Query Monitor alternative for site owners

A free plugin adds a chat to your WP dashboard. Ask what your error log says. It tells you where each error comes from, in plain words. Nothing changes.

It reads the log your site already keeps. Install it before things break.

Download the free plugin

Needs WP 6.3 to 7.1 and PHP 8.0 or newer. What it installs

Needs WP 6.3 to 7.1, PHP 8.0 or newer, and an administrator login. One site per install.

The download is a plugin. Turning it on connects your site to cmshands.com and adds 3 small rescue files. Deleting the plugin removes them and everything it stored. What we send

Plugins are installed from a computer. Get the plugin here instead

Nothing changes without your OK
Undo in one click, or a warning first
No account, no password to share

Query Monitor is a trademark of its owner. CMSHands is not affiliated with it.

What it does here

Ask what errors your site is logging. It reads the log and says where each line comes from.
It loads a page the way a visitor would, to tell you if an error is something visitors notice.
It answers in plain words and changes nothing on your site.

More it does here (3)

After a crash it reads the log and settings to find the cause, if CMSHands was on the site before it broke.
Ask why your home page is slow and it explains from the load time it measures. It can't make it faster.
It can offer to switch off a plugin that fills the log. You approve it first, and one click undoes it.

How they compare

	CMSHands	Query Monitor
Built for	Site owners who want the answer in plain words	Developers: it calls itself a developer tools panel for WordPress¹
Where you see it	A chat in your WP dashboard, the screens you log in to at yoursite.com/wp-admin	A menu in the admin toolbar, with panels for the page you're on. Admins only, by default¹
Errors	Reads your error log, says where each line comes from, and loads your pages to see if visitors notice	Shows the errors on the page you're on, with the plugin or theme behind each and its call stack¹
Errors from earlier visits	Yes, if your site keeps a log. It reads what's there. It can't turn logging on	It doesn't store the data it collects¹
Slow pages	Explains why a page is slow from the load time it measures. It can't make it faster	Lists database queries, flags slow, duplicate and failed ones, and groups them by plugin or theme¹
Your data	The plugin connects your site to cmshands.com, and what the chat reads goes there so it can answer. What we send	Private by default: it doesn't store what it collects or send it to a third party¹
Price	Free to start: questions are free, 30 a day (100 with your email). 3 changes, then 10 a month with your email	Free. 200,000+ active installs, 4.9 out of 5 from 469 ratings¹

Built for

CMSHands: Site owners who want the answer in plain words
Query Monitor: Developers: it calls itself a developer tools panel for WordPress¹

Where you see it

CMSHands: A chat in your WP dashboard, the screens you log in to at yoursite.com/wp-admin
Query Monitor: A menu in the admin toolbar, with panels for the page you're on. Admins only, by default¹

Errors

CMSHands: Reads your error log, says where each line comes from, and loads your pages to see if visitors notice
Query Monitor: Shows the errors on the page you're on, with the plugin or theme behind each and its call stack¹

Errors from earlier visits

CMSHands: Yes, if your site keeps a log. It reads what's there. It can't turn logging on
Query Monitor: It doesn't store the data it collects¹

Slow pages

CMSHands: Explains why a page is slow from the load time it measures. It can't make it faster
Query Monitor: Lists database queries, flags slow, duplicate and failed ones, and groups them by plugin or theme¹

Your data

CMSHands: The plugin connects your site to cmshands.com, and what the chat reads goes there so it can answer. What we send
Query Monitor: Private by default: it doesn't store what it collects or send it to a third party¹

Price

CMSHands: Free to start: questions are free, 30 a day (100 with your email). 3 changes, then 10 a month with your email
Query Monitor: Free. 200,000+ active installs, 4.9 out of 5 from 469 ratings¹

CMSHands and Query Monitor, for finding errors. Query Monitor facts read Oct 14, 2026.

1. wordpress.org/plugins/query-monitor, Oct 14, 2026

Which one fits

Who should keep Query Monitor

Keep Query Monitor if you build or debug WP sites. For each page you open, it shows the database queries, hooks, HTTP calls and errors behind it, with call stacks. It's free. It doesn't store what it collects or send it to a third party (wordpress.org/plugins/query-monitor, read Oct 14, 2026). CMSHands shows none of that detail. It reads your log and answers in plain words.

Can you use both?

Yes. They do different jobs: Query Monitor shows what happens on the page you're viewing, and the chat reads the log your site keeps. We haven't tested the two side by side yet on our test site, a WP site we run to try every task before we write about it.

Why it won't wreck your site

Asking changes nothing. A question only reads your site. It looks things up and tells you. No card, no button.
Nothing changes until you press the button. Every change comes as a card that names it. Nothing happens until you press the button or Not now.
One click undoes it. When something can't be undone, like deleting a page or a plugin, the card says so before you press.

What it won't do here

It can't turn logging onIt reads a log your site already keeps. If there's none, turn on WP's debug log yourself or ask your host.
It doesn't show queries, hooks or call stacksQuery Monitor shows those for each page you open. The chat reads your log and your pages, and answers in plain words.
It can't make a slow page fasterIt explains why a page is slow from the load time it measures. It can't make it faster.
A site that's already downFinding the cause of a crash needs CMSHands on the site before it broke. It can't be installed into a site that won't load.

Free to start

No account: 3 to try it
With your email: 10 every month
Paid plan: Coming. Nothing costs money until you choose it.

A change is one card you approve. A job that touches several pages or plugins is several changes.What's free

Questions

Is CMSHands made by the Query Monitor team?

No. CMSHands is a separate product from a separate company, and it isn't affiliated with Query Monitor or its maker, John Blackbourn. If you're looking for Query Monitor itself, it's at wordpress.org/plugins/query-monitor.

What is the Query Monitor plugin?

It's a free developer tools panel for WordPress. It shows the database queries, errors, hooks and HTTP calls behind the page you're on, from a menu in the admin toolbar. On wordpress.org it shows 200,000+ active installs and 4.9 out of 5 from 469 ratings. Its last update was Jun 20, 2026 (read Oct 14, 2026).

How do I see errors in WordPress without Query Monitor?

Turn on the debug log. Open wp-config.php in your host's file manager. Above the line “That's all, stop editing!”, set WP_DEBUG and WP_DEBUG_LOG to true and WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY to false. WP then writes errors to wp-content/debug.log. Turn it off when you're done: the file keeps growing, and anyone who knows its address can open it.

Does Query Monitor slow down my site?

A little, says its maker. Its FAQ answers “Yes, but only a little,” and says it uses more memory on pages with hundreds of database queries. You can switch it off when you're not using it, in Plugins › Installed Plugins (wordpress.org/plugins/query-monitor, read Oct 14, 2026).

What does it find in a real error log?

On Oct 14, 2026 we switched on the error log on our test site and added a small plugin that writes a warning on the Cart page. We asked “What errors is my site logging, and are they hurting visitors?” It found 3 lines, all that warning from Cart Gift Note. It said visitors weren't affected, because the page still loads. It said it could offer to switch the plugin off.