Advanced Automatic Updates vs Softaculous
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
Advanced Automatic Updates leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,161, ahead of Softaculous at #1,551. Over the last 7 days Advanced Automatic Updates climbed 1 place and Softaculous slipped 5 places. Advanced Automatic Updates has the largest install base, roughly 2× the next: 20K+ active installs against 10K+ for Softaculous.
| Metric | Advanced Automatic Updates | Softaculous |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,161 ▲ 1 | #1,551 ▼ 5 |
| Active installs | 20K+ | 10K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | — | 708 |
| Rating | 4.7★ (61) | no ratings |
| Last updated | Jun 4, 2021 | Jul 17, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.0.2 | 2.4.1 |
| Best rank on record | #1,145 | #1,535 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Sep 2012 | Apr 2024 |
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
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Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Advanced Automatic Updates or Softaculous?
By active installs, Advanced Automatic Updates: 20K+ sites run it against 10K+ for Softaculous, according to WordPress.org figures captured on September 14, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Advanced Automatic Updates or Softaculous?
Advanced Automatic Updates, at #1,161 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Softaculous at #1,551. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Advanced Automatic Updates or Softaculous 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.