Remote Website Management by Watchful
by watchful · Backup
Also makes 2 other plugins · 13K+ installs across the portfolio →
A web developers toolbox for remotely managing and monitoring tens, hundreds, or thousands of WordPress websites at once.
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
3K+
≈3.8K estimated
Momentum
-45%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “backup” and “site management” for “toolbox” and “remote”. “backup” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “toolbox” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “site management” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #23. “remote” sits at #8 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
86 health vs 75 average across 556 Backup plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.5%
of downloads still active
At least 3K of 200.3K lifetime downloads are still running, in line with its category: the median Backup plugin keeps 1.6%, across 285 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Backup 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 14 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 18 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 6 reviews, smoothed to 4.20★ 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.
40
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
23%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
0.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| remote administration your tag | #1 | #4 | 0 |
| remote | #8 | #14 | 0 |
| remote management | #3 | #8 | 0 |
| toolbox | #7 | #12 | up 1 |
| wordpress remote management | #6 | #17 | 0 |
| manage multiple sites your tag | #18 | #22 | down 1 |
| monitor sites your tag | #18 | #21 | 0 |
| site management your tag | #23 | #23 | up 1 |
| website monitoring | #11 | #18 | down 1 |
| multiple website management | #14 | #23 | up 1 |
| remote backup | #18 | #20 | 0 |
| website monitor | #21 | #20 | down 1 |
| manage multiple websites | #24 | #23 | — |
| backup your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
77 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 13 listed. 64 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “backup” and “site management” for “toolbox” and “remote”. “backup” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “toolbox” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “site management” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #23. “remote” sits at #8 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 9.6K · 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
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
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
14
releases in the last 12 months
18d ago
latest release · v2.0.21 · 14 Oct 2026
75
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 92% 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 “3K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 4 months ago and the previous band took 18 months to cross, so the real count is still just under 4K.
Install history since 11 Jan 2020
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ marpomultimedia2.9y ago
I’ve been using Watchful to maintain over 200 sites for quite a few years. The service they offer is invaluable in terms of efficiency and workflow to keep the sites secure and ensure backups are timely. Their support and service is always knowledgeable and polite and they go above and beyond to solve issues, even when the issue isn’t necessarily their fault.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ arnoldwender4.8y ago
For me, hands down, the best WordPress Website Management Plugin available, keep up the good work!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Thomas_bck6.8y ago
Top si vous avez à gérer une quantité de site sous WordPress et Joomla, ce n’est pas le plus esthétique mais il fait bien le job.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ houba_houbi6.9y ago
A very useful tool to manage the website maintenance and more useful tools.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ftwebsolutions6.9y ago
I couldn’t do life without Watchful. Managing my client websites has changed from a laborious task to an easy task. Highly Recommended!!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mike Zielonka6.9y ago
I’ve been a huge ManageWP fan for a long time….don’t get me wrong I’m still a fan but feature development slowed and its become feature bloated. I’ve started using Watchful now for the past few weeks and have been quite impressed. It keeps things simple in the UI/UX but has powerful features for updating, security, GA, etc. It even lets you enter your third party keys for supported plugins on your dashboard so you don’t have to go site by site. Big Fan! Can’t wait to see what they do next.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 0.16 Minor fix on Watchful backup restoration process. 0.16
- — Version 0.15 Enforce SSL verification for the Watchful API requests. Disable SSO authentication by default. Thanks to Artus KG for responsibly disclosing the related security issue. 0.15
- — Version 0.14 Fix an issue with the vulnerability scanner for specific hosting providers. 0.14
- — Version 0.13 Updated license to match readme.txt and plugin header. Fixed tested up to version in readme.txt Updated stable tag in readme.txt Enhanced URL handling with esc_url_raw in Client.php Added direct access check in multiple 0.13
- — Version 0.12 Improve license-based plugin update detection 0.12
- — Version 0.11 Fix warning that prevented validation 0.11
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
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
5 of 8 pass · checked 31 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 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 4 of 4 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 Google Analytics.
- ✓ Headings and lists 11 headings and 1 list.
- ✓ Enough to quote 4,923 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 1 of 5 tags appear in the text ("Manage Multiple Sites", "monitor sites", "remote administration", "site management" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-06-29 4K+ → 3K+ down after 548 days in tier
- 2024-12-28 5K+ → 4K+ down after 9 days in tier
- 2024-12-19 4K+ → 5K+ up after 8 days in tier
- 2024-12-11 5K+ → 4K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-12-10 4K+ → 5K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2024-12-08 5K+ → 4K+ down after 1335 days in tier
- 2021-04-13 4K+ → 5K+ up after 176 days in tier
- 2020-10-19 3K+ → 4K+ up
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).
-
The WP Remote WordPress Plugin 30K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags A -
ManageWP Worker 1M+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Shake Connect — installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag A -
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ installs · 3.7★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Remote Website Management by Watchful into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/watchful" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Remote Website Management by Watchful — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Remote Website Management by Watchful: 3K+ active installs, 5.0★ (6 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/watchful
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