Simba Plugin Updates Manager
by David Anderson / Team Updraft · Uncategorized
Also makes 15 other plugins · 7.3M+ installs across the portfolio →
Provides a facility for distributing updates and handling licences and renewal reminders for your own WordPress plugins
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
A 86/100
Few reviews
Active installs
30+
≈30 estimated
Momentum
+28%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “wordpress plugin updates”, “wordpress updates” and “licences” for “updates”, “plugin updates manager” and “licence”. “wordpress plugin updates” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “updates” sits at #22 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “wordpress updates” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “plugin updates manager” sits at #23 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “licences” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #24. “licence” sits at #24 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
86 health vs 58 average across 25,737 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.1%
of downloads still active
At least 30 of 23K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,770 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized 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 5 releases 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.
Excellent listing optimization
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 4 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 5 reviews, smoothed to 4.18★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
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.
38
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.7
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
24%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
-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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| updates | #22 | #23 | — |
| plugin updates your tag | #22 | #23 | down 1 |
| plugin updates manager | #23 | #24 | up 1 |
| updates server your tag | #24 | #23 | — |
| licences your tag | #24 | #21 | down 1 |
| licence | #24 | #21 | down 1 |
| wordpress plugin updates your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| wordpress updates your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
27 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 6 listed. 21 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 “wordpress plugin updates”, “wordpress updates” and “licences” for “updates”, “plugin updates manager” and “licence”. “wordpress plugin updates” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “updates” sits at #22 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “wordpress updates” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “plugin updates manager” sits at #23 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “licences” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #24. “licence” sits at #24 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 · 1,487 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 365 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #23,000 to #24,800, alongside the other plugins at 30+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 21 Oct 2026.
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
Release cadence
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
5
releases in the last 12 months
4d ago
latest release · v1.12.4 · 27 Oct 2026
36
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% 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 “30+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band today and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just over 30.
Install history since 8 Jul 2017
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ zkingdesign3.5y ago
Great plugin, it does exactly what it says. Simple, straight forward and easy to integrate.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ furiosojack3.9y ago
The plugin is very good. I have used it for a long time here in Latin America.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ hamed5.0y ago
This plugin supports automatic updates for customers? This topic was modified 4 years, 9 months ago by hamed. This topic was modified 4 years, 9 months ago by hamed.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pare818.1y ago
Very nice and helpful plugin for all plugin developers who not like to publish their plugins on wordpress.org but like the update checker and update options.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ David Anderson / Team Updraft11.6y ago
The wordpress.org ratings system shows zero stars, which makes people assume the plugin is rubbish, until the first review appears. So, please excuse the self-review. I commend this plugin to you – versions of this code has been delivering many thousands of downloads to customers at updraftplus.com since 2013.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.8.2
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 3 languages, 0 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
4 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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WooCommerce, WP-CLI.
- ✓ Headings and lists 3 headings and 3 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 4,521 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "Wordpress updates" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-31 10+ → 30+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2026-10-28 30+ → 10+ down after 63 days in tier
- 2026-08-26 40+ → 30+ down after 169 days in tier
- 2026-03-10 30+ → 40+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-03-08 40+ → 30+ down after 35 days in tier
- 2026-02-01 30+ → 40+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-01-30 40+ → 30+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2026-01-26 30+ → 40+ up after 28 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).
-
Disable Updates – Selective Update Control 100+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B -
UpdatePulse Server 30+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B -
Hide Updates 5K+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag D -
Updater by BestWebSoft 2K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag B -
WP Automatic Updates 400+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag D -
Disable Plugin Update Emails 300+ installs · 3.6★ · 1 shared tag
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Simba Plugin Updates Manager into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/simba-plugin-updates-manager" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Simba Plugin Updates Manager — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Simba Plugin Updates Manager: 30+ active installs, 5.0★ (5 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/simba-plugin-updates-manager
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.