Database Cleaner vs LiteSpeed Cache
Updated 11 Oct 2026. 22 features compared side by side.
Meow Apps' database cleaner for large sites: core cleanup, table, option and cron browsers with ownership hints, and a Pro background sweeper.
Free server-level cache and optimisation suite from LiteSpeed Technologies; full-page caching needs a LiteSpeed web server or QUIC.cloud CDN.
Choose Database Cleaner if…
- You need scheduled cleanup and leftover plugin tables
- You also want leftover options & cron jobs and identify table & option owners
- You want the more complete feature set (79/100 vs 44/100)
- You weigh user ratings (5.0 vs 4.8 on WordPress.org)
Choose LiteSpeed Cache if…
- You need convert to InnoDB and WP-CLI
- You prefer the more widely used option
Database Cleaner includes 7 features that LiteSpeed Cache lacks, including Leftover plugin tables, Leftover options & cron jobs and Repair tables; LiteSpeed Cache has 2 that Database Cleaner lacks, including Convert to InnoDB and WP-CLI. Both include 10 of the 22 features we track.
At a glance
Feature comparison
Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.
Cleanup7/85/8
Revisions are a core cleanup item, filtered by the age threshold.
Free DB Optimizer cleans post revisions.
Auto-drafts and deleted (trashed) posts are core cleanup items.
Separate cleanups for auto-drafts and trashed posts.
Cleans spam, deleted and unapproved comments, plus pingbacks manually.
Cleans spam and trashed comments plus trackbacks/pingbacks; not unapproved ones.
Expired transients auto-clean; all transients can be removed manually.
Clears expired transients or all transients.
Removes orphaned and duplicated post, term, user and comment meta and term relationships.
Removes orphaned post meta only; no comment, user or term meta cleanup.
Tables tab flags tables not used by active code and can delete them; Pro improves attribution.
No tool for leftover plugin tables.
Flags unused options and lists cron jobs for deletion; Pro recognises far more plugins.
No cleanup of leftover plugin options or cron events.
No Action Scheduler item among the cleanup types.
Action Scheduler data is not among the Manage tab cleanups.
Optimisation3/53/5
Optimise action for selected tables.
Optimize Tables runs separately from Clean All.
Repair tables action, added in 0.7.5.
No table repair option in the DB Optimizer.
Options tab shows the autoload flag and lets you switch autoload off per option.
Database Summary lists the top 20 autoloaded options by size, but cannot switch them off.
No storage-engine conversion feature.
Table Engine Converter lists MyISAM tables with a Convert to InnoDB link.
Cleans existing revisions only; no cap on future revisions.
Revision settings only control what cleanup keeps, not how many WordPress stores.
Automation & safety4/52/5
Nyao Sweeper runs background cleaning on a schedule in Pro.
No built-in cleanup schedule; WP-CLI commands could be run from server cron.
Counts per item, an inspect view of the related rows and a confirmation modal before deleting.
Status icons show which areas need cleaning; no item-level preview.
Age threshold (default 7 days) skips entries newer than the set period.
Revisions Max Number and Max Age keep recent revisions during cleanup.
No backup feature; the readme says to back up before use.
No built-in backup step before cleanups.
Items can be set to Never and core tables are protected; no custom exclusion list.
No option to exclude tables or items from cleanup.
Insights & admin3/42/4
Shows each table's size and a database size history chart.
No per-table size or space-saved report.
Free attributes core and common plugins; Pro maps ~5,300 tables and ~59,000 options to owners.
Does not show which plugin owns a table or option.
Changelog notes improved multisite support, but network-wide cleaning is not documented.
Database tools run network-wide from Network Admin or per subsite.
No WP-CLI commands are registered or documented.
wp litespeed-database commands clean posts, comments, transients and optimise tables.
Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?
Pricing compared
Database Cleaner Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Free | Free per year, Unlimited |
| Starter | $39 per year, 1 site |
| Standard | $59 per year, 5 sites |
| Professional | $99 per year, 20 sites |
| Developer Life | $499 lifetime, 500 sites |
| Agency Life | $799 lifetime, 2500 sites |
LiteSpeed Cache Free
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| LiteSpeed Cache plugin | Free lifetime, Unlimited |
| QUIC.cloud Free | Free per month, 1 site |
Downloads trend
Database Cleaner
13,147 downloads last week
LiteSpeed Cache
429,205 downloads last week
Verdict
Database Cleaner scores higher on our feature checklist (79/100 against 44/100) and includes scheduled cleanup, leftover plugin tables and leftover options & cron jobs that LiteSpeed Cache does not. LiteSpeed Cache still has the edge on convert to InnoDB and WP-CLI. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
Database Cleaner: paid version (Starter). LiteSpeed Cache: not included. Nyao Sweeper runs background cleaning on a schedule in Pro.
Database Cleaner: included. LiteSpeed Cache: not included. Tables tab flags tables not used by active code and can delete them; Pro improves attribution.
Database Cleaner: included. LiteSpeed Cache: not included. Flags unused options and lists cron jobs for deletion; Pro recognises far more plugins.
Database Cleaner: partial. LiteSpeed Cache: not included. Free attributes core and common plugins; Pro maps ~5,300 tables and ~59,000 options to owners.
Database Cleaner: included. LiteSpeed Cache: not included. Repair tables action, added in 0.7.5.
Database Cleaner: not included. LiteSpeed Cache: included. Table Engine Converter lists MyISAM tables with a Convert to InnoDB link.
Written from the feature, pricing and install data on this page, not from hands-on testing. How we compare.
Which would you choose?
0 votes so far. Vote to see the results.
FAQ
Which is better, Database Cleaner or LiteSpeed Cache?
Database Cleaner scores higher on our feature checklist (79/100 against 44/100) and includes scheduled cleanup, leftover plugin tables and leftover options & cron jobs that LiteSpeed Cache does not. LiteSpeed Cache still has the edge on convert to InnoDB and WP-CLI. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Which has more features?
Database Cleaner includes 17 of the 22 features we track, against 12 for LiteSpeed Cache. Feature count is only part of the picture; check which of the differences matter to you.
Is Database Cleaner free?
Database Cleaner has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $39/yr.
Is LiteSpeed Cache free?
LiteSpeed Cache has a free version on WordPress.org.
Feature data last changed 11 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit to Database Cleaner or LiteSpeed Cache. Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.