Media Cleaner vs Smart Media Replacement
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
These aren’t all alternatives to each other — they do different jobs — so this page compares popularity only, not features.
At a glance
Media Cleaner leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #489, ahead of Smart Media Replacement at #25,677. Over the last 7 days Media Cleaner slipped 2 places and Smart Media Replacement slipped 176 places. Media Cleaner has the largest install base, roughly 4500× the next: 90K+ active installs against 20+ for Smart Media Replacement. Downloads this week: Media Cleaner 48,072 and Smart Media Replacement 25.
| Metric | Media Cleaner | Smart Media Replacement |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #489 ▼ 2 | #25,677 ▼ 176 |
| Active installs | 90K+ | 20+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 48,072 | 25 |
| Rating | 4.6★ (778) | no ratings |
| Last updated | Oct 24, 2026 | Aug 6, 2026 |
| Current version | 7.3.4 | 1.3.0 |
| Best rank on record | #480 | #25,120 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | May 2016 | Nov 2025 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
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- Smart Media Replacement vs Media Library Assistant
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Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Media Cleaner or Smart Media Replacement?
By active installs, Media Cleaner: 90K+ sites run it against 20+ for Smart Media Replacement, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 29, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Media Cleaner or Smart Media Replacement?
Media Cleaner, at #489 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Smart Media Replacement at #25,677. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Media Cleaner or Smart Media Replacement alternatives to each other?
Not all of them. Some of these plugins do different jobs and many sites run more than one. This page compares their popularity, not their features.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each plugin’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the plugins have moved over time rather than a single day.