WooCommerce.com Update Manager vs WooCommerce PayPal Payments
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| Feature | WooCommerce.com Update Manager v1.0.3 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Paid Visit Details | WooCommerce PayPal Payments v4.2.0 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 2.9/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | — | 800,000+ |
| Last updated | — | October 21, 2026 |
| Editions | WooCommerce.com Update Manager ($) | WooCommerce PayPal Payments |
| Pros | Delivers updates for Woo.com extensions from the subscription account; Withholds update packages when a subscription has expired; Clears WordPress update caches on activation and deactivation | Official PayPal gateway with smart buttons on product and checkout pages; Pay Later, card fields and Apple Pay or Google Pay wallets; Subscriptions, saved payment methods and ShipStation order tracking |
| Cons | Only useful with an active Woo.com subscription; Relies on the WooCommerce.com helper data for subscription checks; Its own code has no settings screen | Available payment methods depend on PayPal account and country eligibility; Many modules are switched on in settings, so the setup has several steps |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Updates for Woo.com subscription extensions ($), Withholds packages for expired subscriptions ($), Clears update transients on activation and deactivation | PayPal smart buttons on product, mini-cart and checkout, Pay Later messages on product, cart and checkout blocks, Apple Pay gateway, Google Pay gateway, Card fields module, Pay upon invoice alternative payment method, PayPal subscriptions and renewals, Saved payment methods, Fraud protection module, Order tracking through the ShipStation plugin |
| Integrations | ||
| Payment | — | PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay |
| E-commerce | WooCommerce | — |
| Plugins | WooCommerce.com Helper (WC_Helper) ($) | ShipStation |
| Requires WordPress | 6.0 | 6.5 |
| Requires PHP | 7.3 | 7.4 |
| Tested up to | 6.5 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | No |
| External services | — | api-m.paypal.com, www.paypal.com, api-m.sandbox.paypal.com, www.sandbox.paypal.com, api.woocommerce.com, www.paypal.ai, d.joinhoney.com, www.google.com |
| Blocks | — | 6 |