WordPress update service
Weekly updates to WordPress core, plugins and themes, checked afterward and rolled back if something breaks. Part of every care plan, not sold on its own. The Business and Store plans test updates on a staging copy first.
In short
- Updates are part of every care plan. They are not sold on their own.
- Core, plugins and themes are updated weekly, with a visual check after each run.
- An update that breaks something is rolled back, and the site is restored if needed.
- The Business and Store plans test updates on a staging copy before the live site. Store also tests checkout and payment.
- Updates run weekly, not on the day a release comes out.
- Essential has no time for fixes. Time for fixes starts with the Care plan.
Updates are how security holes in WordPress, plugins and themes get closed, so leaving them is a risk. Applying them is a risk too: a new version of one plugin can clash with another plugin or with your theme, and a page or a form stops working. Automatic updates apply the new version and move on. Nobody looks at the site afterward.
On a care plan we apply the updates weekly, look at the site after each run, and undo an update that went wrong.
Updates are not sold on their own. They are one part of every care plan, alongside backups, uptime monitoring, security scanning and a monthly report. This page describes that part and says which plan does what. The prices of the Essential and Business plans are on this page, and all four plans are on the pricing page.
Who it is for
- Update notices have been collecting in your dashboard, and nobody is sure it is safe to press the button.
- Automatic updates are switched on, and nobody looks at the site after they run.
- An update has broken the site before, and you found out from a visitor.
- The site is built with a page builder and many plugins, so there is more that can clash.
Who it is not for
- A small site with a handful of plugins. How often should you update WordPress? says when switching on automatic updates is a fair choice, and which releases WordPress installs by itself.
- Someone who will run the round themselves. How to safely update WordPress is the order to work in. How to set up a staging site covers the copy to try updates on.
- A site that an update has just broken. Follow the failed update runbook, or hand it over as a one-time fix.
- Someone who needs every update on the day it is released. The schedule is weekly.
- A WooCommerce store. The Store plan adds a checkout and payment test after every update. See WooCommerce maintenance.
What is included
On every plan, starting with Essential:
- Updates do not pile up. WordPress core, plugins and themes are updated weekly.
- Each run is looked at. A visual check follows the updates.
- An update that went wrong is undone. If something is wrong, the update is rolled back. If an update breaks the site, the site is restored.
- There is a copy to go back to. Every plan takes daily offsite backups.
The Business and Store plans add a step before any of that: updates are tested on a staging copy first, before they reach the live site. The Store plan, for WooCommerce, also tests checkout and payment after every update.
Which plan does what:
| Essential | Care | Business | Store | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly updates to core, plugins and themes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Visual check, and a rollback if something is wrong | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Restore if an update breaks the site | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Updates tested on a staging copy first | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Checkout and payment test after every update | No | No | No | Yes |
| Time for other fixes each month | None | 90 minutes | 3 hours | 5 hours |
Every plan also includes uptime monitoring, security scanning and a monthly report. WordPress maintenance sets the plans out in full.
What we need from you to start
The free diagnosis form asks for your name, an email address, your site's address if you can share it, and a few sentences about the site. We reply in writing to the address you give. The diagnosis is free, and you owe nothing after it. Whether to go ahead is up to you.
How it works
Step 1: Ask for a free diagnosis
Tell us about your site on the free diagnosis page. You get a written reply.
Step 2: On Business and Store, updates go to a staging copy first
They are tested on a copy of your site before the live one is touched.
Step 3: Updates are applied weekly
Core, plugins and themes are brought up to date.
Step 4: The site is checked
A visual check follows the updates. If something is wrong, the update is rolled back. If an update breaks the site, it is restored.
What it does not cover
- Updates bought on their own. They come with a care plan. Essential is the smallest plan that has them.
- Updates on the day of release. The schedule is weekly.
- Repair work on the Essential plan. Essential rolls back an update that breaks something, but it has no time for fixes. Time for fixes starts with the Care plan.
- Hosting, and anything on your hosting account that is not WordPress.
- Licenses for paid plugins and themes. A paid plugin whose license has lapsed may not offer updates at all.
Before you buy: do it yourself, or check first
Applying updates is work a site's owner can do. These pages show how, and how to tell whether your site needs more than that.
- How often should you update WordPress, plugins and themes? keeps two clocks: a security fix as soon as you reasonably can, and everything else on a regular round. It also shows which releases WordPress installs by itself and how to see what is set on your site.
- How to safely update WordPress, plugins and themes is the order to work in: a backup first, then one update at a time with a look at the site after each.
- How to set up a WordPress staging site covers making a private copy to try changes on.
- A WordPress update went wrong: a runbook is what to do, in order, when an update leaves the site broken or stuck.
- What WordPress maintenance includes says what the Updates screen in your dashboard should read right after a round, so you can check anyone's work, ours included.
- The end-of-life checker shows whether your PHP and WordPress versions still get security fixes.
Everything on the subject is listed under WordPress maintenance and care plans.
What it costs
Essential
$39 a month, per siteor $390 a year
Updates, backups, monitoring and security scanning. No edit time.
- Weekly core, plugin and theme updates with a visual check and rollback
- Daily offsite backups kept 30 days
- Uptime monitoring
- Security scanning
- Restore if an update breaks the site
- Monthly report
Business
$149 a month, per siteor $1,490 a year
Everything in Care, plus 3 hours a month and updates tested on a staging copy first.
- Everything in Care
- 3 hours of fixes and edits a month
- Updates tested on a staging copy first
- Quarterly speed tune-up
Common questions
Can I buy updates on their own?
No. Updates are part of every care plan and are not sold separately. Essential is the smallest plan. Besides the weekly updates it includes daily offsite backups, uptime monitoring, security scanning and a monthly report.
Why not just turn on automatic updates?
Automatic updates do the first half of the job. They install the new version, but nobody checks the site afterward. Here a visual check follows each weekly run, and an update that breaks something is rolled back. On a small site with few plugins, automatic updates can still be a fair choice. How often should you update WordPress? says when.
What happens when an update breaks something?
It is rolled back. If the site itself is broken, it is restored. A restore after a bad update is part of every plan, and every plan keeps daily offsite backups.
Do I need updates tested on a staging copy?
It depends on what a broken page would cost you. On Essential and Care, updates go to the live site and are checked there. On Business and Store they are tested on a copy first, so a clash can be caught before visitors see it. The plans are compared on the pricing page.
Do you update on the day a release comes out?
No. Updates run weekly, not on the day a release comes out. How often should you update WordPress? explains which releases WordPress installs by itself in the background, and how to see what is set on your site.
My host says it updates WordPress for me. Do I need this?
Ask the host what it updates, how soon after a release, and whether anyone looks at the site afterward. Does your web host maintain your WordPress site? has the questions to send. If the answers cover core, plugins and themes, and a check afterward, you do not need a plan for updates.
What about paid plugins and themes?
Their licenses are not part of a plan, so each one needs its license kept current. A paid plugin whose license has lapsed may not offer updates at all.
Is there a contract?
No. Plans are month to month with no minimum term, and you can cancel any time. Your first payment for a care plan is refunded if you ask within 30 days.