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Post Meta Inspector

By Automattic

Site Administration & Utilities / Site Health & Diagnostics

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

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

Post Meta Inspector Review - In-Depth Analysis

Easily view post meta data associated with any post. This plugin displays meta keys and values in a convenient meta box.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.98/10

User Rating

4.8/5 (based on 10+ reviews)

Active Installations

2,000+

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

This plugin provides a quick and easy way to see post meta associated with any given post. When activated, it prints your post meta keys and values inside of a post meta box.

Originally developed for WordPress.com VIP-hosted clients, it is also useful for development environments. You can fork the plugin on GitHub and submit pull requests. Feedback, questions, bug reports, and feature requests are welcome in the forums.

Comparing to Alternatives

Post Meta Inspector offers a straightforward and efficient way to view post meta data, with a few direct alternatives available for users seeking similar functionality.

Top alternatives

Post Meta Data Manager ( WPS: 6.78)

Strengths

Does not require database connection to view meta values, speeding up development.
Displays custom fields conveniently at the bottom of the post edit screen.
Highly praised for saving time and simplifying debugging.
Lightweight and focused tool without unnecessary features.

Weaknesses

Lacks ability to edit or delete meta values directly from the inspector.
Does not display normal POST data, limiting some debugging scenarios.
No pro version means limited advanced features compared to some alternatives.

User Sentiment Analysis

With a high average rating of 4.8 out of 5 and no low-star reviews, users generally express strong satisfaction with Post Meta Inspector's utility and ease of use.

Positive highlights

"No need to be connected to the database to check the meta values during development. A big time saver!" — Michael
"Lovely little tool. Saves having to go into the database and look through the postmeta table when debugging." — Property Hive
"Great plugin that really makes it easy to see all of the custom fields in a post or custom post type." — Jon
"A lifesaver plugin for developer" — saddamcrr7
"Very useful plugin thanks." — Kevin

Common complaints

Weaknesses

Cannot edit or delete meta values directly within the plugin.
Missing option to display normal POST data for debugging.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Developers and site administrators who need a quick and simple way to inspect post meta data without accessing the database directly.

Not ideal for

Users who require in-plugin editing or deletion of meta values or need to view POST data during debugging may find this plugin limited.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version provides essential functionality to view all custom fields in posts and custom post types conveniently within the admin interface.

Final Verdict

Post Meta Inspector is a highly rated and reliable tool that simplifies viewing post meta data without database access, making it a valuable time saver for developers. Its focused feature set and ease of use are praised, though it lacks editing capabilities and POST data display.

While alternatives exist, this plugin stands out for its simplicity and effectiveness. The absence of security issues and a free-only model make it accessible, but users needing more advanced features might consider other options.