Mark Jaquith

The <a href="https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/jetpack/" rel="ugc">Jetpack</a> plugin by Automattic does something sneaky: it auto-activates new Jetpack modules. Instead of allowing you to opt in to new modules, Jetpack cheerfully activates them without your permission. These modules can change how your site works and looks.
Manual Control puts a stop to that unwanted behavior. It prevents auto-activation of new Jetpack modules.
Metal texture in the plugin header image by <a href="http://urbandirty.com/gallery/photo/2568483179-m" rel="nofollow ugc">Urban Dirty</a>.

Manual Control for Jetpack

Jetpack auto-activates new modules, without asking your permission. This plugin stops that.

berkux

Effortlessly define and manage cron jobs with execution URLs and WP-Shortcodes. The plugin monitors cron jobs, retries failed executions as needed, and sends status updates via email.
With “Cron Setup and Monitor – Get URL Cron” you can: 
* Add, edit, and delete cron jobs to request HTTP URLs or WordPress shortcodes at defined times with various intervals. 
* Verify the retrieved result by checking for a required string or JSON field to ensure the HTTP URL or shortcode request was successful. 
* Retry the HTTP URL or shortcode request multiple times in case of failures. 
* Display all cron jobs in the WordPress installation, including those independent of this plugin. 
* Manually execute cron jobs. 
* Log requests and show OK or FAIL status: The first log entry records what should happen (“try”). The second log entry shows the success of the request. 
* Send emails for each HTTP URL or shortcode request, including the start of the attempt and the result of the request. 
* Option to send emails only on failure.
<h4>Usage</h4>
<ol>
<li>Go to ‘Basic Settings’ in the plugin menu to set basic settings (like E-Mailadress for Statusmessages) </li>
<li>Go to ‘Set CronJobs’ to manage the cron events: Set URL or WordPress-Shortcode, interval, startdate etc.</li>
<li>Store the defined CronJobs</li>
<li>Manually execute a Cronjob by clicking on “execute job”</li>
<li>Check plugin-menu ‘Show CronJobs’: There the scheduled CronJobs “geturlcron_event-” should be listed </li>
<li>Check plugin-menu ‘Show Logs’: There should be at least one entry for the “try”. And if the CronJob has been finished a entry for the result (“FAIL” or “OK”)</li>
<li>If a E-Mailadress is defined, two E-Mails are sent for trying and result.</li>
</ol>

Cron Setup and Monitor – Get URL Cron

Manage cron jobs, monitor tasks, retry failures, and send email updates

Manual Control for Jetpack vs Cron Setup and Monitor – Get URL Cron