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Audit Trail

By John Godley

Site Administration & Utilities / Site Health & Diagnostics

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

Audit Trail Review - In-Depth Analysis

Audit Trail is a plugin to monitor and log administrative actions on your blog. It tracks user activities and allows for post version restoration.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.64/10

User Rating

2.8/5 (based on 4+ reviews)

Active Installations

20,000+

Update Frequency

Below Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Audit Trail is a plugin to keep track of what is going on inside your blog. It does this by recording certain actions such as who logged in and when, and storing this information in the form of a log. Not only that but it records the full contents of posts and pages and allows you to restore a post to a previous version at any time.

To summarise, it provides a log of user actions inside your blog, which is useful for finding out who did what in a multi-user system. The plugin is extensible, allowing other plugins the ability to add and display items in the Audit Trail. Additionally, it has the ability to track registered user page visits and is fully localized.

Audit Trail is available in multiple languages including English, Estonian, Belorussian, Simplified Chinese, German, Japanese, Romanian, and Lithuanian.

Comparing to Alternatives

Audit Trail is a plugin designed for tracking and logging WordPress changes, but it faces competition from several well-established alternatives.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Simple and straightforward to use as noted by some users.
Focuses on audit trail functionality specifically.
No known security vulnerabilities reported.
Lightweight with minimal impact on site performance.

Weaknesses

Debug errors appear on the admin page causing notices to display.
Limited user base and fewer updates compared to alternatives.
No pro version or premium features available.
Lower overall user rating indicating potential reliability issues.

User Sentiment Analysis

With a mixed rating distribution and half of the reviews being 1 or 2 stars, user sentiment is divided but leans towards dissatisfaction due to technical issues.

Positive highlights

'Simple and useful' - Lembit Kivisik

Common complaints

Debug errors causing notices on the admin page.
Plugin triggers PHP notices related to non-object properties.

Weaknesses

Stability issues reflected in debug errors.
Limited support and updates due to small user base.
Lack of advanced features compared to alternatives.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users seeking a basic and simple audit trail plugin without the need for advanced features or premium support.

Not ideal for

Those who require a robust, error-free logging solution with active development and premium options should consider other alternatives.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version provides basic audit trail logging functionality without advanced features.

Final Verdict

Audit Trail offers a simple and lightweight solution for tracking WordPress changes but suffers from technical issues such as debug errors that affect usability. Its lack of a pro version and limited updates make it less appealing compared to more established alternatives.

While it may suit users looking for a basic audit trail plugin, those needing reliability and advanced features should consider other options like Simple History or Stream for a more polished experience.