WP Activity Log – features
WP Activity Log is the most detailed and feature-rich activity logging plugin on the market. Not convinced? – Check out our feature list below:
User Activity Tracking:
| Track all user and system changes iUsername, first and last name (this can be configured), date and time, Timestamp (also includes milliseconds), event type, event object (the object the event is about, like a specific user, post, WooCommerce product etc), metadata/details about the change in question (for example, if the URL of a blog post was changed, it reports the old URL and new URL) | Keep track of changes made by users on your site or by WordPress itself, including content changes, changes to plugins, themes, WordPress settings, and more. |
| Enable/disable logging by event ID | Ability to enable/disable specific event IDs if you do not want the plugin to keep a log of specific changes or actions. |
| Exclude objects from the activity log iThis could be a user, users with a specific user role, IP addresses, posts based on post type or status, custom post fields, custom user fields, etc. | Exclude an object so the plugin does not keep a log of changes/actions related to that object, like excluding a specific user, post or page. |
| Archive old activity log data | Keep the log organized, easier to search, and blazing fast by configuring the plugin to automatically archive logs that are older than a specific period to another database. |
| Configurable retention policies iOnce the limit is reached, the plugin automatically purges events older than the configured timespan. | You can configure how long you want to keep the activity log data. You can also configure it to keep all data indefinitely. |
| Multi-site network support | Keep a log of changes that happen at the network level on your multisite network, filter the logs per site, allow site admins to access the logs of individual sites for which they have admin privileges, and more. |
| Custom integrations via API | The WP Activity Log API allows you to develop your own activity log sensor to monitor anything you want. The process is very easy and can be seen here. |
What is tracked?
| Content changes | The plugin keeps detailed changes in the log, including changes to the URL, author, category, content, and more for posts, pages, and custom post types. |
| Changes to plugins/themes | It logs new plugin installs/uninstalls, when plugins are activated/deactivated/updated, and more. This also applies for themes. |
| User logins/sessions | Session events, like when a user logs in, logs out, terminates a session, when there’s a failed login attempt, when login is blocked, etc. |
| User account changes | Includes changes to user roles, passwords, account data (including WooCommerce account details), emails, custom fields, etc. |
| WordPress system changes | Changes made to the system settings that can affect the website’s functionality, such as core updates, permalinks changes, time settings changes, changes to the website URL, etc. |
| File permissions changes | Once you install Melapress File Monitor, WP Activity Log also keeps a log of the reported file and file permissions changes. |
User management:
| See logged-in users in real time PREMIUM ENTERPRISE | This is a complete list of all active sessions. |
| Search user sessions PREMIUM ENTERPRISE | Use the search and filters to find specific logged-in sessions. |
| Terminate user sessions PREMIUM ENTERPRISE | You can instantly log out a user or multiple users or terminate all sessions at once at the click of a button. |
| Automatically terminate idle user sessions PREMIUM ENTERPRISE | Log idle users/sessions out automatically after they have been idle for a specified amount of time. |
| Block simultaneous sessions by the same user iBy default, WordPress allows an unlimited number of sessions for the same user at the same time, which can result in a lot of account sharing and/or abuse. Limiting simultaneous sessions can prevent this. PREMIUM ENTERPRISE | Configure the plugin to limit the number of sessions a user can have at the same time, preventing account sharing and security issues. |
Search & filtering:
| Free text search | Regular text-based search using keywords. |
| Search filters iYou can use search filters such as username, date and time, post ID, event type, event object, along with various others. PREMIUM ENTERPRISE | Select from a number of filters to fine-tune the search results. |
| Save search filter PREMIUM ENTERPRISE | Save search filters for reuse/easy future searches. |
| CSV Export PREMIUM ENTERPRISE | Export search results to CSV. |
Integrations:
No other logging plugins come close to the features/integrations we offer in the integrations module.
