Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes vs WP Activity Log

Trusted by 300,000+ WordPress sites, rated 4.9 stars with 430+ five-star reviews, actively developed for 10+ years, and translated into 15+ languages. Simple History is the complete audit log for WordPress. It tracks every meaningful change — content edits, user logins, plugin updates, security events, and more — so site owners, teams, agencies, and developers always know who did what and when. Just install and activate; no configuration required. 🔍 How Simple History Helps in Real Situations Track what’s happening on your site “Has anyone done anything today? Ah, Sarah uploaded the new press release and created an article for it. Great — now I don’t have to do that.” Identify issues and debug faster “The site feels slow since yesterday. Has anyone done anything special? … Ah, Steven activated ‘naughty-plugin-x’, that must be it.” Keep freelancers & agencies accountable “I hired a developer to optimize my site. But did they actually do anything? A quick glance at Simple History shows me exactly what they worked on.” Spot suspicious activity early “I see three failed logins from an unfamiliar IP address overnight. Let me click the IP to check all activity from that address — just those attempts, nothing else. Good to know.” ✨ What Simple History Tracks Security & Monitoring Failed user logins with IP tracking and filtering by type (wrong password vs. non-existent username) Core file integrity checks against official checksums Forced security auto-updates from WordPress.org Site Health status changes Admin page access denied events Content & Users Posts, pages, and custom post types — create, edit, delete, and homepage assignment Attachments with image edit details (crop, rotate, flip, scale) and thumbnail previews Taxonomies with detailed diffs of name, slug, description, and parent Comments, menus (with item-level detail), and widgets User profiles, logins, logouts, and role changes Notes — the collaboration feature in WordPress 6.9 System & Updates Plugin lifecycle: install, update, activate, deactivate, delete, and auto-update toggle Theme install, update, activate, switch, and delete WordPress core updates (manual and automatic) Translation and language pack updates Available update notifications Settings and option screen changes Privacy & Compliance Privacy data export and user data erasure requests Privacy page changes IP addresses anonymized by default — no cookies, no external fonts 🔌 Built-in Third-Party Plugin Support Simple History includes built-in logging for: Jetpack – Module activations and deactivations Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) – Field group and field changes User Switching – User switch events WP Crontrol – Cron event and schedule changes Enable Media Replace – File replacement details Limit Login Attempts – Login attempts, lockouts, and config changes Redirection – Redirect and group changes, global settings Duplicate Post – Post and page cloning Beaver Builder – Layout, template, and settings saves Is your plugin missing? Plugin authors can add support using the logging API. 💬 What Users Say 430+ five-star reviews on WordPress.org: “So far the best and most comprehensive logging plugin” – @herrschuessler “The best history plugin I’ve found” – Rich Mehta “Fantastic plugin I use on all sites” – Duncan Michael-MacGregor “It is a standard plugin for all of our sites” – Mr Tibbs 🚀 View Your Log Everywhere Simple History starts tracking instantly after activation — no setup needed. It even imports recent activity so your log isn’t empty on day one. Access your log from: Dashboard widget – Activity stats summary and recent events Admin bar quick view – Dropdown with latest events on any admin page Command palette – Type “Simple History” to jump to the log for the current post Dedicated admin page – Full log with search, filters, and insights sidebar Email reports – Weekly summary delivered to your inbox RSS feed – Password-protected feed for your favorite reader WP-CLI – Command-line access for automation and scripting REST API – Programmatic access for custom integrations 📧 Weekly Email Reports – Stay Informed Without Logging In Weekly email reports deliver a summary of your site’s activity every Monday morning — total activity, daily breakdown, key metrics (logins, content updates, plugin changes), and direct links to the full log. Perfect for site owners, agencies managing client sites, and teams who need regular updates without logging in. Enable it in settings and see what the email looks like before turning it on. 