Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… vs Blackhole for Bad Bots (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses…
90K+ active installs
Free
Blackhole for Bad Bots
30K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… has a higher user rating (4.9/5 from 89 reviews) and leads in active installations (90K+ vs 30K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… has accumulated 1.8M+ total downloads while Blackhole for Bad Bots has 887K+. Blackhole for Bad Bots has a higher support resolution rate (100% vs 67%).
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… | Blackhole for Bad Bots | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.9/5 | ◄ | 4.7/5 |
| Total Reviews | 89 | ► | 148 |
| Active Installs | 90K+ | ◄ | 30K+ |
| Total Downloads | 1.8M+ | ◄ | 887K+ |
| Support Resolution | 67% | ► | 100% |
| Last Updated | 5 days ago | ◄ | 2 weeks ago |
| First Released | 2010 | 2016 | |
| Age | 16 years | 10 years | |
| WP Requires | 4.7+ | 4.7+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.4+ | 5.6.20+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.4.5 | 3.8.1 |
Rating Breakdown
Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses…
Blackhole for Bad Bots
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… averaged approximately 1,893 daily downloads while Blackhole for Bad Bots averaged 905.
Recent Reviews
Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… Reviews
Nice Free Plugin
Good free plugin. I hope it will soon be able to automatically recognize phone numbers
Been using it for years!
I’m actually impressed that it’s still free.
Excellent plugin and support
Excellent plugin and support. Highly recommended.
Blackhole for Bad Bots Reviews
Cloudflare Compatibility
Plug in has many problems with Cloudflare
Does nothing!
n/a This topic was modified 4 months, 2 weeks ago by ron441241. This topic was modified 4 months, 2 weeks ago by ron441241.
Great plugin
Hi. It seems to be doing its job. I am happy with it. Thanks 🙂 [Blackhole for Bad Bots]
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.