Action Scheduler vs Hit An External Cron
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
These aren’t all alternatives to each other — they do different jobs — so this page compares popularity only, not features.
At a glance
Action Scheduler leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,370, ahead of Hit An External Cron at #38,971. Over the last 7 days Action Scheduler climbed 7 places and Hit An External Cron climbed 2,348 places. Action Scheduler has the largest install base, roughly 2000× the next: 20K+ active installs against 10+ for Hit An External Cron. Downloads this week: Action Scheduler 7,154 and Hit An External Cron 17.
| Metric | Action Scheduler | Hit An External Cron |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,370 ▲ 7 | #38,971 ▲ 2348 |
| Active installs | 20K+ | 10+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 7,154 | 17 |
| Rating | 3.5★ (13) | no ratings |
| Last updated | Sep 16, 2026 | Mar 4, 2010 |
| Current version | 4.2.0 | 0.1 |
| Best rank on record | #1,368 | #34,127 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jul 2020 | Mar 2010 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
More comparisons
- Action Scheduler vs Missed Scheduled Posts Publisher by WPBeginner
- Action Scheduler vs Transients Manager
- Action Scheduler vs Advanced Cron Manager – debug & control
- Hit An External Cron vs Missed Scheduled Posts Publisher by WPBeginner
- Hit An External Cron vs Transients Manager
- Hit An External Cron vs Advanced Cron Manager – debug & control
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Action Scheduler or Hit An External Cron?
By active installs, Action Scheduler: 20K+ sites run it against 10+ for Hit An External Cron, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 29, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Action Scheduler or Hit An External Cron?
Action Scheduler, at #1,370 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Hit An External Cron at #38,971. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Action Scheduler or Hit An External Cron alternatives to each other?
Not all of them. Some of these plugins do different jobs and many sites run more than one. This page compares their popularity, not their features.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each plugin’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the plugins have moved over time rather than a single day.