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Spider Blocker vs <.htaccess> IP block (2026)

Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.

Spider Blocker

Spider Blocker

4(5)

20K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 year ago
View Spider Blocker
VS
<.htaccess> IP block

<.htaccess> IP block

3(2)

10 active installs

Free

Updated 9 years ago
View <.htaccess> IP block

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Spider Blocker has a higher user rating (4/5 from 5 reviews) and leads in active installations (20K+ vs 10). Both are free WordPress plugins. Spider Blocker has accumulated 612K+ total downloads while <.htaccess> IP block has 1.8K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4/5Spider Blocker
◄
<.htaccess> IP block3/5
Total Reviews
5Spider Blocker
◄
<.htaccess> IP block2
Active Installs
20K+Spider Blocker
◄
<.htaccess> IP block10
Total Downloads
612K+Spider Blocker
◄
<.htaccess> IP block1.8K+
Support Resolution
N/ASpider Blocker
<.htaccess> IP blockN/A
Last Updated
1 year agoSpider Blocker
◄
<.htaccess> IP block9 years ago
First Released
2015Spider Blocker
<.htaccess> IP block2016
Age
11 yearsSpider Blocker
<.htaccess> IP block10 years
WP Requires
4.0+Spider Blocker
<.htaccess> IP blockfalse+
PHP Requires
false+Spider Blocker
<.htaccess> IP blockfalse+
Business Model
FreeSpider Blocker
<.htaccess> IP blockFree
Latest Version
1.3.7Spider Blocker
<.htaccess> IP block1.0

Rating Breakdown

Spider Blocker

4/5(5 reviews)
5
60%
4
0%
3
20%
2
20%
1
0%

<.htaccess> IP block

3/5(2 reviews)
5
50%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
50%

Recent Reviews

Spider Blocker Reviews

by hugrat

Too many concerns

Apparently you need to keep your htaccess readable all the time or the plugin turns off. I cannot find any info if the htaccess still needs the plugin to function after this. This does not make me fee

by Akshit Sethi

Perfect!

Does what it promises to do. No more bad bots to my WP blog 🙂

by deleted

Good first impression

I like that you can add additional bots. It does what it says and keeps the worst offenders of your page out of the box It also didn’t crash my multi site or disable admin or anything (like “Stop bad

<.htaccess> IP block Reviews

No reviews yet

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Spider Blocker or <.htaccess> IP block more popular?
Spider Blocker has 20K+ active installations while <.htaccess> IP block has 10. Spider Blocker is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Spider Blocker or <.htaccess> IP block?
Spider Blocker has a 4/5 rating from 5 reviews, while <.htaccess> IP block has a 3/5 rating from 2 reviews.
Are Spider Blocker and <.htaccess> IP block free?
Spider Blocker is free and <.htaccess> IP block is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Spider Blocker or <.htaccess> IP block?
Support resolution data is not available for all plugins. Check each plugin's WordPress.org support forum for current response quality.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Spider Blocker was last updated 1 year ago and <.htaccess> IP block was last updated 9 years ago.

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