Query Monitor
by John Blackbourn · Performance
Also makes 1 other plugin · 400K+ installs across the portfolio →
Query Monitor is the developer tools panel for WordPress and WooCommerce.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
A 93/100
no flags
Active installs
200K+
≈290K estimated
Momentum
+4%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “performance”, “debug” and “development” for “developer tools”, “debugging” and “panel”. “performance” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “developer tools” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “debug” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #17. “debugging” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “development” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #14. “panel” sits at #9 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
93 health vs 69 average across 1,806 Performance plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.9%
of downloads still active
At least 200K of 22.4M lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Performance plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,104 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Performance plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 14 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 6 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.9★ over 470 reviews, smoothed to 4.82★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 3 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
32
Momentum
Losing ground
-1.3
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
13%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-1.1
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| query | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| query monitor your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| monitor | #3 | #3 | down 1 |
| queries | #3 | #3 | down 1 |
| post query | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| developer tools | #5 | #5 | down 2 |
| site monitor | #3 | #3 | 0 |
| monitor plugin | #3 | #3 | 0 |
| plugin monitor | #3 | #3 | 0 |
| wordpress monitor | #3 | #3 | 0 |
| debug bar your tag | #8 | #5 | down 2 |
| wp query | #3 | #3 | down 2 |
| debugging | #6 | #3 | 0 |
| panel | #9 | #5 | down 2 |
| website monitor | #4 | #4 | 0 |
| developer | #12 | #10 | down 6 |
| development your tag | #14 | #11 | down 8 |
| developer tool | #6 | #5 | down 3 |
| debug your tag | #17 | #8 | down 6 |
| output | #14 | #8 | down 5 |
| performance your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
173 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 147 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “performance”, “debug” and “development” for “developer tools”, “debugging” and “panel”. “performance” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “developer tools” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “debug” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #17. “debugging” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “development” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #14. “panel” sits at #9 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- Slipping on “debug”. Down 6 places since 2026-09-18, now #17. Check what shipped around then, and what moved above you.
- Slipping on “development”. Down 8 places since 2026-09-18, now #14. Check what shipped around then, and what moved above you.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 821.8K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
14
releases in the last 12 months
6d ago
latest release · v4.1.1 · 27 Oct 2026
115
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “200K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2.9 years ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 90% of the way through.
Install history since 1 Jan 2022
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Andrea Roenning4mo ago
This plugin does an excellent job of displaying information that is helpful in troubleshooting while working on WordPress theme and plugin development. I appreciate how PHP errors and deprecation warnings are grouped together and moved away from the published page view. Being able to see transient updates and SQL queries at a glance is so nice. This topic was modified 1 week, 5 days ago by Andrea Roenning.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ androidusercu5mo ago
Saved my sanity today, (Orderable had been calling on a youtube link and added each page load 5s)
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mehraz Morshed7mo ago
I’ve been using Query Monitor since 2023, and I honestly can’t imagine debugging WordPress sites without it anymore. It’s not just a plugin, it’s a complete developer toolbox that sits in the admin bar. It’s lightweight enough to keep running on production sites without noticeable overhead. John Blackbourn has built something truly special here. Five stars isn’t enough. Thank you for this masterpiece.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ casualadam7mo ago
This plugin helped me realize a problem right in front of my eyes this whole time. A fantastic tool for troubleshooting database issues!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dochara7mo ago
If you’ve even the smell of an issue with your site, this will track it down so that you can fix it. An indispensable tool for developers.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kloddant9mo ago
Good. Shows a lot of useful stuff. Note that you will need to add /wp-content/db.php to your gitignore. This topic was modified 5 months, 2 weeks ago by kloddant.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ tinhnguyenblog9mo ago
Tôi thường tạo các demo web, blog với những lựa chọn khác nhau về theme, plugin. Việc theo dõi hiệu suất backend là rất quan trọng để chọn ra được một combo tốt về hiệu suất.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ yodougxd10mo ago
é top zé
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 4.0.7 Confirms support for WordPress 7.0 Makes improvements to the admin bar menu Shows database queries on the timeline even when db.php isn’t in place Adds more error highlighting for problems with enqueued JavaScript and CS 4.0.7
- — Version 4.0.6 Version 4 of Query Monitor adds a new timeline view, and switches from rendering its panels server-side in PHP to efficiently rendering them client-side in Preact. Version 4.0.6 fixes a compatibility issue with the Gener 4.0.6
- — Version 4.0.5 Ensures closing script tags within data don’t break the output Adds “Doing it Wrong” data to the timeline view More information at querymonitor.com/4 . 4.0.5
- — Version 4.0.4 Ensures the Scripts panel remains visible when no scripts are enqueued in the header Corrects the display of number formatting in some locales More information at querymonitor.com/4 . 4.0.4
- — Version 4.0.3 Improves compatibility with plugins that perform non-UTF8 queries or make other use of non-UTF8 data Avoids a PHP warning for undefined file and line number in some stack trace frames Simplifies and standardises the form 4.0.3
- — Version 4.0.2 Adds further backwards compatibility for third-party plugins that read from the QM data collectors and output their own panels Adds transient updates to the timeline view More information at querymonitor.com/4 . 4.0.2
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (4.1.1). Sites still on an older version should update.
- 2026-03-30 CVE-2026-4267 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 3.20.3 Patched in 3.20.4
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 63 languages, 20 at 90% or more
Plus 39 more locales with partial translations.
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
7 of 8 pass · checked 31 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Query Monitor is the developer tools panel for WordPress and WooCommerce."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 10 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 10 of 10 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("for developers"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WooCommerce, Block editor, REST API, Multisite.
- ✓ Headings and lists 4 headings and 4 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 4,671 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "debug bar", "development" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2023-12-06 100K+ → 200K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2023-12-05 200K+ → 100K+ down after 7 days in tier
- 2023-11-28 100K+ → 200K+ up after 1367 days in tier
- 2020-03-01 90K+ → 100K+ up after 121 days in tier
- 2019-11-01 80K+ → 90K+ up after 91 days in tier
- 2019-08-02 70K+ → 80K+ up after 31 days in tier
- 2019-07-02 60K+ → 70K+ up after 182 days in tier
- 2019-01-01 50K+ → 60K+ up after 153 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Code Profiler – WordPress Performance Profiling and Debugging Made Easy 8K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A -
Plugin Detective – Troubleshooting Conflicts 5K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B - M Monkeyman Rewrite Analyzer 1K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags D
- W What Template 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Easy PHP Settings 1K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A -
ElasticPress Debugging Add-On 800+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Query Monitor into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/query-monitor" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Query Monitor — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Query Monitor: 200K+ active installs, 4.9★ (470 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/query-monitor
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