 2021-06-28 CVE-2021-24452 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects 0.5 - 2.1.4 Patched in 2.1.5
- 2021-06-16 CVE-2021-24427 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 2.1.3 Patched in 2.1.3
- 2020-12-22 CVE-2019-6715 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects 0.9.2.6 - 0.9.3 Patched in 0.9.4
- 2020-09-22 CVE-2012-6077 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects <= 0.9.2.4 Patched in 0.9.2.5
- 2020-09-22 CVE-2012-6079 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects <= 0.9.2.4 Patched in 0.9.2.5
- Patched High · 7.5 W3 Total Cache <= 0.9.2.4 - Insecure Cryptography to Sensitive Information Disclosure ↗2020-09-22 CVE-2012-6078 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects <= 0.9.2.4 Patched in 0.9.2.5
- 2019-05-22 Server-Side Request Forgery Affects <= 0.9.7.3 Patched in 0.9.7.4
- 2019-05-07 Improper Input Validation Affects <= 0.9.7.3 Patched in 0.9.7.4
- 2019-05-07 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 0.9.7.3 Patched in 0.9.7.4
- 2016-11-10 Improper Input Validation Affects <= 0.9.4.1 Patched in 0.9.5
- Patched High · 8.6 W3 Total Cache <= 0.9.4 - Server-Side Request Forgery leading to Host Information Disclosure ↗2016-10-31 Server-Side Request Forgery Affects <= 0.9.4 Patched in 0.9.5
- 2016-09-26 Authentication Bypass by Primary Weakness Affects <= 0.9.4.1 Patched in 0.9.5
- 2016-09-26 Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type Affects <= 0.9.4.1 Patched in 0.9.5
- 2016-09-26 Affects <= 0.9.4.1 Patched in 0.9.5
- 2016-09-26 Improper Control of Generation of Code Affects <= 0.9.4.1 Patched in 0.9.5
- 2016-07-29 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 0.9.4.1 Patched in 0.9.5
- 2014-12-16 CVE-2014-8724 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 0.9.4 Patched in 0.9.4.1
- Patched High · 8.8 W3 Total Cache <= 0.9.4 - Cross-Site Request Forgery leading to Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2014-09-08 Cross-Site Request Forgery Affects <= 0.9.4 Patched in 0.9.4.1
- 2014-08-01 CVE-2013-2010 Improper Control of Generation of Code Affects <= 0.9.2.8 Patched in 0.9.2.9
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 61 languages, 13 at 90% or more
Plus 37 more locales with partial translations.
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.
Share of voice
How often each assistant names W3 Total Cache when asked about these topics, where it comes in the answer, and how that compares with its wp.org search position. Latest run 25 Oct 2026.
- Assistants
- ChatGPT, Claude
- Topics tracked
- SEO, Caching, RSS feeds, Performance
Readme readiness
6 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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 29 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 29 of 29 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 Mentions Google Maps, WPML, Cloudflare, REST API and 1 more.
- ✓ Headings and lists 12 headings and 12 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 8,480 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-02-10 1M+ → 900K+ down after 3754 days in tier
- 2015-11-01 900K+ → 1M+ 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).
-
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ installs · 4.8★ · 4 shared tags B -
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ installs · 4.9★ · 3 shared tags A -
Autoptimize 800K+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags A -
Breeze Cache 300K+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags B -
Aruba HiSpeed Cache 100K+ installs · 3.5★ · 3 shared tags B -
10Web Booster – Website speed optimization, Cache & Page Speed optimizer 60K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for W3 Total Cache into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/w3-total-cache" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="W3 Total Cache — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> W3 Total Cache: 900K+ active installs, 4.4★ (5,420 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/w3-total-cache
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