WP Mail Debugger
by Timothy Jacobs · Email & Marketing
Also makes 2 other plugins · 1K+ installs across the portfolio →
WP Mail Debugger captures and displays all emails sent through wp_mail() for debugging and troubleshooting.
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
D 52/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
1K+
≈1K estimated
Momentum
+156%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “debug”, “email” and “email log” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
52 health vs 66 average across 2,122 Email & Marketing plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →8.9%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 11.2K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Email & Marketing plugin keeps 0.9%, across 1,295 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Email & Marketing plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
Removal-risk signals
28/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Not actively maintained. No update in about 2 years.
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.
Room to improve
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 832 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.6.11; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 2 reviews, smoothed to 4.13★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 832 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
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.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| debugger | #10 | #16 | down 1 |
| debugger tool | #8 | #17 | down 1 |
| debug your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| email your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| email log your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| troubleshooting your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| wp mail your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
2 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “debug”, “email” and “email log” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 1 Nov 2024 · 730 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 1.2K · 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
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.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “1K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just over 1K.
At the current install trend, crossing 2K+ in roughly 67 days.
Install history since 15 Sep 2026
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 1 language, 1 at 90% or more
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
2 of 8 pass · checked 1 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "WP Mail Debugger captures and displays all emails sent through wp_mail() for debugging and troubleshooting."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 262 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "email log" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-30 900+ → 1K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-10-28 800+ → 900+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2026-10-25 700+ → 800+ up after 6 days in tier
- 2026-10-19 600+ → 700+ up after 11 days in tier
- 2026-10-08 500+ → 600+ up after 6 days in tier
- 2026-10-02 400+ → 500+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-10-01 300+ → 400+ up
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).
-
WP Mail Logging 300K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Email Deliverability – SMTP Replacement, Email API Deliverability & Email Log 200K+ installs · 3.1★ · 2 shared tags B -
Check & Log Email – Easy Email Testing & Mail logging 90K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Email Log 80K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B -
Solid Mail – SMTP email and logging made by SolidWP 60K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags B -
WP Mail Log 10K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WP Mail Debugger into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-mail-debugger" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP Mail Debugger — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP Mail Debugger: 1K+ active installs, 5.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-mail-debugger
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