PluginSift

Force Refresh vs Merge + Minify + Refresh (2026)

Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.

Force Refresh

Force Refresh

5(12)

4.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 3 weeks ago
View Force Refresh
VS
Merge + Minify + Refresh

Merge + Minify + Refresh

4.2(68)

4.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 2 months ago
View Merge + Minify + Refresh

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Force Refresh has a higher user rating (5/5 from 12 reviews) and leads in active installations (4.0K+ vs 4.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Force Refresh has accumulated 131K+ total downloads while Merge + Minify + Refresh has 443K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
5/5Force Refresh
◄
Merge + Minify + Refresh4.2/5
Total Reviews
12Force Refresh
►
Merge + Minify + Refresh68
Active Installs
4.0K+Force Refresh
Merge + Minify + Refresh4.0K+
Total Downloads
131K+Force Refresh
►
Merge + Minify + Refresh443K+
Support Resolution
50%Force Refresh
Merge + Minify + RefreshN/A
Last Updated
3 weeks agoForce Refresh
◄
Merge + Minify + Refresh2 months ago
First Released
2017Force Refresh
Merge + Minify + Refresh2015
Age
9 yearsForce Refresh
Merge + Minify + Refresh11 years
WP Requires
6.3+Force Refresh
Merge + Minify + Refresh6.4.0+
PHP Requires
8.2+Force Refresh
Merge + Minify + Refresh7.4+
Business Model
FreeForce Refresh
Merge + Minify + RefreshFree
Latest Version
2.16.1Force Refresh
Merge + Minify + Refresh2.15

Rating Breakdown

Force Refresh

5/5(12 reviews)
5
100%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
0%

Merge + Minify + Refresh

4.2/5(68 reviews)
5
74%
4
6%
3
4%
2
1%
1
15%

Recent Reviews

Force Refresh Reviews

by Jack Climax

Works perfectly

Best Plugin to remotely refresh all without disabling or clearing CDN caches

by laserstore

Fantastic plugin and support!

Excellent tool and amazing support! Thanks for the great work with the community!

by stv11c

Works well

Nice Plugin, thank you! It would be great to have a few more visibility settings in the Tools > Force Refresh section. For example, show/hide for Posts, Pages, CPTs. I have hidden it on Posts from the

Merge + Minify + Refresh Reviews

by Marisa

good plugin

I used a website speed test to look at the differences before and after installing this plugin. Of course I waited a while for the merging and minifying to take effect i.e. I visited my website and mo

by thorsenrune

Works with caveats

It seems to me that: * if the CSS files has @includes it will not work. The option to skip CSS seems to be ignored * If the site is password protected (htpasswd protected site) the minifying part will

by Adnan Afzal

Great plugin.

Great plugin. Works as expected. Thank you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Force Refresh or Merge + Minify + Refresh more popular?
Force Refresh has 4.0K+ active installations while Merge + Minify + Refresh has 4.0K+. Merge + Minify + Refresh is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Force Refresh or Merge + Minify + Refresh?
Force Refresh has a 5/5 rating from 12 reviews, while Merge + Minify + Refresh has a 4.2/5 rating from 68 reviews.
Are Force Refresh and Merge + Minify + Refresh free?
Force Refresh is free and Merge + Minify + Refresh is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Force Refresh or Merge + Minify + Refresh?
Support resolution data is not available for all plugins. Check each plugin's WordPress.org support forum for current response quality.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Force Refresh was last updated 3 weeks ago and Merge + Minify + Refresh was last updated 2 months ago.

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.