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/ Media Cleaner: Clean your WordPress!

Media Cleaner: Clean your WordPress!

By Jordy Meow

Performance & Optimization / Database Optimization

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

Media Cleaner: Clean your WordPress! Review - In-Depth Analysis

Media Cleaner helps you eliminate unused and broken media files from your WordPress site. It ensures a faster and more efficient website.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.77/10

User Rating

4.6/5 (based on 775+ reviews)

Active Installations

90,000+

Update Frequency

Outstanding It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

5 / 10 (Medium Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Media Cleaner is a powerful plugin that helps you clean up your WordPress media library by deleting unused media entries and files, as well as fixing broken entries. With an internal trash feature, you can preview and confirm changes before permanently deleting anything. Plus, Media Cleaner uses smart analysis to ensure compatibility with specific plugins and themes.

Use it alongside Database Cleaner for the ultimate clean-up experience. Media Cleaner is like a ninja assassin for your Media Library - it will stealthily take out all the unnecessary media and broken entries that are cluttering up the place. Just make sure you have a solid backup plan in place before you let this bad boy loose.

This plugin is compatible with all media types, including retina and WebP versions. It has been tested on a wide range of WordPress versions, including the latest version with Gutenberg, as well as on various themes with a large community of users. It also supports WooCommerce. For users with more complex plugins for handling website content, the Pro version may be necessary for optimal compatibility. We are constantly working to increase compatibility with other plugins.

Media Cleaner Pro adds extra features to the free version of Media Cleaner, including Filesystem Analysis, extra support for complex plugins, Live Site Scan, and WP-CLI support.

Comparing to Alternatives

Media Cleaner is a specialized plugin focused on cleaning unused media files in WordPress, with several alternatives available that focus more broadly on image optimization and compression.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Highly effective at identifying and removing unused media files to free up storage.
Intuitive and polished user interface that provides warnings and notifications to prevent mistakes.
Includes a trash feature to recover deleted files if needed.
Supports integration with WooCommerce and other plugins for media management.
Offers a Pro version with additional features for advanced users.

Weaknesses

Has had medium severity security vulnerabilities in past versions, though these have been fixed.
Free version does not detect media references outside content fields in the database.
Some users report confusion when the plugin does not identify all unused media as expected.
Complexity may require users to take full backups before use to avoid accidental data loss.

User Sentiment Analysis

With a strong majority of 5-star ratings (85.3%) and an overall rating of 4.6, users generally express high satisfaction with Media Cleaner, praising its effectiveness and ease of use.

Positive highlights

'Did the job' and helped clear memory for fresh stock - stillworking
'Great plugin and great support' - mauriciojaramil
'Super efficient and to the point' - alex1savu
'Saves me tonnes of time' - nicolebmiller201
'Miles ahead of the other solutions' with an intuitive interface - techiniku

Common complaints

Plugin sometimes fails to detect all unused media files, leading to confusion - mahabarbara

Weaknesses

Past security vulnerabilities raise concerns despite fixes.
Free version limitations in detecting media references outside content fields.
Some complexity and risk of deleting used files if not careful.
Limited support for certain themes like Divi reported by some users.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users who want to efficiently clean up unused media files to optimize WordPress storage and performance, especially those comfortable with technical tools or willing to upgrade to the Pro version for advanced features.

Not ideal for

Users who require a simple, foolproof cleanup without risk of deleting needed files or those who are uncomfortable managing backups and potential plugin complexities. Also, those concerned about past security issues may want to proceed cautiously.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers basic media cleanup features including detection and removal of unused images and a trash feature for recovery.

Pro version (49 - 199 USD / year)

Adds support for additional plugins and themes, deeper media reference detection beyond content fields, and enhanced cleanup capabilities for complex sites.

Final Verdict

Media Cleaner is a powerful and well-regarded plugin for cleaning unused media files in WordPress, with a strong user base praising its effectiveness and intuitive interface. Its Pro version extends functionality for more complex needs, making it a valuable tool for site optimization.

However, users should be aware of past security vulnerabilities and the plugin's complexity, which requires careful use and backups. Alternatives focus more on image optimization rather than cleanup, so Media Cleaner fills a unique niche for media management.