# Heartbeat decision checklist: WP Rocket vs Heartbeat Control Manager (2026)

**Site / client:** _________________________  
**Host:** _________________________  
**Active cache:** WP Rocket / LiteSpeed / other / none  
**WooCommerce:** yes / no  
**Audit date:** _________________________

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## Phase 0 — Diagnosis (10 min)

- [ ] DevTools → filter `admin-ajax.php` → note dominant action (`heartbeat` or other)
- [ ] Count wp-admin tabs open during business hours
- [ ] Time dashboard + order list + editor (before changes)
- [ ] List active Heartbeat plugins: WP Rocket / Heartbeat Control / custom snippet

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## Decision matrix

| Situation | Recommended choice | Avoid |
|-----------|-------------------|-------|
| Already paying WP Rocket, brochure site | WP Rocket Heartbeat tab only | + HCM in parallel |
| WooCommerce + 3+ admin tabs | HCM WooCommerce preset | « disable all » snippet |
| Agency 10+ sites | HCM + JSON export | Manual config per site |
| action ≠ heartbeat | Fix the actual plugin | Cutting Heartbeat anyway |
| Elementor / builder | HCM Builder preset | Editor interval < 30 s |

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## WP Rocket settings (if chosen)

- [ ] WP Rocket → Heartbeat → front: disabled
- [ ] Documented admin interval: _______ s
- [ ] No second Heartbeat plugin active
- [ ] Editor autosave test after change

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## Volade HCM settings (if chosen)

- [ ] Preset applied: blog / woocommerce / agency / builder / perf_max
- [ ] JSON export saved: `hcm-handoff.json`
- [ ] « Requests avoided » stats noted for client report
- [ ] WP Rocket conflict resolved (single master)

---

## Post-config validation (15 min)

- [ ] Editor autosave OK (edit draft 2 min without saving)
- [ ] Product/order list loads in < ___ s (target)
- [ ] Reduced `action=heartbeat` in DevTools (if that was the culprit)
- [ ] Team briefed: close unused tabs

Article: <https://volade.com/en/blog/wordpress-heartbeat-vs-wp-rocket-2026>