Database Cleaner vs Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions
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 one-click database optimiser that deletes revisions (keeping the newest if you like), trash, spam and transients, with scheduling and multisite support.
Choose Database Cleaner if…
- You need leftover plugin tables and autoloaded options control
- You also want leftover options & cron jobs and identify table & option owners
- You want the more complete feature set (79/100 vs 53/100)
- You weigh user ratings (5.0 vs 4.7 on WordPress.org)
Choose Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions if…
- You need limit future revisions
- You prefer the more widely used option
Database Cleaner includes 5 features that Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions lacks, including Leftover plugin tables, Leftover options & cron jobs and Repair tables; Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions has 1 that Database Cleaner lacks, including Limit future revisions. Both include 12 of the 22 features we track.
At a glance
Feature comparison
Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.
Database Cleaner Optimize Database after Deleting RevisionsCleanup7/85/8
Revisions are a core cleanup item, filtered by the age threshold.
Deletes revisions of posts, pages and/or custom post types.
Auto-drafts and deleted (trashed) posts are core cleanup items.
Deletes trashed posts and pages; auto-drafts are removed as orphan post items.
Cleans spam, deleted and unapproved comments, plus pingbacks manually.
Removes spam and trashed comments plus pingbacks/trackbacks, but not unapproved comments.
Expired transients auto-clean; all transients can be removed manually.
Optionally deletes expired transients or all transients.
Removes orphaned and duplicated post, term, user and comment meta and term relationships.
Deletes orphaned post meta and orphaned term relationships only; no comment, user or term meta.
Tables tab flags tables not used by active code and can delete them; Pro improves attribution.
Does not detect tables left behind by removed plugins.
Flags unused options and lists cron jobs for deletion; Pro recognises far more plugins.
No detection of leftover options or cron events.
No Action Scheduler item among the cleanup types.
No Action Scheduler cleanup.
Optimisation3/52/5
Optimise action for selected tables.
Optimises tables after cleanup; InnoDB tables included only if enabled.
Repair tables action, added in 0.7.5.
No table repair function listed.
Options tab shows the autoload flag and lets you switch autoload off per option.
No autoload reporting or switches.
No storage-engine conversion feature.
Can optimise InnoDB tables but does not convert MyISAM to InnoDB.
Cleans existing revisions only; no cap on future revisions.
Each run keeps only the newest X revisions, but it does not change WordPress's own revision limit.
Automation & safety4/54/5
Nyao Sweeper runs background cleaning on a schedule in Pro.
Runs hourly, twice daily, daily or weekly, optionally at a set time; Unix crontab also supported.
Counts per item, an inspect view of the related rows and a confirmation modal before deleting.
Analyze buttons give a summary or detailed report of what would be cleaned.
Age threshold (default 7 days) skips entries newer than the set period.
Keep the newest X revisions or delete only revisions older than X days.
No backup feature; the readme says to back up before use.
No backup feature; the plugin advises making backups first.
Items can be set to Never and core tables are protected; no custom exclusion list.
Exclude specific tables from optimisation and protect posts with a keep_revisions field.
Insights & admin3/42/4
Shows each table's size and a database size history chart.
Reports savings per run and in an exportable log, but no detailed table-size browser.
Free attributes core and common plugins; Pro maps ~5,300 tables and ~59,000 options to owners.
Does not show which plugin created tables or options.
Changelog notes improved multisite support, but network-wide cleaning is not documented.
Network-activate and one run optimises every site in the network.
No WP-CLI commands are registered or documented.
No WP-CLI commands; a PHP file can be called from the Unix crontab instead.
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 |
Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions Free
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Free | Free per year, Unlimited |
Downloads trend
Database Cleaner
13,147 downloads last week
Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions
1,224 downloads last week
Verdict
Database Cleaner scores higher on our feature checklist (79/100 against 53/100) and includes leftover plugin tables, autoloaded options control and leftover options & cron jobs that Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions does not. Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions still has the edge on limit future revisions. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
Database Cleaner: included. Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions: not included. Tables tab flags tables not used by active code and can delete them; Pro improves attribution.
Database Cleaner: included. Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions: not included. Options tab shows the autoload flag and lets you switch autoload off per option.
Database Cleaner: included. Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions: not included. Flags unused options and lists cron jobs for deletion; Pro recognises far more plugins.
Database Cleaner: partial. Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions: not included. Free attributes core and common plugins; Pro maps ~5,300 tables and ~59,000 options to owners.
Database Cleaner: included. Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions: not included. Repair tables action, added in 0.7.5.
Database Cleaner: not included. Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions: partial. Each run keeps only the newest X revisions, but it does not change WordPress's own revision limit.
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.
Compare something else
Database Cleaner vs others
Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions vs others
Advanced Database Cleaner/Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions
Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions/WP-Sweep
Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions/Perfmatters
Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions/WP-Optimize
Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions/WP Rocket Best Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions alternatives →
FAQ
Which is better, Database Cleaner or Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions?
Database Cleaner scores higher on our feature checklist (79/100 against 53/100) and includes leftover plugin tables, autoloaded options control and leftover options & cron jobs that Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions does not. Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions still has the edge on limit future revisions. 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 13 for Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions. 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 Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions free?
Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions has a free version on WordPress.org.
Feature data last changed 11 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit to Database Cleaner or Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions. Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.