An alternative to PHP Compatibility Checker
PHP Compatibility Checker by WP Engine has helped WordPress site owners since 2016. Its own description says it checks for compatibility up to PHP 8.0. If your host is moving your site to PHP 8.1 or newer, Bumpcheck checks the versions after that.
Side by side
| PHP Compatibility Checker | Bumpcheck | |
|---|---|---|
| PHP versions checked | Up to 8.0 | 8.0 to 8.6 |
| Premium plugins, custom plugins, your own theme | Skipped. Its scan service only has plugins and themes hosted on WordPress.org | Checked. It reads the files on your server |
| Where the scan runs | An outside service, Tide, returns the results | On your server. Nothing is sent anywhere |
| Tested up to WordPress | 6.4 | 7.1 |
| Last updated | July 2026 | October 2026 |
| Rating on WordPress.org | 2.7 of 5, from 131 ratings | New, no ratings yet |
| Price | Free | Free. An optional Pro add-on adds scheduled scans and exports |
Facts about PHP Compatibility Checker are from its WordPress.org page on 12 October 2026. PHP Compatibility Checker is a plugin by WP Engine. Bumpcheck is not affiliated with WP Engine.
What both cannot do
Both read code and do not run it. Neither can see problems that depend on values at run time, such as passing null to a function that needs a string. Test a busy site on a staging copy before you switch PHP versions.
Switching
Install Bumpcheck from the WordPress plugin directory, then go to Tools, Bumpcheck. Pick the PHP version your host is moving to and run the scan. You can keep or remove PHP Compatibility Checker; the two do not interact.