🛠️ For Developers & Power Users WP-CLI – List, search, and export events from the command line — perfect for automation and managing multiple sites REST API – Full programmatic access to query the log and add custom events. See the documentation Logging API – Log your own events from themes and plugins with a single line of code RSS feed – Subscribe to changes using any feed reader AI & agent-friendly – The REST API and RSS feed make Simple History accessible to AI agents and automated workflows like Claude Code Stealth Mode – Run Simple History completely hidden from the admin interface via code; Premium adds a GUI. Ideal for agencies and client sites 🔆 Extend with Add-ons Simple History Premium Alerts & Notifications – Get notified instantly via Email, Slack, Discord, or Telegram when important events occur. Start quickly with preset rules for common scenarios or build custom rules filtered by event type, user, role, and log level. Log Forwarding – Stream events to external destinations: local log files, syslog servers (UDP/TCP/TLS), Datadog, Splunk, webhooks, or external MySQL/MariaDB databases. Perfect for centralized logging, compliance, and backup. Enhanced Controls – Custom retention periods (or keep logs forever), CSV/JSON export of filtered search results, post activity panel in the block editor, custom log entries for team decisions, stealth mode GUI, logger control to fine-tune which events are recorded, and an ad-free experience. WooCommerce Logger Track WooCommerce activity: orders, refunds, stock changes, product updates, pricing adjustments, settings modifications, and coupon usage. Debug and Monitor Monitor outgoing HTTP requests and emails, debug API calls, and see what’s happening under the hood. Essential for developers and support teams. 💚 Sponsor this project If you like this plugin please consider sponsoring the development of the free plugin. The plugin has been free for over 10 years and will continue to be free.

Monitor activity on your WordPress sites and get clear insights into what’s happening with detailed user and event logging. Keep WordPress logs of everything that happens on your sites and multisite networks with WP Activity Log instantly, without writing a line of code. Easily detect suspicious activity on your WordPress site before it escalates Record failed login attempts to detect potential security breaches and strengthen site protection Track user logins and logouts to ensure SLAs are consistently met Monitor user activity and productivity to boost accountability Know exactly what all your users are doing in real time Know what happened before an outage for faster, easier troubleshooting Ensure compliance with regulations and standards like GDPR and PCI DSS Better manage & organize your site and users for smoother operations Simple setup ensures you start benefiting quickly and easily WP Activity Log is a complete logging solution, helping hundreds of thousands of administrators and security professionals track changes on their websites thanks to real-time user activity monitoring. 💎 Need more extensive features? Unlock advanced reporting, exports/mirroring, session management, and real-time alerts with WP Activity Log premium or enterprise. What WordPress changes WP Activity Log tracks A website activity log is important for improving troubleshooting, compliance, user management, and security. Get WP Activity Log and keep track of events on your site. The log not only tells you that a post, a user profile, or an object was updated, it also lets you know exactly what changed, when, and includes a user log (by whom), so you always have the information you need. Below is a summary of the changes that the plugin can keep a record of: Post, page, and custom post type changes: Status, content changes, title, URL, custom field, and other metadata changes Tags and category changes: Creating, modifying, deleting, and adding/removing them from posts Widget and menu changes: Creating, modifying, or deleting them User changes: User created or registered, deleted, or added to a site on multisite network User profile changes: Password, email, display name, and role changes Access logging: User login, logout, failed logins, and terminating other sessions WordPress core and settings changes: Installed updates, permalinks, default role, URL, and other site-wide changes WordPress multisite network changes: Adding, deleting, or archiving sites, adding or removing users from sites, etc. Plugin and Theme changes: Installing, activating, deactivating, uninstalling, and updating WordPress database changes: When a plugin adds or removes a table Third-party plugin changes: WooCommerce Stores & products, Yoast SEO, RankMath, Termly, WPForms, Gravity Forms, Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), MainWP, ManageWP, WP Umbrella, and other popular WordPress plugins WordPress site file changes: New files added, or existing files modified or deleted. Event details recorded Detailed event logging ensures that for every event that the plugin records, it reports the: Date & time (and milliseconds) of when it happened User & role of the user who did the change Source IP address from where the change happened The object on which the change has taken place Refer to WordPress activity log event IDs for a complete list of all the changes WP Activity Log can keep a record of and a detailed explanation of what change every event ID represents. 