| Store activity log in external tables/database/server iBy default the logs are kept in the same WordPress database. With this module, you can store the logs in another database or remote server. On top of gaining performance, you also segregate the data, so in case of a hack, the activity log data cannot be tampered with. ENTERPRISE | Improve performance and security (segregation of data) by storing the logs in another database. |
| Mirror logs to third-party services ENTERPRISE | Platforms/services where logs can be mirrored to:
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| Configure filters for mirroring ENTERPRISE | When you configure mirroring/sending of logs to third parties, you can configure filters to specify which logs are mirrored and which aren’t. |
| Write activity log to a log file ENTERPRISE |
Third-party support:
| Yoast | Logs plugin settings changes, but also changes to the Yoast SEO metabox (meta title, description, etc). |
| WooCommerce iThese features are often used to monitor WooCommerce stores, including for preventing fraud, tracking activity for marketing purposes, and complying with regulations like PCI-DSS and GDPR. | Logs store and store settings changes, changes to products, orders, coupons, user settings, and important details like changes to billing/shipping address. |
| ACF (Advanced Custom Fields) | Logs changes to plugin configurations, post types settings, taxonomies, and taxonomy terms. |
| Redirection | Logs redirections and redirection groups created with the redirection plugin. |
| Memberpress iWP Activity Log is often used to monitor for (and prevent) account sharing and to track member activity on platforms/membership sites. | Logs memberships, groups, plugin settings, roles, subscriptions, and transactions. |
| TablePress | Logs changes to tables made with TablePress. |
| WPForms | Logs changes to forms and WPForms settings, as well as notifications by the plugin. |
| LearnDash | Track LearnDash content changes and student activity, including enrollments, completions, and certificates for full visibility into how your LMS is used. This includes both free and premium events. |
| Gravity Forms | Logs changes to forms and Gravity Forms settings, as well as notifications by the plugin. |
| bbPress | Logs changes to forums and plugin settings. |
| WP 2FA | Logs changes to WP 2FA settings, user’s 2FA methods, policies, and user lockouts. |
| Rank Math | Track changes to SEO title, meta description, focus keyword, pillar content in posts/pages/custom post types, changes in Robots meta, and enabling/disabling specific modules in Rank Math plugin settings. |
| Termly | Track connection/disconnection from Termly, enabling/disabling automatic scans, and enabling/disabling important settings.. |
| Paid Memberships 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. |
| Other | Even if WP Activity Log doesn’t have a direct integration for a plugin, it may still be able to track the changes if these are part of general changes the plugin tracks, like content changes and system settings changes. It just won’t be able to assign them to the specific plugin nor track changes made to the settings of that specific plugin. Still missing an integration? – you can always contact support (we regularly add new features if there’s enough demand) or create your own using our easy-to-use API. |
WordPress management systems:
| WPUmbrella | Tracks activities from WPUmbrella’s centralized dashboard, logging bulk updates to plugins, themes, and WordPress core, as well as automated backups, site monitoring changes, and user interactions for comprehensive management oversight. |
| InfiniteWP | Monitors self-hosted InfiniteWP dashboard actions, capturing one-click updates for WordPress core, themes, and plugins, plus scheduled backups and site cloning, ensuring all administrative changes are logged. |
| ManageWP | Logs changes made via ManageWP’s cloud-based dashboard, including plugin and theme updates, user management, and backups, providing a clear audit trail for compliance and monitoring. |
| ModularDS | Detects and logs changes through ModularDS, tracking plugin and theme updates, user changes, and site configuration adjustments made via its management interface. |
| MainWP | Enables viewing logs of all child sites from the MainWP dashboard and tracks specific actions like site status changes, client and site management, and configuration modifications, with six dedicated event IDs for enhanced network visibility. |
Notifications and alerts:
| Configurable daily/weekly summary emails | The summary emails can include summaries of login activity, password changes, changes to plugins and system settings, and content changes. |
| SMS alerts iOften used for business-vital changes in situations where immediate action is required, like accidental publication of sensitive information or clear indications of a hacker on your site. PREMIUM ENTERPRISE | Which can include pre-set or custom notifications. |
| Email alerts iOften used for important but less time-sensitive changes. PREMIUM ENTERPRISE | Which can include both pre-set and custom notifications. |
| Slack iOften used for more general monitoring, to keep an eye on the status of the website. PREMIUM ENTERPRISE | Supports both custom and pre-set notifications. |
| Preconfigured alerts PREMIUM ENTERPRISE | The plugin is shipped with a number of preconfigured alerts so you can simply check a box to get an email when a user logs in, a plugin is installed, or similar important changes are made. |
| Notifications trigger builder PREMIUM ENTERPRISE | Users can build/configure any type of criteria to trigger any type of notification. For example, you can configure a trigger for the plugin to send an email when a user logs in from a specific IP address and only when the login happens between specific hours of the day. The trigger builder allows you to build both general and highly specific triggers using any of the data collected by WP Activity Log, giving you full flexibility. |
Reporting:
| HTML/CSV reports PREMIUM ENTERPRISE | Reports can be exported to HTML or CSV. |
| Reports builder PREMIUM ENTERPRISE | Use filters (such as username, post ID, roles, etc) to build specific reports tailored to your use case. |
| Statistics reports iCommonly used for tracking marketing activities, how active your website/platform users are, etc. PREMIUM ENTERPRISE | For example, the number of logins per user per month, number of published posts in a week, etc. |
| Scheduled/automated reporting PREMIUM ENTERPRISE | Configure report criteria and schedule it so the plugin sends you a report on a daily, weekly, and/or monthly basis. |
| Reports customization PREMIUM ENTERPRISE | Select what information to include in the report. |
| Reports white labelling PREMIUM ENTERPRISE | Add your own logo, description, contact details, report name etc to the reports. |
Other:
| Configurable interface | There are several things you can configure in the activity log viewer, for example, the timezone/format, the user display name, and which data columns to show. |
| Ability to add notes to log entries PREMIUM ENTERPRISE | Administrators can add their own notes to events directly in the activity log. |
| Import/export the plugin and settings | Ideal for migrating and propagating installs (when installed on many websites). |
| Delete specific activity log data for GDPR compliance PREMIUM ENTERPRISE | A tool you can use to delete data about specific users, sites, IP addresses, etc. |
| Reverse proxy/web application firewall support iSetting is fully configurable. | The plugin can be installed on a website sitting behind a web application firewall or reverse proxy, and it can still retrieve the end user IP address. |
| Plugin and activity log permissions | By default, only users with the administrator role can view the activity log and configure the plugin. However, you can allow other users to view the activity log, or restrict the plugin settings to your admin account only. |
| Hide the plugin from other users | WSAL can be hidden from all except your user, so other users with administrator access do not know that the plugin is installed. |
| Login page notification | You can add a notification on the login page to advise users that their actions are being logged. |
| Change the from email address/email display name | Admins can override the email address notifications are sent from as well as the display name. |