PluginSift

Proxy Cache Purge vs Smart Varnish (2026)

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

Proxy Cache Purge

Proxy Cache Purge

4.4(26)

40K+ active installs

Free

Updated 3 days ago
View Proxy Cache Purge
VS
Smart Varnish

Smart Varnish

5(2)

10 active installs

Free

Updated 9 years ago
View Smart Varnish

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Smart Varnish has a higher user rating (5/5 from 2 reviews) while Proxy Cache Purge leads in active installations (40K+ vs 10). Both are free WordPress plugins. Proxy Cache Purge has accumulated 2.2M+ total downloads while Smart Varnish has 1.9K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.4/5Proxy Cache Purge
►
Smart Varnish5/5
Total Reviews
26Proxy Cache Purge
◄
Smart Varnish2
Active Installs
40K+Proxy Cache Purge
◄
Smart Varnish10
Total Downloads
2.2M+Proxy Cache Purge
◄
Smart Varnish1.9K+
Support Resolution
100%Proxy Cache Purge
Smart VarnishN/A
Last Updated
3 days agoProxy Cache Purge
◄
Smart Varnish9 years ago
First Released
2011Proxy Cache Purge
Smart Varnish2014
Age
15 yearsProxy Cache Purge
Smart Varnish12 years
WP Requires
5.0+Proxy Cache Purge
Smart Varnish3.5+
PHP Requires
5.6+Proxy Cache Purge
Smart Varnishfalse+
Business Model
FreeProxy Cache Purge
Smart VarnishFree
Latest Version
5.9.0Proxy Cache Purge
Smart Varnish1.0.2

Rating Breakdown

Proxy Cache Purge

4.4/5(26 reviews)
5
73%
4
8%
3
12%
2
4%
1
4%

Smart Varnish

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

Recent Reviews

Proxy Cache Purge Reviews

by manuamaro

Finally!

I had lot of problems with cache but this solved them! Thank you.

by Skrlance

Simply Works

The plugin simply works even for all types of cache servers. Only one things bothers me about this plugin is its support for PHP 5.6+ where core itself doesn’t support upto php 7.1 while WordPress rec

by bandsaw12

Age Header Missing

Spent most of the day working on getting this working with a remote NGINX reverse proxy. The plug-in keeps complaining about no age header in the response. Google seems to suggest that etags and age

Smart Varnish Reviews

No reviews yet

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Proxy Cache Purge or Smart Varnish more popular?
Proxy Cache Purge has 40K+ active installations while Smart Varnish has 10. Proxy Cache Purge is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Proxy Cache Purge or Smart Varnish?
Proxy Cache Purge has a 4.4/5 rating from 26 reviews, while Smart Varnish has a 5/5 rating from 2 reviews.
Are Proxy Cache Purge and Smart Varnish free?
Proxy Cache Purge is free and Smart Varnish is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Proxy Cache Purge or Smart Varnish?
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?
Proxy Cache Purge was last updated 3 days ago and Smart Varnish was last updated 9 years ago.

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