WP-Cron Control
by Automattic · Uncategorized
Also makes 78 other plugins · 18.1M+ installs across the portfolio →
This plugin allows you to take control over the execution of cron jobs.
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 43/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
1K+
≈1.5K estimated
Momentum
+4%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “cron”, “cron jobs” and “post missed schedule” 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.
43 health vs 58 average across 25,754 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.1%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 91.2K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,771 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.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance 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 8+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.8.34, well behind 6.8.
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.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 3260 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.8.34; the current branch is 6.8
3.5★ over 10 reviews, smoothed to 4.00★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3260 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.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| cron your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| cron jobs your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| post missed schedule your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| scheduled posts your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| wp cron your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “cron”, “cron jobs” and “post missed schedule” 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 705 · 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
9.4y ago
latest release · v0.7.1 · 7 Jun 2017
3
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 “1K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 12 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 6 Jul 2017
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ taropaa7.4y ago
This sometimes works. Unfortunately, if you have any questions about it or issues with it, you won’t hear back from the devs 🙁 In my experience, it does not work in WP multisite 5.2.1 if you are trying to trigger the cron via the PHP command. The wget command seems to work fine, but the best part of this plugin was to allow it to trigger through the PHP server. This topic was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by taropaa.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jurasjo9.7y ago
Very good and needed
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pasqualerose10.1y ago
I tried it, doesn’t work. Scheduled post still don’t post.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ networkwebmasters10.4y ago
Awesome Plugin, i am using this plugin on all my sites from 2 years, it works perfectly 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kumarajay36710.8y ago
Hi, greate plugin!. but how to call my own custom function in this plugin. Any help?
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Juan11.2y ago
I’ve had a lot problems trying to run wp-cron in a efficient way at my own. This plugin is the answer.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ DareDevil7311.5y ago
Good!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Justin Fletcher11.6y ago
I can’t understand why so few reviews this has been very helpful and smoothed out CPU loading on a site with few visitors. The added security it brings is great and now the server processor won’t get loaded through multiple php processes running for cron. Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗
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
1 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 "This plugin allows you to take control over the execution of cron jobs."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 1 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Installation Instructions").
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 799 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("post missed schedule", "scheduled posts", "wp cron" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-10-30 2K+ → 1K+ down after 210 days in tier
- 2025-04-03 1K+ → 2K+ up after 34 days in tier
- 2025-02-28 2K+ → 1K+ down after 9 days in tier
- 2025-02-19 1K+ → 2K+ up after 28 days in tier
- 2025-01-22 2K+ → 1K+ down after 13 days in tier
- 2025-01-09 1K+ → 2K+ up after 41 days in tier
- 2024-11-29 2K+ → 1K+ down after 358 days in tier
- 2023-12-07 3K+ → 2K+ down after 215 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).
- W WP Cron per Action 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags
-
Cron Guard — installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
CronVitals – Cron Job Monitor & WP-Cron Failure Alerts — installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
Cron Pulse — installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
ScheduleLens – Cron Viewer & Manager — installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags B -
Snagbane Cron Monitor — installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WP-Cron Control into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-cron-control" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP-Cron Control — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP-Cron Control: 1K+ active installs, 3.5★ (10 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-cron-control
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