Heartbeat Control
by WP Media · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 7 other plugins · 1.7M+ installs across the portfolio →
Allows you to easily manage the frequency of the WordPress heartbeat API.
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
D 48/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
70K+
≈79K estimated
Momentum
+6%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: One page off on “heartbeat control”. #13 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
48 health vs 56 average across 5,896 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →5.6%
of downloads still active
At least 70K of 1.2M lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,186 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Admin & Utilities plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
Removal-risk signals
45/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 3+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
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.
Room to improve
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 1157 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.3.14; the current branch is 6.8
4.2★ over 68 reviews, smoothed to 4.16★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 2 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Last updated 1157 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
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.
43
Momentum
Holding steady
-0.3
Velocity
places per keyword, 26d
33%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 26d
-0.3
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| heartbeat control your tag | #13 | #10 | down 3 |
| heartbeat api your tag | #23 | #14 | down 2 |
| admin ajax your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| heartbeat your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| server resources your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
3 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 2 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- One page off on “heartbeat control”. #13 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
- “admin ajax”, “heartbeat” and “server resources” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 49.4K · 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
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
3.2y ago
latest release · v2.0.1 · 31 Aug 2023
14
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 “70K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 26 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 80K.
Install history since 10 Jun 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Pierre2362.4y ago
Hi, I started to use your extension after the end of Clearfy plugin. And it does the job, but I have problem 3 times with new article not saved. When I work on article, I often open many tabs and sometime, my browser, Firefox, block and I need to close it and reopen it. Normaly, I can find a backup of the article on wordpress, but 3 times recently, the article had completely disappeared. It’s terrible when you spend time on an article, sometimes more than an hour, to then discover that there’s nothing left, that all the work has to be redone. I deactivated heartbeat on the dashboard and on the site, and kept it only for the editor. I’ve changed the editor to 20, I imagine it’s 20 seconds, but will that be enough? When I’m working on a new article now, I save it when I think of it, but sometimes I forget, like today. What else can I do to make sure that the plugin doesn’t prevent WordPress from saving automatically? Thanks a lot!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ invisionary2.7y ago
I was suffering from 8-10 second delays between page loads. I tried everything I could think of to track it down, and neither tech support at Elegant Themes (DIVI Theme) nor my web hosting company Inmotion Hosting could find anything wrong as to the cause. Finally, I thought I’d try this this plug-in on a whim to see if the Heartbeat API was the cause. It was. I simply disabled the Heartbeat API on the front end using the Heartbeat Control plug-in and my pages were loading how they should without page caching in a fraction of a second. Later applied it to disable the back-end admin dashboard Heartbeat API and set the post editor heartbeat to 62 seconds (as many things seem to run on the exact minute). Simple to use interface, quick and convenient. This is an essential plug for WordPress.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Web davo2.9y ago
i used wp rocket premium plugin for my site and had to install this as the load on my site was not optimizing, that means the feature in pro plugin is useless?
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ -3.2y ago
Plugin file size 4.2mbs for just controlling heartbeat api. Overengineer This topic was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by -.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ lakenetwork3.3y ago
Much appreciate this plugin which allows me to have more control over optimizing my site – and for free.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous User 204431673.8y ago
Ancient plugin, untested, produce errors as soon as you activate it: The plugin generated 630 characters of unexpected output during activation Also has errors on it’s dashboard menu, trying to ping wordpress.org resulting in 404 error. Old bad, dangerous. Remove it from your site and WP repository.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ alextintea4.0y ago
All the three options in “General settings” are not displayed. When I deactivate EverlightBox, everything goes back to normal. I have WP v. 6.1 and the free version of Event Star theme (with Gutentor – Gutenberg Blocks and SiteOrigin page builders). Cheers 🙂 This topic was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by alextintea. This topic was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by alextintea. Reason: just to add more information
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ milosmili12344.3y ago
POST admin-ajax.php – WP6.0.1 + WooCommerce 6.7.0: time to load never less than 2 seconds on any page when Heartbeat control is disabled on the dashboard, front, and post editor. So an average load page time is > 4 seconds, meaning half of the load time goes to admin-ajax.php
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.0.1 Fix PHP warnings & deprecated notices 2.0.1
- — Version 2.0 Revamp the settings page. 2.0
- — Version 1.2.5 Fixed issue caused by previous version deployment. Added hbc_disable_notice hook to force dismissal of update notices. Additional documentation added. Minor standards adjustments. 1.2.5
- — Version 1.2.4 Updated CMB2 to 2.4.2. Bumpted “tested up to” version. Fixed a bug that occurred if no locations were selected. Minor standards adjustments. 1.2.4
- — Version 1.2.3 Added composer.json and composer.lock that were missing. Updated CMB2 to 2.3 Translation files generated. Language path and text domain added to plugin header. Bumped compatible WP version. 1.2.3
- — Version 1.2.2 Minor bugfixes. 1.2.2
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.3.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 14 languages, 11 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 26 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Allows you to easily manage the frequency of the WordPress heartbeat API."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 3 of 3 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Facebook, WP Rocket.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,390 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "server resources" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-05 80K+ → 70K+ down after 6 days in tier
- 2026-09-29 70K+ → 80K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-28 80K+ → 70K+ down after 227 days in tier
- 2026-02-13 90K+ → 80K+ down after 127 days in tier
- 2025-10-09 100K+ → 90K+ down after 2383 days in tier
- 2019-04-01 90K+ → 100K+ up after 206 days in tier
- 2018-09-07 80K+ → 90K+ up after 168 days in tier
- 2018-03-23 70K+ → 80K+ up after 60 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).
-
Dynamic Front-End Heartbeat Control 1K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags A -
Fixora Heartbeat Manager — installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
Heartbeat Controller 1K+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags - A AJAX Heartbeat Tool 300+ installs · 4.0★ · 1 shared tag D
-
TrimPress 100+ installs · 4.0★ · 1 shared tag C -
SlimPress – Disable Unused Features, Heartbeat & XML-RPC 50+ installs · 3.6★ · 1 shared tag
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Heartbeat Control into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/heartbeat-control" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Heartbeat Control — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Heartbeat Control: 70K+ active installs, 4.2★ (68 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/heartbeat-control
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