Debug Bar vs Debug This (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Debug This has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 17 reviews) while Debug Bar leads in active installations (20K+ vs 2.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Debug Bar has accumulated 2.1M+ total downloads while Debug This has 158K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Debug Bar | Debug This | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.1/5 | ► | 4.8/5 |
| Total Reviews | 69 | ◄ | 17 |
| Active Installs | 20K+ | ◄ | 2.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 2.1M+ | ◄ | 158K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 1 month ago | ◄ | 10 months ago |
| First Released | 2010 | 2012 | |
| Age | 16 years | 14 years | |
| WP Requires | 3.4+ | 5.2+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | 5.6+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 1.1.8 | 0.6.7 |
Rating Breakdown
Debug Bar
Debug This
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Debug Bar averaged approximately 1,771 daily downloads while Debug This averaged 10.
Recent Reviews
Debug Bar Reviews
Simple and easy
It works…
Works perfectly
Finding bugs is very easy and efficient with that plugin. I can highly recommend it.
Seemingly abandoned
Debug Bar is still listed in WordPress’s own developer documentation as a go-to debugging tool, yet it hasn’t been updated in over a year and throws PHP errors. It’s a clear example of Automattic prom
Debug This Reviews
Great plugin
Very nice, even the phpinfo() colors are displayed correctly.
Very useful
Thank you for your great work!
Awesome and all in one.
Great plugin to truly get under the WordPress hood. Thanks.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.