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…

Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses…

4.9(89)

90K+ active installs

Free

Updated 5 days ago
View Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses…
VS
Blackhole for Bad Bots

Blackhole for Bad Bots

4.7(148)

30K+ active installs

Free

Updated 2 weeks ago
View Blackhole for Bad Bots

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

Rating
4.9/5Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses…
Blackhole for Bad Bots4.7/5
Total Reviews
89Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses…
Blackhole for Bad Bots148
Active Installs
90K+Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses…
Blackhole for Bad Bots30K+
Total Downloads
1.8M+Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses…
Blackhole for Bad Bots887K+
Support Resolution
67%Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses…
Blackhole for Bad Bots100%
Last Updated
5 days agoEmail Encoder – Protect Email Addresses…
Blackhole for Bad Bots2 weeks ago
First Released
2010Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses…
Blackhole for Bad Bots2016
Age
16 yearsEmail Encoder – Protect Email Addresses…
Blackhole for Bad Bots10 years
WP Requires
4.7+Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses…
Blackhole for Bad Bots4.7+
PHP Requires
7.4+Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses…
Blackhole for Bad Bots5.6.20+
Business Model
FreeEmail Encoder – Protect Email Addresses…
Blackhole for Bad BotsFree
Latest Version
2.4.5Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses…
Blackhole for Bad Bots3.8.1

Rating Breakdown

Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses…

4.9/5(89 reviews)
5
94%
4
3%
3
0%
2
2%
1
0%

Blackhole for Bad Bots

4.7/5(148 reviews)
5
91%
4
2%
3
3%
2
1%
1
4%

Recent Reviews

Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… Reviews

by 720florian

Nice Free Plugin

Good free plugin. I hope it will soon be able to automatically recognize phone numbers

by paulr25

Been using it for years!

I’m actually impressed that it’s still free.

by niveksa

Excellent plugin and support

Excellent plugin and support. Highly recommended.

Blackhole for Bad Bots Reviews

by athinaok

Cloudflare Compatibility

Plug in has many problems with Cloudflare

by ron441241

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.

by Krzysztof

Great plugin

Hi. It seems to be doing its job. I am happy with it. Thanks 🙂 [Blackhole for Bad Bots]

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… or Blackhole for Bad Bots more popular?
Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… has 90K+ active installations while Blackhole for Bad Bots has 30K+. Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… or Blackhole for Bad Bots?
Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… has a 4.9/5 rating from 89 reviews, while Blackhole for Bad Bots has a 4.7/5 rating from 148 reviews.
Are Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… and Blackhole for Bad Bots free?
Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… is free and Blackhole for Bad Bots is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… or Blackhole for Bad Bots?
As of April 2026, Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… has a 67% support resolution rate while Blackhole for Bad Bots has a 100% rate.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… was last updated 5 days ago and Blackhole for Bad Bots was last updated 2 weeks ago.

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.