PluginSift

Proxy Cache Purge vs Purge Varnish Cache (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 2 days ago
View Proxy Cache Purge
VS
Purge Varnish Cache

Purge Varnish Cache

5(10)

2.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 2 years ago
View Purge Varnish Cache

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Purge Varnish Cache has a higher user rating (5/5 from 10 reviews) while Proxy Cache Purge leads in active installations (40K+ vs 2.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Proxy Cache Purge has accumulated 2.2M+ total downloads while Purge Varnish Cache has 56K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.4/5Proxy Cache Purge
►
Purge Varnish Cache5/5
Total Reviews
26Proxy Cache Purge
◄
Purge Varnish Cache10
Active Installs
40K+Proxy Cache Purge
◄
Purge Varnish Cache2.0K+
Total Downloads
2.2M+Proxy Cache Purge
◄
Purge Varnish Cache56K+
Support Resolution
100%Proxy Cache Purge
Purge Varnish CacheN/A
Last Updated
2 days agoProxy Cache Purge
◄
Purge Varnish Cache2 years ago
First Released
2011Proxy Cache Purge
Purge Varnish Cache2016
Age
15 yearsProxy Cache Purge
Purge Varnish Cache10 years
WP Requires
5.0+Proxy Cache Purge
Purge Varnish Cache4.0+
PHP Requires
5.6+Proxy Cache Purge
Purge Varnish Cachefalse+
Business Model
FreeProxy Cache Purge
Purge Varnish CacheFree
Latest Version
5.9.0Proxy Cache Purge
Purge Varnish Cache2.6

Rating Breakdown

Proxy Cache Purge

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

Purge Varnish Cache

5/5(10 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

Purge Varnish Cache Reviews

by stratoextra

Does Exactly What it Should

Does exactly what it should and still works with WordPress 6.7.2.

by Igor Kovacic

Possible malware – images/purge16x16.png

EDIT: Resolved very quick. We’ve just finished scanning of our website, and malware scanner reported file wp-content/plugins/purge-varnish/images/purge16x16.png If you open that file in text editor, y

by pradipktiwari

Functional and very useful plugin

This Plugin works perfectly now with wordpress version 5.2 and Varnish 6.x, and I’m very happy using it. The only working plugin for me.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Proxy Cache Purge or Purge Varnish Cache more popular?
Proxy Cache Purge has 40K+ active installations while Purge Varnish Cache has 2.0K+. Proxy Cache Purge is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Proxy Cache Purge or Purge Varnish Cache?
Proxy Cache Purge has a 4.4/5 rating from 26 reviews, while Purge Varnish Cache has a 5/5 rating from 10 reviews.
Are Proxy Cache Purge and Purge Varnish Cache free?
Proxy Cache Purge is free and Purge Varnish Cache is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Proxy Cache Purge or Purge Varnish Cache?
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 2 days ago and Purge Varnish Cache was last updated 2 years ago.

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