Companion Auto Update
by Papin Schipper · Security
Also makes 2 other plugins · 50K+ installs across the portfolio →
Manage all updates on your WordPress site. Stay in the know with several optional e-mail notifications and logs. For free.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
B 84/100
no flags
Active installs
40K+
≈48K estimated
Momentum
-4%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “control” and “security” for “companion” and “updates”. “control” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “companion” sits at #8 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “security” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “updates” sits at #17 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
84 health vs 66 average across 1,778 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.9%
of downloads still active
At least 40K of 4.2M lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,061 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Security plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 1 release in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 226 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.9.11, the current branch or newer
4.8★ over 105 reviews, smoothed to 4.57★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 3 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
30
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.8
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
4%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.6
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| auto update | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| auto update checks | #1 | #1 | — |
| update your tag | #5 | #4 | down 1 |
| wordpress auto update | #2 | #2 | — |
| auto updates | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| safety your tag | #6 | #5 | down 2 |
| auto update plugins | #3 | #3 | 0 |
| plugins auto update | #3 | #3 | 0 |
| auto your tag | #8 | #8 | down 3 |
| companion | #8 | #3 | down 1 |
| no update | #5 | #4 | 0 |
| update control | #5 | #6 | down 1 |
| auto update wordpress plugins | #5 | #6 | down 1 |
| update notifications | #5 | #5 | down 1 |
| updates | #17 | #11 | down 2 |
| auto x post | #7 | #7 | down 1 |
| x auto post | #7 | #7 | down 1 |
| disable auto updates | #7 | #4 | down 1 |
| optional | #20 | #17 | down 1 |
| all updates | #21 | #17 | down 1 |
| control your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
95 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 64 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “control” and “security” for “companion” and “updates”. “control” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “companion” sits at #8 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “security” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “updates” sits at #17 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 131.7K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
1
releases in the last 12 months
8mo ago
latest release · v3.9.4 · 21 Mar 2026
91
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 97% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “40K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 4 months ago and the previous band took 16 months to cross, so the real count is still just under 50K.
Install history since 6 May 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ dashmore1.5y ago
Delaying the updates has really improved the reliability of our site.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sankari2.4y ago
Nice options and reliable support.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Hermann Matthias2.9y ago
good idea, and good running, I love this plugin
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ bhtvdmeer3.4y ago
Great plugin. You need to check your site from time to time because automatic updating can go wrong if a host is not very stable. But that is not the fault of this plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ TekGirlyMama3.7y ago
Just wanted to thank the plugin author, Papin, for all his time and great work o this free plugin. I hope he goes on maintaining it. It was not updated since wp6.0.3 but it works PERFECTLY well, so I assume no need for Papin to unnecessarily waste his time. WP now has auto updates, but sans all the features and fine-tuning this plugin enables.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jon York4.4y ago
I’ve used this plugin for several years on many, many websites and it has worked absolutely flawlessly. Never a day of trouble from it. And it has saved me unbelievable amounts of trouble. So I really hate that it has come to this – but while it’s still working on my WP 6.0 sites, it has not been updated and tested for use with 6.0. I haven’t had any trouble with it except I’m getting bombarded with notices each day from all my websites saying I have an “outdated” plugin. It turned out it was this one. This one hasn’t been updated in the last 3 months and 6.0 has been out for a month now. That’s scaring me that it’s no longer being supported so I’m going to be trying something else for now.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Dave Loodts4.4y ago
We use this amazing plugin on all our staging sites. Handy to have a log of which plugins have updates in the last week.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ lucaslima284.4y ago
Recomendo muito para deixar seu wordpress devidamente atualizado
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 3.9.4 📅 Release date: March 21, 2026 🐞 Fixed: Fatal error on plugin activation 3.9.4
- — Version 3.9.3 Improved security Declared support for WP6.8 3.9.3
- — Version 3.9.2 Fixed some more undefined variables Declared support for WP6.5 3.9.2
- — Version 3.9.1 Fixed: Undefined variable $totalNum 3.9.1
- — Version 3.9.0 Fixed: Fatal error during Cron Fixed: PHP deprecated error for PHP 8 and up 3.9.0
- — Version 3.8.9 Fixed error: Call to undefined function is_plugin_active() 3.8.9
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 4 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (3.9.4). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 5.5 Companion Auto Update <= 3.9.2 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via update_delay_days parameter ↗2025-07-14 CVE-2025-4369 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 3.9.2 Patched in 3.9.3
- 2019-01-14 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command Affects < 3.3.6 Patched in 3.3.6
- 2018-10-01 CVE-2018-20973 Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program Affects < 3.2.1 Patched in 3.2.1
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 24 languages, 10 at 90% or more
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
6 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Manage all updates on your WordPress site. Stay in the know with several optional e-mail notifications and..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 2 of 3 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you have"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ✓ Headings and lists 4 headings and 1 list.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,649 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "safety", "security" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-07-10 50K+ → 40K+ down after 482 days in tier
- 2025-03-15 60K+ → 50K+ down after 27 days in tier
- 2025-02-16 50K+ → 60K+ up after 5 days in tier
- 2025-02-11 60K+ → 50K+ down after 395 days in tier
- 2024-01-13 70K+ → 60K+ down after 433 days in tier
- 2022-11-06 80K+ → 70K+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2022-11-02 70K+ → 80K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2022-10-31 80K+ → 70K+ down after 440 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
- S Simple Automatic Updates 2K+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags D
-
MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites 700K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Modular DS: Monitor, update, and backup multiple websites 40K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A -
MainWP Dashboard: Self-hosted WordPress Management for Agencies 20K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A -
Version Control for jQuery 5K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags C -
Auto Update Post Date 2K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Companion Auto Update into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/companion-auto-update" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Companion Auto Update — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Companion Auto Update: 40K+ active installs, 4.8★ (105 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/companion-auto-update
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