RSS Importer vs Custom Simple Rss (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Custom Simple Rss has a higher user rating (4.9/5 from 14 reviews) while RSS Importer leads in active installations (30K+ vs 2.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. RSS Importer has accumulated 1.3M+ total downloads while Custom Simple Rss has 45K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | RSS Importer | Custom Simple Rss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 2/5 | ► | 4.9/5 |
| Total Reviews | 10 | ► | 14 |
| Active Installs | 30K+ | ◄ | 2.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 1.3M+ | ◄ | 45K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 1 year ago | ◄ | 5 years ago |
| First Released | 2010 | 2015 | |
| Age | 16 years | 11 years | |
| WP Requires | 3.0+ | 4.0.1+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 0.3.2 | 2.1.3 |
Rating Breakdown
RSS Importer
Custom Simple Rss
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, RSS Importer averaged approximately 114 daily downloads while Custom Simple Rss averaged 4.
Recent Reviews
RSS Importer Reviews
Not working
Only pulling through the titles not the main body of the posts.
It seems to get only XML from a downloaded file
It should allow an URL specification to get feed from an online website.
Needs update for PHP 7
This plugin needs an update to work with php7. (and 8) @garethgillman has provided a fix. https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fix-for-php-7/ Once that’s fixed it works really nice. Although it could a
Custom Simple Rss Reviews
Just what I needed
This is a great plugin. It has clear instructions on how to use it. I wanted to include an image in an RSS feed. There are a lot of plugins out there that do this the wrong way. This one does it the r
Gets the job done.
Was writing my own RSS template and then found this. Great timesaver and works right away. Is there a way to add just excerpts to the feed?
Great plugin, very flexible!
Super Simple (Great for MailChimp)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is RSS Importer or Custom Simple Rss more popular?
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.