Advanced Database Cleaner
Freemium WordPress database cleaner with previews, keep-last-X-days rules, scheduled tasks and table tools; Premium adds orphan detection.
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Database Cleaner
Meow Apps' database cleaner for large sites: core cleanup, table, option and cron browsers with ownership hints, and a Pro background sweeper.
Free installs10K+WordPress.org, active
Est. Pro installs~600Likely 300–1.2K
Rating5.0/5150 reviews
Price from$39/yrFreemium
Last updated30 Oct 2026Version 1.4.8
Overview
Database Cleaner by Jordy Meow (Meow Apps, also behind Media Cleaner and AI Engine) is a newer take on WordPress database housekeeping, built with large databases in mind. Heavy jobs are split into small asynchronous batches so cleanups and size calculations do not hit PHP time limits, and the plugin records database size over time so you can see what is growing.
How it works
The interface has an Easy Mode with a single Auto Clean button and an Expert Mode with tabs for WordPress core items, post types, tables, options, cron jobs and metadata. Core items include revisions, auto-drafts, deleted posts, spam, trashed and unapproved comments, pingbacks, orphaned and duplicated post, term, user and comment meta, orphaned term relationships, unused terms, oEmbed caches and expired or all transients. Each item can be set to Auto, Manual or Never, shows a count you can inspect, and respects an age threshold (seven days by default) so recent data is kept.
The tables tab shows every table’s size, flags tables not used by anything active, and can optimise, repair or delete them, with WordPress core tables protected. The options tab lets you inspect values, delete unused entries and switch autoload off. An optional integration with AI Engine exposes MCP tools so an AI assistant can review and clean the database with you confirming each step.
Free vs Pro
The free version recognises WordPress core and common plugins. Pro adds a curated map that links around 5,300 tables, 59,000 options, 1,800 cron jobs and 1,500 post types to the plugin or theme that registers them, plus the Nyao Sweeper, which cleans automatically in the background on a schedule. Pro costs $39 a year for one site, $59 for five or $99 for twenty, with lifetime licences from $249.
Limitations
- No Action Scheduler cleanup, InnoDB conversion or WP-CLI commands.
- Scheduled cleaning requires Pro.
- No built-in backup; back up before deleting tables or options.
- Smaller install base than older rivals, and requires PHP 8.1.
Who should pick it: owners of large or long-lived sites who want to see which plugin owns each table and option and clean in safe batches.
Best for: Large or long-lived sites that need to find out which plugin owns each table and option and clean in safe batches.
Database Cleaner is a modern, well-maintained option whose batched processing and ownership hints suit big databases. The free version handles core cleanup and table/option management well, but automation and the full plugin-ownership map require Pro, and there is no Action Scheduler or command-line support.
Pros
- Batched asynchronous cleanup copes with very large databases
- Free table, option, cron and post type browsers with sizes
- Age threshold and per-item Auto/Manual/Never modes
- Covers spam, trashed and unapproved comments plus duplicated meta
- Pro ownership map links thousands of tables and options to their plugins
- Optional AI Engine MCP tools for assisted cleanup
Cons
- Background scheduled cleaning (Nyao Sweeper) is Pro-only
- No Action Scheduler cleanup, InnoDB conversion or WP-CLI
- Lifetime licences are pricier than some rivals
- Smaller user base (10K+) than older database cleaners
Key features
What Database Cleaner highlights on its WordPress.org page and its own website, split by version.
Free version WordPress.org
- Easy Mode one-click Auto Clean
- Expert Mode with detailed tabs
- Revisions, auto-drafts and deleted posts
- Spam, trashed and unapproved comments
- Orphaned and duplicated meta cleanup
- Expired or all transients
- Age threshold to keep recent data
- Table sizes, optimise, repair and delete
- Options browser with autoload switch
- Cron jobs and post type cleanup
- Database size history chart
- Batched processing for big databases
- AI Engine MCP tools
Pro / paid adds From $39/yr
- Ownership map for ~5,300 tables
- Recognises ~59,000 plugin options
- Cron job and post type attribution
- Nyao Sweeper background cleaning
- Scheduled automatic cleanup
- Advanced analysis and detection
- Lifetime licence options
- Support from Meow Apps
Feature checklist
17 of 22 features we track in Database Optimization, feature score 79/100
Cleanup 7/8
Post revisions Key
Delete old post and page revisions.
Revisions are a core cleanup item, filtered by the age threshold.
Included
Auto-drafts & trashed posts
Remove auto-drafts and emptied trash.
Auto-drafts and deleted (trashed) posts are core cleanup items.
Included
Spam & trashed comments
Delete spam, trashed and unapproved comments.
Cleans spam, deleted and unapproved comments, plus pingbacks manually.
Included
Expired transients Key
Remove expired (or all) transients.
Expired transients auto-clean; all transients can be removed manually.
Included
Orphaned & duplicate metadata Key
Remove post, comment, user and term meta with no parent.
Removes orphaned and duplicated post, term, user and comment meta and term relationships.
Included
Leftover plugin tables Key
Find and delete tables left behind by removed plugins.
Tables tab flags tables not used by active code and can delete them; Pro improves attribution.
Included
Leftover options & cron jobs
Find options and scheduled tasks left by removed plugins.
Flags unused options and lists cron jobs for deletion; Pro recognises far more plugins.
Included
Action Scheduler logs
Clean WooCommerce Action Scheduler completed actions and logs.
No Action Scheduler item among the cleanup types.
Not included
Optimisation 3/5
Optimise tables Key
Run OPTIMIZE TABLE to reclaim space and defragment tables.
Optimise action for selected tables.
Included
Repair tables
Repair corrupted or crashed tables.
Repair tables action, added in 0.7.5.
