If you’re looking for an alternative to WP-Optimize, it’s usually for one of two reasons: you’ve hit the wall of the paid version, or you want to clean the database without installing a suite that also does caching and image compression. This comparison is about that, what each one does better, and what it doesn’t.
Up front: we make one of the two plugins. So instead of asking you to take our word for it, this comparison focuses on specific, verifiable features, and we also tell you where WP-Optimize is the better option.
What you’re really looking for
WP-Optimize is three things in one plugin: database cleaner, page cache, and image compressor. If you need all three, don’t look for an alternative: use it.
But many people end up here because they only want the cleaning part, and they don’t want a maintenance plugin getting involved in front-end performance too — especially if they already have server-level or hosting-level caching, which works better than any plugin.
And others arrive because the free version’s cleaning falls short once the site is a few years old and has several uninstalled plugins behind it.
The comparison, feature by feature
| Feature | WP-Optimize | EHERO Cleaner |
|---|---|---|
| Database cleaning | ✔️ | ✔️ more than 25 tools |
| Risk label by tool | ❌ | ✔️ Safe / Moderate |
| Live counter before running | ⚠️ partial | ✔️ in each tool |
| Detector for leftovers from uninstalled plugins | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Metadata viewer by source plugin | ❌ | ✔️ read-only |
| Action Scheduler and HPOS | ⚠️ partial | ✔️ |
| Scheduled cleaning | ✔️ | ✔️ with tool selection |
| Page cache | ✔️ | ❌ not its function |
| Image compression | ✔️ | ❌ not its function |
| Spanish interface | ⚠️ partial | ✔️ native |
| Price of full cleaning | Freemium | Free |
What’s free in each one
This is the difference that matters most if you came looking for an alternative. WP-Optimize uses a freemium model: basic cleaning is free and some features are reserved for the paid version.
EHERO Cleaner has no paid version. It’s GPLv2, with no license check and no domain limit: the more than 25 tools, scheduled cleaning, metadata viewer, and uninstalled plugin detector are all included. There is no higher edition to push you toward, because it doesn’t exist.
The reason is simple, and I’d rather say it plainly: we maintain it because people who install it and find it useful end up seeing us as a reliable place to buy some of our paid plugins. That’s the whole model.
Try it without installing anything paid
More than 25 tools, scheduled cleaning, and the leftover plugin detector. No license, no domain limit, and no stripped-down version. Leave us your email and we’ll take you to the download, or install it directly from the official WordPress repository.
Where WP-Optimize is better
A comparison where one side wins at everything is not believable, so here’s what WP-Optimize does and we don’t:
- Page cache. We don’t touch that. If you wanted a plugin that cleans and also caches, WP-Optimize gives you both in one.
- Image compression. That’s not our area either.
- One installation. Three functions in one plugin is less to maintain than three plugins, and that matters.
That said: caching usually works better at the hosting or server level than inside a plugin, and images are best optimized before uploading. If you already have that covered, WP-Optimize’s cache part doesn’t add much and you’re left with cleaning only — which is exactly where we go further.
When to switch and when not to
Switch if… you only want cleaning, your site is years old and has several uninstalled plugins behind it, or you’ve hit the free version’s limit.
Don’t switch if… you use WP-Optimize’s cache and image optimizer and they work well for you. Changing just for the sake of changing doesn’t fix anything.
And you can use both. There’s no conflict: keep WP-Optimize for cache and images and use EHERO Cleaner for the database. That’s what quite a few of our users do.
Frequently asked questions
Can I have both plugins installed at the same time?
Yes. They act on different things and neither blocks the other. The only sensible thing is not to schedule both database cleanups at the same time.
Does EHERO Cleaner have a paid version?
No, and there are no plans for one. It’s GPLv2 with all features and no domain limit.
Can it be installed on client websites?
Yes, on as many as you want. There’s no per-domain license because there is no license.
How do I receive updates?
By installing it from the official WordPress repository: then updates come automatically. The ZIP from our website is for servers without repository access.
What if what’s slow isn’t the database?
That can happen. If your site is slow but the database is clean, the bottleneck is usually the hosting, the theme, or the store search, which in large catalogs is one of the heaviest things there is.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for an alternative to WP-Optimize for the cleaning side, EHERO Cleaner goes further — risk levels, leftover plugin detector, metadata viewer, Action Scheduler and HPOS — and it’s completely free too. If what you like about WP-Optimize is the cache and images, keep it and use both.
Related guides
- Optimize the WordPress database — why it grows on its own and what can be deleted safely.
- EHERO Cleaner — the more than 25 tools, one by one.