WP Debugging

How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.

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.

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.

35 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 8 listed. 27 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.

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

How often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.

Share of active installs on each version of this plugin · 90% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.

Crossed into this band 2.6 years ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 90% of the way through.

1. ★★★★★ Bjarne Oldrup

   5mo ago

   Don’t read too much into that “tested up to” tag. My practical tests, including tests with the official Plugin Checker, watching the console, in environment with quite strict cross-origin rules etc., WP Debugging is still the one simple debug log enabler and watcher, that just works, also with WordPress 7.0 It’s very basic, indeed, and that is a good thing. The last thing you want, when debugging WordPress, is for the debug plugin itself to throw a bunch of errors or load a lot of external resources affecting performance. So still, highly recommended.

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ Mehraz Morshed

   7mo ago

   I’ve been using the WP Debugging plugin since 2024, and it has been a lifesaver. The error log feature alone helped me track down several issues that would have taken hours to find manually. The fact that it integrates with Query Monitor is a nice bonus too. If you do any WordPress development or troubleshooting, just install this plugin. Five stars, no hesitation.

   Read on wp.org ↗
3. ★★★★★ coriolis_too

   2.0y ago

   Simple and easy to use. Does what is says

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ Jamie

   2.7y ago

   Yet another one of your plugins that I love and use all the time! Thank you. (Side note: is there a place to buy you a coffee or donate for your time?)

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ ld2digital

   2.8y ago

   I use this on all of my sites to streamline debugging. It saves so much time and hassle.

   Read on wp.org ↗
6. ★★★★★ Pulak Ahmed

   2.9y ago

   Very helpful tool for debugging the conflicts.

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ pic2click

   3.0y ago

   This little plugin was a lifesaver for a site of ours, self-hosted via docker. The implementation left us with a curious problem … some configuration someplace somewhere other than the standard lines in wp-config.php was overriding our WP_DEBUG setting. This plugin solved that.

   Read on wp.org ↗
8. ★★★★★ dglite

   3.1y ago

   Perfect + nice + awesome plugins…

   Read on wp.org ↗

Recent releases and news for this plugin

1. 2026-08-13 Version 2.12.6 update norcross/debug-quick-look to better format JSON update GitHub Actions 2.12.6
2. 2024-12-02 Version 2.12.2 add GA to generate POT update for PCP 2.12.2
3. 2024-11-08 Version 2.12.1 move register_activation_hook and register_deactivation_hook up the chain 2.12.1
4. 2024-11-01 Version 2.12.0 exit early(ish) if not on WP Debugging settings page composer update remove load_plugin_textdomain() 2.12.0
5. 2024-04-29 Version 2.11.24 update link to Debugging in WordPress, thanks @tobifjellner cast variable to array in Bootstrap::deactivate() fix for PHP 8.3 2.11.24
6. 2024-03-04 Version 2.11.23 composer update WPCS updates 2.11.23

All 3 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (2.12.6). Sites still on an older version should update.

1. Patched High · 7.2 WP Debugging <= 2.12.2 - Unauthenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗
   2026-07-01 CVE-2026-57350 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.12.2 Patched in 2.12.3
2. Patched High · 8.8 WP Debugging <= 2.11.7 - Cross-Site Request Forgery ↗
   2022-01-24 Cross-Site Request Forgery Affects <= 2.11.7 Patched in 2.11.8
3. Patched Medium · 6.5 WP Debugging <= 2.10.2 - Unauthenticated Plugin Settings Update ↗
   2021-09-27 CVE-2021-24779 Missing Authorization Affects <= 2.10.2 Patched in 2.11.0

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0

Translated into 11 languages, 11 at 90% or more

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.

Growth timeline

Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow

1. 2024-04-11 9K+ → 10K+ up after 13 days in tier
2. 2024-03-29 10K+ → 9K+ down after 3 days in tier
3. 2024-03-26 9K+ → 10K+ up after 181 days in tier
4. 2023-09-27 8K+ → 9K+ up after 189 days in tier
5. 2023-03-22 7K+ → 8K+ up after 155 days in tier
6. 2022-10-18 6K+ → 7K+ up after 170 days in tier
7. 2022-05-01 5K+ → 6K+ up after 154 days in tier
8. 2021-11-28 4K+ → 5K+ up after 130 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).

Embed this report card

Drop a live Pulse card for WP Debugging into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

WP Debugging: 10K+ active installs, 5.0★ (21 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-debugging