PluginSift

Advanced Automatic Updates vs Theme Test Drive (2026)

Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.

Advanced Automatic Updates

Advanced Automatic Updates

4.7(61)

30K+ active installs

Free

Updated 4 years ago
View Advanced Automatic Updates
VS
Theme Test Drive

Theme Test Drive

3.9(50)

8.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 8 years ago
View Theme Test Drive

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Advanced Automatic Updates has a higher user rating (4.7/5 from 61 reviews) and leads in active installations (30K+ vs 8.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Advanced Automatic Updates has accumulated 255K+ total downloads while Theme Test Drive has 520K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.7/5Advanced Automatic Updates
◄
Theme Test Drive3.9/5
Total Reviews
61Advanced Automatic Updates
◄
Theme Test Drive50
Active Installs
30K+Advanced Automatic Updates
◄
Theme Test Drive8.0K+
Total Downloads
255K+Advanced Automatic Updates
►
Theme Test Drive520K+
Support Resolution
N/AAdvanced Automatic Updates
Theme Test DriveN/A
Last Updated
4 years agoAdvanced Automatic Updates
◄
Theme Test Drive8 years ago
First Released
2012Advanced Automatic Updates
Theme Test Drive2008
Age
14 yearsAdvanced Automatic Updates
Theme Test Drive18 years
WP Requires
3.7+Advanced Automatic Updates
Theme Test Drive2.3+
PHP Requires
false+Advanced Automatic Updates
Theme Test Drivefalse+
Business Model
FreeAdvanced Automatic Updates
Theme Test DriveFree
Latest Version
1.0.2Advanced Automatic Updates
Theme Test Drive2.9.1

Rating Breakdown

Advanced Automatic Updates

4.7/5(61 reviews)
5
89%
4
5%
3
0%
2
0%
1
7%

Theme Test Drive

3.9/5(50 reviews)
5
62%
4
10%
3
4%
2
0%
1
24%

Recent Reviews

Advanced Automatic Updates Reviews

by inakijm

Fantástico

Te despreocupas de estar entrando continuamente al blog para actualizar los plugins. Se actualizan solos. Muy recomendable.

by al3x22

The best plugin

This is one of my favorite plugins. It is very simple and easy to use. I can only recommend it!

by martonlente

Plugin perfectly works even with premium themes

After I couldn’t get the popular Easy Updates Manager plugin working, I looked for an alternative, and then found Advanced Automatic Updates. The plugin perfectly works, and even updates premium theme

Theme Test Drive Reviews

by angeljs

Breaks my active theme

Although I badly need a plugin such as this, once I tried it, all of my settings and widgets from my active theme were reverted and I had to put my site into maintenance mode while I spent 20 minutes

by MC3

Useful plugin

Seems to work OK with 4.6.1 but it would be good if the developer could conform and update “officially” as it were. I’m finding this plugin invaluable for sites with pupblic-facing themes that are inc

by carlostalaga

works fine

nice and simple solution to test a theme. be careful with widgets and custom settings for other plugins. thanks

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Advanced Automatic Updates or Theme Test Drive more popular?
Advanced Automatic Updates has 30K+ active installations while Theme Test Drive has 8.0K+. Advanced Automatic Updates is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Advanced Automatic Updates or Theme Test Drive?
Advanced Automatic Updates has a 4.7/5 rating from 61 reviews, while Theme Test Drive has a 3.9/5 rating from 50 reviews.
Are Advanced Automatic Updates and Theme Test Drive free?
Advanced Automatic Updates is free and Theme Test Drive is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Advanced Automatic Updates or Theme Test Drive?
Support resolution data is not available for all plugins. Check each plugin's WordPress.org support forum for current response quality.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Advanced Automatic Updates was last updated 4 years ago and Theme Test Drive was last updated 8 years ago.

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.