# Smart Varnish

> Smart Varnish has 10+ active installs, a 5/5 rating from 2 reviews and 30 downloads in the last 30 days. Health score 30/100, keyword rankings, version adoption and the best alternatives.

**Verdict: Consider an alternative.** Smart Varnish shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 10 years ago, and scores 30/100 on our health check.

**Smart Varnish A simple plugin to bypass varnish caching for logged in users and serve uncached content.**

## Key facts

- **Overall rank:** —
- **Active installs:** 10+
- **Total downloads:** 2,055
- **Downloads (30 days):** 30 (-11.8% vs previous 30 days)
- **Rating:** 5/5 from 2 reviews
- **Health score:** 30/100 (At risk)
- **Version:** 1.0.2
- **Last updated:** Aug 30, 2016
- **Tested up to:** WordPress 4.6.0
- **Requires:** WordPress 3.5+
- **Support resolved:** 0 of 0 threads (last 2 months)
- **Developer:** Smartpixels (https://pageforge.pro/directory/authors/smartpixels/)
- **WordPress.org:** https://wordpress.org/plugins/smart-varnish/

## Category rankings

| Category | Rank | Plugins |
|---|---|---|
| [varnish](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/varnish/) | #12 | 14 |
| [varnish bypass](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/varnish-bypass/) | #1 | 1 |
| [varnish cache](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/varnish-cache/) | #3 | 4 |
| [varnish caching](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/varnish-caching/) | #1 | 1 |

## WordPress.org search positions

| Keyword | Position | Results |
|---|---|---|
| varnish | >100 | 192 |
| varnish bypass | #75 | 75 |
| varnish cache | >100 | 181 |
| varnish caching | >100 | 152 |

## Version adoption

- 1.0: 100%

## Alternatives

| # | Name | Active installs | Rating | Updated | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [Proxy Cache Purge](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/varnish-http-purge/) | 50K+ | 4.4/5 (26) | Sep 2, 2026 | 83/100 |
| 2 | [CLP Varnish Cache](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/clp-varnish-cache/) | 10K+ | 5/5 (7) | Mar 17, 2026 | 57/100 |
| 3 | [Purge Varnish Cache](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/purge-varnish/) | 1K+ | 5/5 (10) | Jun 2, 2026 | 67/100 |
| 4 | [Fastcache by Host.it](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/fastcache-by-host-it/) | 1K+ | 5/5 (2) | Oct 14, 2026 | 72/100 |
| 5 | [Varnish/Nginx Proxy Caching](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/vcaching/) | 600+ | 5/5 (10) | Oct 21, 2019 | 39/100 |
| 6 | [Cacheability](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/cacheability/) | 100+ | — | Oct 2, 2026 | 63/100 |
| 7 | [MSCache Varnish Purge](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/mscache-varnish-purge/) | 20+ | — | Jun 15, 2026 | 52/100 |
| 8 | [Resource Versioning](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/resource-versioning/) | 10+ | 5/5 (1) | Jul 21, 2018 | 30/100 |
| 9 | [UltraCache – Cache and Speed Optimization](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/ultracache/) | 10+ | 5/5 (3) | Aug 21, 2026 | 69/100 |
| 10 | [Flush Opcache with Varnish](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/flush-opcache-with-varnish/) | 10+ | — | Jan 14, 2018 | 23/100 |

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Smart Varnish free?
Yes. Smart Varnish is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.

### Is Smart Varnish safe to use in 2026?
Smart Varnish shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 10 years ago, and scores 30/100 on our health check.

### How many websites use Smart Varnish?
Smart Varnish is active on 10+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 2,055 times since it launched in October 2014. It was downloaded 30 times in the last 30 days.

### Does Smart Varnish work with WordPress 7.1?
Smart Varnish is officially tested up to WordPress 4.6.0, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.

### When was Smart Varnish last updated?
The latest version, 1.0.2, was released on August 30, 2016 (10 years ago).

### Who makes Smart Varnish?
Smart Varnish is developed and maintained by Smartpixels.

### What are the best alternatives to Smart Varnish?
The most popular alternatives to Smart Varnish are Proxy Cache Purge (50K+ installs), CLP Varnish Cache (10K+ installs) and Purge Varnish Cache (1K+ installs).


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Source: live WordPress.org data · HTML version: https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/smart-varnish/ · Generated 2026-10-17 00:16 UTC by PageForge