Database Cleaner vs WP Rocket
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.
Premium all-in-one caching and performance plugin for WordPress that applies page caching, file optimisation and lazy loading as soon as it is activated.
Choose Database Cleaner if…
- You need orphaned & duplicate metadata and leftover plugin tables
- You also want autoloaded options control and leftover options & cron jobs
- You want the more complete feature set (79/100 vs 38/100)
- You want to start with a free version
Choose WP Rocket if…
- You prefer the more widely used option
Database Cleaner includes 9 features that WP Rocket lacks, including Orphaned & duplicate metadata, Leftover plugin tables and Leftover options & cron jobs. Both include 7 of the 22 features we track. 3 features are not yet verified for one or both plugins.
At a glance
Feature comparison
Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.
Database Cleaner WP RocketCleanup7/84/8
Revisions are a core cleanup item, filtered by the age threshold.
Posts cleanup deletes all post revisions.
Auto-drafts and deleted (trashed) posts are core cleanup items.
Deletes auto-drafts and trashed posts.
Cleans spam, deleted and unapproved comments, plus pingbacks manually.
Deletes spam and trashed comments; unapproved comments are not covered.
Expired transients auto-clean; all transients can be removed manually.
Transients cleanup deletes all transients (no expired-only option).
Removes orphaned and duplicated post, term, user and comment meta and term relationships.
Not among the Database tab cleanup options.
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 cleanup options.
Optimisation3/51/5
Optimise action for selected tables.
Optimize Tables runs OPTIMIZE TABLE; InnoDB tables are skipped.
Repair tables action, added in 0.7.5.
No repair option in the Database tab.
Options tab shows the autoload flag and lets you switch autoload off per option.
No autoloaded options report or toggle in the Database tab.
No storage-engine conversion feature.
No engine conversion tool; InnoDB tables are just skipped.
Cleans existing revisions only; no cap on future revisions.
Automation & safety4/52/5
Nyao Sweeper runs background cleaning on a schedule in Pro.
Automatic cleanup runs the chosen options daily, weekly or monthly via cron.
Counts per item, an inspect view of the related rows and a confirmation modal before deleting.
Settings page shows counts of optimisable items before you run a cleanup.
Age threshold (default 7 days) skips entries newer than the set period.
Cleanups remove every matching item; no keep-recent setting.
No backup feature; the readme says to back up before use.
No built-in backup; docs advise backing up first as changes are irreversible.
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 & admin3/40/4
Shows each table's size and a database size history chart.
Shows item counts, not table sizes or space saved.
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.
No WP-CLI commands are registered or documented.
Free official wp-rocket-cli package adds purge, preload and settings commands.
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 |
WP Rocket Premium
| Single | $59.95 per year, 1 site |
|---|---|
| Plus | $119.95 per year, 3 sites |
| Multi | $299.95 per year, 50 sites |
Downloads trend
Database Cleaner
13,147 downloads last week
WP Rocket
No WordPress.org download data (premium-only plugin).
Verdict
Database Cleaner scores higher on our feature checklist (79/100 against 38/100) and includes orphaned & duplicate metadata, leftover plugin tables and autoloaded options control that WP Rocket does not. Only Database Cleaner has a free version. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
Database Cleaner: included. WP Rocket: not included. Removes orphaned and duplicated post, term, user and comment meta and term relationships.
Database Cleaner: included. WP Rocket: not included. Tables tab flags tables not used by active code and can delete them; Pro improves attribution.
Database Cleaner: included. WP Rocket: not included. Options tab shows the autoload flag and lets you switch autoload off per option.
Database Cleaner: included. WP Rocket: not included. Flags unused options and lists cron jobs for deletion; Pro recognises far more plugins.
Database Cleaner: partial. WP Rocket: not included. Free attributes core and common plugins; Pro maps ~5,300 tables and ~59,000 options to owners.
Database Cleaner: included. WP Rocket: not included. Repair tables action, added in 0.7.5.
Written from the feature, pricing and install data on this page, not from hands-on testing. How we compare.
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FAQ
Which is better, Database Cleaner or WP Rocket?
Database Cleaner scores higher on our feature checklist (79/100 against 38/100) and includes orphaned & duplicate metadata, leftover plugin tables and autoloaded options control that WP Rocket does not. Only Database Cleaner has a free version. 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 7 for WP Rocket. 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 WP Rocket free?
WP Rocket is premium only. Paid plans start at $59.95/yr.
Feature data last changed 11 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit to Database Cleaner or WP Rocket. Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.