💎 Upgrade to WP Activity Log Premium and get even more The premium edition of WP Activity Log takes WordPress user activity tracking to the next level. It comes bundled with even more features, including log mirroring, enterprise-grade support, user session management, and much more! Premium features list See who is logged in and monitor their current activities in real-time Log off any user at the click of a button Generate fully-configurable HTML and CSV reports for easy data analysis Receive email, SMS, and Slack notifications for important changes (fully configurable) Use search filters to fine-tune results and find what you need in seconds Store the activity logs in an external database to enhance security and scalability Mirror the activity log to log management systems such as AWS CloudWatch, Loggly, Papertrail, and others in real-time Mirror the logs to business communication systems like Slack Send a copy of your website’s activity log to a log file on your web server Archive old activity log data to another database for improved storage and log management Add notes to activity log entries for better context and internal documentation Refer to the WP Activity Log plugin features and benefits page to learn more about the benefits of upgrading to WP Activity Log Premium. 🔌 WP Activity Log third-party plugin support All WP Activity Log editions include activity tracking for third-party plugins, including (in alphabetical order): Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) – Log changes to post types, taxonomies, and taxonomy terms bbPress – Track changes to forums, topics, and bbPress settings Gravity Forms – Track changes to Gravity Forms settings, forms, and entries (leads) LearnDash – Track changes to courses, lessons, and other system changes, as well as student activity such as course, lesson, and quiz enrollments and completions. MemberPress – Log changes to plugin settings, memberships, payments, subscriptions, and other actions Multisite & management tools – Track changes across your network for MainWP, ManageWP, Modular DS, Infinite WP, WP Umbrella, WP Remote, and other multisite management plugins Paid Membership Pro – Log changes to membership levels, user assignments, and more. Premium users can also track order and checkout activity, and access a Members Activity panel inside each member’s profile for instant visibility into recent actions. RankMath – Log changes to RankMath settings, SEO configurations, and on-page SEO edits Redirection – Keep a log of changes to redirections and redirection groups Termly – Log changes to Termly settings and configurations WooCommerce – Keep a log of changes to store settings, orders, products, coupons, and more WPForms – Log changes to WPForms settings, forms, form files, and entries (leads) Yoast SEO – Track changes to Yoast SEO settings and on-page SEO in the Yoast SEO meta box Extra Features for Enhanced Monitoring and Management Both free and premium editions of WP Activity Log include a number of non-logging specific features that make the plugin a complete WordPress monitoring solution. Here is what is included: Free Built-in support for reverse proxies and web application firewalls Integration with WhatIsMyIpAddress.com – get all information about an IP address with a single click Limit who can view the WordPress activity log by users or roles Enable or disable individual event IDs from the activity log Configurable dashboard widget highlighting the most recent critical activity Configurable WordPress activity log retention policies Display user avatars in events for better recognizability And much more! Premium Everything that’s included in the Free edition, plus: Full WordPress multisite support Create custom alerts & notifications to monitor additional functionality Import and export plugin settings Real-time activity log visible in the WordPress admin toolbar And much more! 🛠️ Free and premium plugin support If you encounter any issues with the free edition of WP Activity Log, you can post and get help on the WordPress.org support forums. You can also find more technical information and plugin documentation on the Melapress knowledge base. Premium plugins include a full year of free updates and dedicated one-to-one premium email support. This means you get direct access to our support team who will assist you with any questions or issues related to the plugins. As featured on: Kinsta Pagely Shout Me Loud The Dev Couple WPKube Techwibe Tidy Repo KitPloit and many others. MAINTAINED & SUPPORTED BY MELAPRESS Melapress develops high-quality WordPress management and security plugins such as Melapress Login Security, WP 2FA, and Melapress Role Editor. Browse our list of WordPress security and administration plugins to see how our plugins can help you better manage and improve the security and administration of your WordPress websites and users. Installing WP Activity Log Install WP Activity Log from within WordPress Visit ‘Plugins > Add New’ Search for ‘WP Activity Log’ Install and activate the WP Activity Log plugin Allow or skip diagnostic tracking Install WP Activity Log manually Extract the plugin ZIP file and upload it to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory Activate the WP Activity Log plugin from the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress Allow or skip diagnostic tracking