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Getting started

Install the free plugin and run your first audit. Add Pro when you need it.

What you need

WordPress 6.5 or newer and PHP 8.0 or newer. The free plugin needs no AI account, no API key, no paid plan and no particular theme. Page-building support depends on the builder; see compatibility.

Install Checknaut

  1. In WordPress, open Plugins → Add New Plugin, search for “Checknaut” and click Install Now. Or Download for free from WordPress.org and upload the ZIP under Plugins → Add New Plugin → Upload Plugin.
  2. Activate Checknaut and open Checknaut in the admin menu. The first visit checks your whole site and tells you what it is looking at as it goes.
  3. When it finishes, Home shows your score, the three things to fix next, and six groups: Broken, Looks unfinished, Easy for everyone, Found on Google, Speed and Safety.

If WordPress says the upload exceeds its limit, ask your host to raise the upload limit or use its normal plugin-upload workflow. Do not unzip the package into an arbitrary folder.

Start with a useful first pass

Use a staging copy if you are evaluating changes, and take an independent backup. Open Fixes, pick one item, read what a visitor would notice, apply the fix, look at the page, then try its Undo under Undo history. This shows how the workflow behaves on your own site. After you change things, use Check my site again on Home.

Add Checknaut Pro

Checknaut Pro is one plugin. It contains everything in the free plugin, plus the Pro features, the Builder Pack and the Privacy Pack. You do not install anything else.

  1. Choose a plan for the number of sites you look after. You can also choose one in Checknaut → Upgrade without leaving wp-admin.
  2. Your licence key and the Checknaut Pro download arrive by email. Upload Pro at Plugins → Add New Plugin → Upload Plugin and activate it. It switches the free plugin off and keeps every setting. You can delete the free plugin afterwards; your data stays.
  3. Enter your licence key at Checknaut → Licensing.
  4. Optional: to check, fix or build pages by asking an assistant, connect your AI assistant.

Update Checknaut Pro from the Plugins screen, like any other plugin.

Where do I find each feature?

  • Home: your score in plain words, the three things to fix next, the six groups, and Check my site again.
  • Fixes: one list of everything to fix, sorted into Fix now, Fix soon and Nice to have. Technical details are one click away on each item.
  • Pages: every page, with how many fixes each one needs.
  • Undo history: every change Checknaut made, each with its Undo.
  • Settings: safety switches, screenshots and services. Developer options are under Advanced.
  • Tools: everything else, in groups. Free: Audit (the seven detailed audits). Pro: Launch Check, Speed tools, Site report and AI assistant. Builder Pack and Privacy Pack: their screens, part of Pro. Agency: client reviews and Fleet. Diagnostics: connection checks and the self-test. Without a Pro licence, the Pro screens show a preview.

Do I have to connect an AI?

No. Checknaut checks and fixes your site in wp-admin without any AI account. Connecting an assistant is an optional part of Checknaut Pro and uses your own compatible AI client.

Need help with your install? Contact support. Related: Compatibility.

Reviewed for Checknaut 2.0.0 on 31 October 2026.