An alternative to the PHP Compatibility Checker plugin, for PHP 8.3, 8.4 and 8.5
The PHP Compatibility Checker plugin from WP Engine has more than 200,000 active installs. Its own page says it is no longer actively maintained and describes checks up to PHP 8.0. This page compares it with Hexloom PHP Compatibility Checker using public facts only, each with its source and the date it was read.
We make the Hexloom plugin, so this is a comparison from one side. Every fact about the other plugin comes from its own wordpress.org page or its public reviews, and links to the source.
Side by side
| Fact | PHP Compatibility Checker (WP Engine) | Hexloom PHP Compatibility Checker |
|---|---|---|
| Active installs | 200,000+ | None yet. It is a new plugin. |
| Rating on wordpress.org | 2.7 out of 5, from 131 ratings | None yet. |
| Version, last updated | 1.6.3, 20 July 2026 | 0.1.1, a first release. |
| Needs | WordPress 5.6, PHP 5.6 | WordPress 6.0, PHP 7.4 |
| Tested up to WordPress | 6.4.14 | 7.1 |
| PHP versions it checks | Its page says: “check your site for compatibility up to PHP 8.0”. | Changes made in PHP 8.3, 8.4 and 8.5 (55 rules). Not PHP 8.2 and earlier. |
| Maintenance | Its page says it is no longer actively maintained and that no more releases, including security releases, will be made. | Maintained by Hexloom Labs. A new plugin with no track record yet. |
| Where results come from | Its page says it “relies on Tide that constantly scans updated versions of plugins and themes in the background” and that “this may take up to 10 minutes for results to be returned from Tide”. | Your own server reads your code in steps of about three seconds. The plugin makes no requests to other servers. |
| What a finding shows | The file and line, and why the line is incompatible with the chosen PHP version (its page). | The file, the line, the line of code, the PHP version that made the change, what happens, the fix and a PHP manual link. |
| Runs your code | No. Its page says it cannot detect problems that only show while the code runs. | No. It cannot see dynamic code or run-time changes either. |
What the other plugin’s own page says
“WARNING: PHP Compatibility Checker is no longer actively maintained. This software is still free to use under the license provided, but users should be aware that it is not currently maintained. No additional releases, including security releases, will be made available.”
“Use this plugin to check your site for compatibility up to PHP 8.0!”
“This plugin relies on Tide that constantly scans updated versions of plugins and themes in the background. […] Please be patient as this may take up to 10 minutes for results to be returned from Tide.”
The page does not say what data is sent to Tide, and we do not claim to know. We only point out that the results depend on a service outside your site, and that Hexloom PHP Compatibility Checker makes no such request.
What its reviewers say
On 1 November 2026 the plugin had 131 ratings: 46 five-star, 6 four-star, 2 three-star, 11 two-star and 66 one-star. These are titles from the first page of its reviews, in the reviewers’ own words. We read the titles only, so open a review to read it in full.
- 1 star, 21 January 2026: “Con WP5.1 y PHP7.4, falla” (in Spanish: it fails with WP 5.1 and PHP 7.4)
- 5 stars, 29 September 2025: “Why is this recommended by WordPress?”
- 1 star, 6 February 2025: “Ironically not compatible with the latest PHP”
- 1 star, 19 May 2023: “very buggy and hangs”
- 5 stars, 7 April 2023: “Works as advertized”
- 1 star, 4 February 2023: “Throws error status 0 and hangs”
Hexloom PHP Compatibility Checker has no reviews yet, so there is nothing to compare on that point.
Which one to use
- You are moving to PHP 8.3, 8.4 or 8.5. Use a tool that checks those versions. Hexloom PHP Compatibility Checker does, and shows the file, line and fix for each finding. The other plugin’s page describes checks up to PHP 8.0.
- You need changes made in PHP 8.2 or earlier. Hexloom PHP Compatibility Checker does not check those. A developer can use PHPCompatibility, a free set of rules for PHP_CodeSniffer. Its project page says it “will allow you to analyse your code for compatibility with higher and lower versions of PHP”, and that its coverage “is not yet 100%”. It runs from the command line, not from the WordPress admin.
- You want both. The two do not conflict. Neither runs your code, so a staging copy is still the real test before you change PHP on a live site.
Sources
- WordPress.org, PHP Compatibility Checker plugin page and its data from api.wordpress.org: installs, rating, version, dates and description, read 1 November 2026.
- WordPress.org, reviews of PHP Compatibility Checker, page 1, read 1 November 2026.
- PHPCompatibility, project page, read 2 November 2026.
- Hexloom PHP Compatibility Checker: its readme and plugin page.
Facts change. If something here is out of date or wrong, write to us through the support page and we will check it. Last checked on 1 November 2026.