10 Best Simple Automatic Updates Alternatives in 2026
Updated September 7, 2026 · Ranked by how closely each plugin matches, from WordPress.org data · How this works
Simple Automatic Updates has 2,000+ active installs on WordPress.org. These 10 plugins share its category or its tags on WordPress.org, are actively maintained, and each has at least 100 active installs. They are ordered by how closely they match, not by our opinion.
The 10 closest alternatives to Simple Automatic Updates
- 1
Companion Auto Update
Closest match4.8 (105) 40,000+ active installsManage all updates on your WordPress site. Stay in the know with several optional e-mail notifications and logs. For free.
Shares the auto, security, update tags on WordPress.org. About 20 times the installs, last updated March 21, 2026.
- 2
MainWP Dashboard
Paid version availableMainWP Dashboard: Self-hosted WordPress Management for Agencies
4.9 (2,348) 20,000+ active installsRun updates, backups, security and reporting across all client sites from your own server. Keep data private and prove your value with branded reports …
Shares the security, update tags on WordPress.org. About 10 times the installs, last updated 13 days ago.
- 3
4.7 (117) 60,000+ active installsEasily upgrade your themes and plugins using zip files without removing the theme or plugin first.
Shares the update, upgrade tags on WordPress.org. About 30 times the installs, no update since April 20, 2022.
- 4
4.3 (106) 20,000+ active installsAutomatically detect external images in the post content and import images to your site then adding to the media library and replace image urls.
Shares the auto tag on WordPress.org. About 10 times the installs, no update since December 16, 2022.
- 5
4.9 (23) 500+ active installsIP Based Login allows you to directly login from an authorized IP without password.
Shares the auto tag on WordPress.org. About a quarter of the installs, last updated June 1, 2026.
- 6
4.8 (69) 10,000+ active installsDisables the theme, plugin and core update checking, the related cronjobs, plugin/theme update health checks and notification system.
Shares the update tag on WordPress.org. About 5 times the installs, last updated 23 days ago.
- 7
4.5 (64) 20,000+ active installsThis plugin updates jQuery to the latest stable version on your website.
Shares the update tag on WordPress.org. About 10 times the installs, last updated July 27, 2026.
- 8
5.0 (31) 3,000+ active installsSave everything in the most natural way by pressing Ctrl+S (or Cmd+S on Mac).
Shares the update tag on WordPress.org. About 1.5 times the installs, no update since November 3, 2018.
- 9
5.0 (214) 7,000+ active installsA light plugin that automatically updates cart page and mini-cart when product quantity is changed. Removes the default "Update cart" button …
Shares the update tag on WordPress.org. About 3.5 times the installs, no update since March 30, 2021.
- 10
MainWP Child
Paid version availableMainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites
5.0 (70) 700,000+ active installsMainWP Child establishes a secure link between your WordPress sites and your self-hosted MainWP Dashboard, simplifying site management.
Shares the security, update tags on WordPress.org. About 350 times the installs, last updated 13 days ago.
Switching from Simple Automatic Updates: common questions
What is the best alternative to Simple Automatic Updates?
Companion Auto Update is the closest match: it shares the same WordPress.org tags and has 40,000+ active installs with a 4.8 out of 5 rating.
Which Simple Automatic Updates alternative has the most users?
MainWP Child, with 700,000+ active installs reported by WordPress.org.
Which Simple Automatic Updates alternative is rated highest?
Ajax Cart AutoUpdate for WooCommerce, rated 5.0 out of 5 by 214 reviewers. Only plugins with at least 50 reviews are counted.
Are these Simple Automatic Updates alternatives free?
Every plugin listed here is free to install from WordPress.org. Where WordPress.org marks a plugin as commercial, the developer also sells a paid version or add-ons, and that is shown on each plugin.
How are alternatives chosen?
Automatically, from WordPress.org data: plugins that share a category top 10 with Simple Automatic Updates score highest, then plugins that appear in the same WordPress.org rankings, then plugins with the same tags, weighted so rare tags count more than common ones. Plugins by the same author and plugins rated under 4.0 are left out.
How we choose these alternatives
Nothing on this page is picked by hand. Every day we walk the whole WordPress.org directory, then score every plugin against Simple Automatic Updates on three signals: sharing a category top 10 counts most, then appearing in the same WordPress.org rankings, then carrying the same tags, with rare tags counting for more than common ones like "wordpress". Plugins by the same author are excluded, so an author's own add-ons cannot fill the list, and so is anything rated below 4.0 or with fewer than 100 active installs. The ten highest scores are what you see, in that order. Full methodology.
The bottom line
Companion Auto Update is the closest match to Simple Automatic Updates by the data we track, and MainWP Child has the widest reach with 700,000+ active installs. MainWP Child shipped the most recent release, on August 25, 2026. The list is rebuilt every day from WordPress.org, so a plugin that stops being maintained drops out on its own.
Weekly · free
What moved this week
One email a week, built from the same daily snapshots these rankings come from: the plugins that climbed, what launched, and one ranking worth a look.