Included
Autoloaded options control Key
See the size of autoloaded options and switch heavy ones off.
Options tab shows the autoload flag and lets you switch autoload off per option.
Included
Convert to InnoDB
Convert MyISAM tables to InnoDB.
No storage-engine conversion feature.
Not included
Limit future revisions
Cap how many revisions WordPress keeps from now on.
Cleans existing revisions only; no cap on future revisions.
Not included
Automation & safety 4/5
Scheduled cleanup Key
Run cleanups automatically on a schedule.
Nyao Sweeper runs background cleaning on a schedule in Pro.
Paid version Starter
Preview before deleting
Shows counts or the exact items before anything is removed.
Counts per item, an inspect view of the related rows and a confirmation modal before deleting.
Included
Keep recent data
Keep the last X days or revisions when cleaning.
Age threshold (default 7 days) skips entries newer than the set period.
Included
Backup before cleanup
Built-in or integrated backup before running a cleanup.
No backup feature; the readme says to back up before use.
Not included
Exclusions
Exclude specific tables, options or items from cleanup.
Items can be set to Never and core tables are protected; no custom exclusion list.
Partial
Insights & admin 3/4
Database size report
Shows table sizes and how much space a cleanup will save.
Shows each table's size and a database size history chart.
Included
Identify table & option owners
Shows which plugin or theme created each table or option.
Free attributes core and common plugins; Pro maps ~5,300 tables and ~59,000 options to owners.
Partial
Multisite support
Clean and optimise across a multisite network.
Changelog notes improved multisite support, but network-wide cleaning is not documented.
Partial
WP-CLI
Run cleanups from the command line.
No WP-CLI commands are registered or documented.
Not included
Pricing
Free
$0On WordPress.org
Free
Freeper yearUnlimited
WordPress.org version: core cleanup, tables, options, cron and post type tools.
Starter
$39per year1 site
Pro features: plugin ownership map and Nyao Sweeper background cleaning.
Standard
$59per year5 sites
Also sold as Standard Life: $249 one-time for 5 sites.
Professional
$99per year20 sites
Also sold as Professional Life: $399 one-time for 20 sites.
Developer Life
$499lifetime500 sites
Lifetime updates; support covers the first year only.
Agency Life
$799lifetime2500 sites
Lifetime updates; support covers the first year only.
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 14 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use Database Cleaner?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
10K+
Active installations reported by WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
—
The vendor does not publish a total.
Estimated Pro / paid installs
~600
Our estimate, see method below.
How we estimated this: About 15K free installs x 4% (the usual share of free sites that also run the paid version when most features are free) gives 600. Likely range: 300 to 1.2K. This counts sites running the paid version, including sites whose licence has lapsed. Estimates are rough and based on public figures as of 14 Oct 2026.
Stats & health
Weekly downloads
13,147 downloads last week, 561.8K all time
Rating breakdown
| Version | 1.4.8 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 30 Oct 2026 (3 days ago) |
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4 |
| Requires | WordPress 6.0+, PHP 8.1+ |
| Support threads (2 months) | 2 of 2 resolved |
| On WordPress.org since | 1 Dec 2021 |
Company & policy
| Refund policy | 14-day refund on request (source, 11 Oct 2026) No trials; refunds given if requested within 2 weeks. |
|---|
Database Cleaner compared
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80
LiteSpeed Cache
Free server-level cache and optimisation suite from LiteSpeed Technologies; full-page caching needs a LiteSpeed web server or QUIC.cloud CDN.
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Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions
Free one-click database optimiser that deletes revisions (keeping the newest if you like), trash, spam and transients, with scheduling and multisite support.
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WP Rocket
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WP-Sweep
Free, settings-free database sweeper by Lester Chan that removes revisions, orphaned meta and junk using WordPress's own delete functions, with WP-CLI.
44
FAQ
Is Database Cleaner free?
Yes. Database Cleaner has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $39/yr.
How many sites use Database Cleaner?
WordPress.org reports 10K+ active installations of the free version. We estimate around 600 sites run the paid version.
Does Database Cleaner have post revisions?
Yes: included. Revisions are a core cleanup item, filtered by the age threshold.
Does Database Cleaner have expired transients?
Yes: included. Expired transients auto-clean; all transients can be removed manually.
Does Database Cleaner have orphaned & duplicate metadata?
Yes: included. Removes orphaned and duplicated post, term, user and comment meta and term relationships.
Does Database Cleaner have leftover plugin tables?
Yes: included. Tables tab flags tables not used by active code and can delete them; Pro improves attribution.
Does Database Cleaner have optimise tables?
Yes: included. Optimise action for selected tables.
Does Database Cleaner have autoloaded options control?
Yes: included. Options tab shows the autoload flag and lets you switch autoload off per option.
Does Database Cleaner have scheduled cleanup?
Yes: paid version (Starter). Nyao Sweeper runs background cleaning on a schedule in Pro.
What does Database Cleaner Pro add?
Pro adds a curated map that links thousands of tables, options, cron jobs and post types to the plugin or theme that created them, so leftovers are easier to spot, plus the Nyao Sweeper for automatic background cleaning.
Is it the same plugin as Advanced Database Cleaner?
No. Database Cleaner (WordPress.org slug database-cleaner) is made by Meow Apps; Advanced Database Cleaner is a separate plugin by SigmaPlugin. Meow Apps publishes its own comparison of the two.
Can it handle very large databases?
That is its design focus: it deletes in small batches over asynchronous requests to avoid PHP timeouts, and the batch size can be adjusted in settings.
How much is Pro?
Annual licences are $39 (1 site), $59 (5 sites) and $99 (20 sites). Lifetime licences run from $249 (5 sites) to $799 (2,500 sites), with support for the first year. Refunds are given if requested within two weeks.
Last updated 11 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.