Tailwise vs WP error plugins.
Credit where it's due: plugins like Error Log Monitor and Fatal Error Notify are easier to install than Tailwise. Three clicks in WP Admin and you're watching. But they only see what WordPress can show them, and their alerts depend on WordPress being able to send mail. Tailwise watches your server from outside (WordPress is just one of the things it can monitor), so it catches what plugins can't and emails you from its own infrastructure when WP itself is on fire.
| Tailwise | WordPress plugin | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Outside WP, as a cron on the server | Inside WP, hooked into the request |
| Still alerts when WP is dead? | Yes: logs keep writing; agent keeps reading | No: a fatal during plugin load means no email |
| What it sees | WP debug.log + nginx/Apache + PHP-FPM + MySQL logs | Only what WP routed through its own error path |
| Email delivery | Sent independently, no SMTP plugin needed | Relies on WordPress mail (usually needs WP Mail SMTP or FluentSMTP plus an SMTP host) |
| Multiple sites | One subscription covers up to 3 sites | Install + configure on each site separately |
| Server access needed | SSH or a cron UI | None: just WP admin |
| Cost | $89 / year for 3 sites | $0 to ~$49 / year per site |
When to pick which
Use a WP plugin if
- You only run one WordPress site.
- You can only manage your site through WP Admin (no SSH).
- You're fine with WordPress reporting on itself.
- You don't need server-level coverage (nginx, PHP-FPM, MySQL).
Use Tailwise if
- You want alerts even when WordPress itself is down.
- You run multiple sites and want one place that watches them all.
- You want to catch server-level issues plugins can't see.
- You don't want to install WP Mail SMTP (or pick an SMTP host) just so error emails can leave the building.
The chicken-and-egg problem
WordPress error plugins run as part of WordPress. So when WP boots fine and a piece of your site throws an error, the plugin can absolutely email you. Nice.
But the failures site owners care about most (a plugin update that fatals on activation, a PHP version bump that breaks the bootstrap, a database that goes away) happen before WordPress finishes loading. The plugin never gets a chance to fire. You only hear about it when a visitor calls.
Tailwise reads the same log file PHP wrote the fatal to, from outside the application. WP can be completely down and the alert still goes out within a minute or two.
Get on the early-access list
Tailwise is rolling out. Drop your email and I'll let you in when access opens.