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

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 “persistent cache”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 3 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

Clear Cache Everywhere shows at wp.org #8 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Site Reviews places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 376 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Redis Object Cache 500K+ · 4.5★ (179) wp.org #1 2

Docket Cache – Object Cache Accelerator 20K+ · 4.9★ (50) wp.org #2 3

SQLite Object Cache 10K+ · 5.0★ (51) wp.org #3 4

atec Cache APCu 3K+ · 4.9★ (21) thin reviews wp.org #4 5

Comet Cache 20K+ · 4.4★ (108) wp.org #12 ↓2 7 too low 6

SpeedyCache – Cache, Optimization, Performance 500K+ · 4.4★ (30) host-installed base wp.org #6 1 too high 8

xSpeed Cache: AI-Powered Performance Hub with MCP, Caching & CDN 10K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews wp.org #10 ↑1 2 too low 9

Site Reviews 60K+ · 4.9★ (376) wp.org #24 ↓4 15 too low 10

Hosting Benchmark tool 4K+ · 4.7★ (33) wp.org #14 ↓2 4 too low 11

Easy Optimizer – PageSpeed, Cache & Core Web Vitals (Unused CSS, Delay JS, Lazy Load) 1K+ · 4.6★ (18) thin reviews wp.org #13 ↑3 2 too low 12

FAZ Cookie Manager 3K+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #21 ↓1 9 too low 13

The Cache Purger 1K+ · 4.5★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #5 8 too high 14

Pods Alternative Cache 5K+ · 4.3★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #7 7 too high 15

LWS Optimize – All-in-One Speed Booster & Cache Tools 20K+ · 4.6★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓2 2 too low 16

Cache Cleaner X-Ray – Performance & Database Diagnostics 200+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #11 5 too high 17

AjaxPress – SPA & Ajax Navigation with Persistent Audio Player for Radio 100+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too low 18

APCu Manager 10K+ · 4.6★ (20) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓1 4 too low 19

Nginx Cache Purge Preload 200+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #16 ↓3 3 too high 20

Wonder Cache 20+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too high 21

Clear Cache Everywhere 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #8 13 too high 22

Pantheon Advanced Page Cache 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #9 13 too high 23

{eac}ObjectCache – a persistent object cache using SQLite & APCu to cache WordPress objects. 10+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #23 24

Object Cache for APCu – ZapCu 300+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↑1 4 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.