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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “cache clean”

wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →

For “cache clean”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 2 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.

wp.org search ranks on

Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.

We add

A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

The Cache Purger shows at wp.org #13 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Advanced Database Cleaner – Optimize & Clean Database to Speed Up Site Performance places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 1962 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #1 2 W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420) wp.org #2 3 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #3 4 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517) wp.org #6 7 Docket Cache – Object Cache Accelerator 20K+ · 4.9★ (50) wp.org #7 8 Clean Login 5K+ · 4.7★ (144) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Media Cleaner: Delete Unused Images & Clean Your Media Library 90K+ · 4.6★ (779) wp.org #14 ↓4 5 too low 10 Advanced Database Cleaner – Optimize & Clean Database to Speed Up Site Performance 100K+ · 4.9★ (1962) wp.org #19 ↓4 9 too low 11 Asset CleanUp: Page Speed Booster 100K+ · 4.9★ (1564) wp.org #18 ↑1 7 too low 12 Breeze Cache 300K+ · 3.6★ (133) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 Hyper Cache 7K+ · 4.5★ (82) wp.org #16 ↑1 3 too low 14 atec Cache APCu 3K+ · 4.9★ (21) wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too high 15 SpeedyCache – Cache, Optimization, Performance 500K+ · 4.4★ (30) wp.org #10 ↑1 5 too high 16 atec Cache Info 1K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #11 ↑1 5 too high 17 Cache Warmer 1K+ · 4.8★ (19) wp.org #15 ↑1 2 too high 18 FastPixel Cache – Optimize Page Speed: Compress Images, Minify, Clean Database & CDN 4K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 xSpeed Cache: AI-Powered Performance Hub with MCP, Caching & CDN 10K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 Cache Cleaner X-Ray – Performance & Database Diagnostics 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #17 ↑1 3 too high 21 The Cache Purger 1K+ · 4.5★ (6) wp.org #13 ↑1 8 too high 22 Cache Using Gzip 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 Disable CSS JS Cache 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 24 Pantheon Advanced Page Cache 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 2 too high

Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.