Drazen

<p>Update Compass is a decision-first WordPress admin plugin that helps you evaluate plugin and theme updates before installing them.</p>
<p>Instead of only showing that an update is available, Update Compass adds a local analysis layer and recommends what to do next based on version changes, compatibility metadata, changelog signals, and release timing.</p>
<p>It keeps the native WordPress update workflow. Updates are still performed through standard WordPress update mechanisms.</p>
<h3>How It Works</h3>
<p>WordPress already detects updates. Update Compass reads that data and adds decision guidance such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>Update Ready</li>
<li>Stage & Test</li>
<li>Watch & Wait</li>
<li>Hold Off</li>
<li>Needs Review</li>
</ul>
<p>Each status includes a short explanation and next-step guidance. For higher-risk updates, users can open status details for deeper analysis and reminder scheduling.</p>
<h3>Key Features</h3>
<ul>
<li>Pre-update risk analysis for plugins and themes</li>
<li>Clear status badges with explanations and next steps</li>
<li>Version jump analysis (major, minor, patch deltas)</li>
<li>WordPress compatibility checks (<code>requires</code> / <code>tested</code>)</li>
<li>Changelog keyword detection (best effort)</li>
<li>Changelog links (WordPress.org modal/external links when available)</li>
<li>Reminder dates for monitoring and re-check workflows</li>
<li>Bulk update selection with caution confirmation for non-ready updates</li>
<li>Local-first workflow, no external account required</li>
</ul>
<h3>Who Is This For</h3>
<ul>
<li>WordPress developers</li>
<li>Agencies maintaining multiple sites</li>
<li>Site owners managing complex plugin/theme stacks</li>
<li>WooCommerce or multilingual sites where update risk is higher</li>
</ul>
<h3>Decision Logic (Summary)</h3>
<p>Update Compass uses local rules to assess update risk, including:</p>
<ul>
<li>Version delta analysis (major/minor/patch jumps)</li>
<li>WordPress compatibility metadata checks</li>
<li>Changelog keyword signals (when changelog text is available)</li>
<li>Release recency and stale-project checks</li>
<li>Changelog availability (flags manual review when missing)</li>
</ul>
<h3>External Services</h3>
<p>Update Compass is local-first and does not require an account.</p>
<p>To improve changelog-based reasoning, it may make server-side requests to publicly available changelog/metadata endpoints when available (for example WordPress.org plugin/theme metadata and changelog pages, or vendor-provided changelog URLs exposed in WordPress update data).</p>
<p>This is best-effort only and used to enrich analysis. Core update detection still relies on WordPress native update transients.</p>


Update Compass

Stop guessing when to update. Analyze plugin and theme updates before installing them with clear status guidance and next steps.

David Francisco

<p>Site Update Logger gives site owners and agencies full visibility into every update event happening across WordPress core, plugins, and themes. It records version changes, install/uninstall events, activations, deactivations, and theme switches while also capturing PHP errors that occur during updates. Logs are organized per month, downloadable, and annotated with custom notes so you can build an auditable change history that is easy to search and share.</p>
<h4>Key Features</h4>
<ul>
<li>Logs WordPress core updates with before/after versions</li>
<li>Tracks plugin and theme lifecycle events: install, update, activation, deactivation, and deletion</li>
<li>Captures theme switch activity and provides network scope for plugin actions</li>
<li>Stores logs in monthly files under the uploads folder: <code>wp-content/uploads/site-update-logger/logs/</code></li>
<li>Provides an admin screen with filters, downloads, and user notes</li>
<li>Includes bilingual English/Spanish interface strings with compiled MO files</li>
<li>Offers a settings page to control whether data is removed on uninstall</li>
<li>Protects actions with capability checks, nonces, and sanitized inputs</li>
</ul>
<h4>Why You’ll Love It</h4>
<ul>
<li><strong>Clear history:</strong> Know exactly what changed and when, even months later.</li>
<li><strong>Operational notes:</strong> Add commentary directly in the log for each deployment window.</li>
<li><strong>Safe uninstall:</strong> Choose to keep or remove log data when removing the plugin.</li>
<li><strong>Translation-ready:</strong> Ships with Spanish translations and an up-to-date POT file.</li>
</ul>


Site Update Logger

Track core/plugin/theme updates with bilingual logs, monthly archives, and admin UI. Spanish readme: readme-es.txt

Update Compass vs Site Update Logger