PluginSift

External Links in New Window / New Tab vs External Links (2026)

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

External Links in New Window / New Tab

External Links in New Window / New Tab

4.5(77)

30K+ active installs

Free

Updated 4 months ago
View External Links in New Window / New Tab
VS
External Links

External Links

4.8(36)

9.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 8 years ago
View External Links

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, External Links has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 36 reviews) while External Links in New Window / New Tab leads in active installations (30K+ vs 9.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. External Links in New Window / New Tab has accumulated 489K+ total downloads while External Links has 358K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.5/5External Links in New Window / New Tab
►
External Links4.8/5
Total Reviews
77External Links in New Window / New Tab
◄
External Links36
Active Installs
30K+External Links in New Window / New Tab
◄
External Links9.0K+
Total Downloads
489K+External Links in New Window / New Tab
◄
External Links358K+
Support Resolution
N/AExternal Links in New Window / New Tab
External LinksN/A
Last Updated
4 months agoExternal Links in New Window / New Tab
◄
External Links8 years ago
First Released
2010External Links in New Window / New Tab
External Links2008
Age
16 yearsExternal Links in New Window / New Tab
External Links18 years
WP Requires
4.0+External Links in New Window / New Tab
External Links2.8+
PHP Requires
5.2+External Links in New Window / New Tab
External Linksfalse+
Business Model
FreeExternal Links in New Window / New Tab
External LinksFree
Latest Version
1.45External Links in New Window / New Tab
External Links6.8.1

Rating Breakdown

External Links in New Window / New Tab

4.5/5(77 reviews)
5
87%
4
0%
3
0%
2
4%
1
9%

External Links

4.8/5(36 reviews)
5
86%
4
11%
3
0%
2
0%
1
3%

Recent Reviews

External Links in New Window / New Tab Reviews

by edragonxx

Not working

Not working with google ads

by Christian Saborio

Works as expected, minimal setup

Download, activate, you are done. This is pretty much you need, works flawlessly.

by philsimon

Simple, elegant plug-in

This one’s going to save me a good deal of time with my new writing process. Thank you for creating it.

External Links Reviews

by Jimmy Lee

Best of its kind!

Hope this one never goes away!!!

by yeoric

Works just fine

The only of all such plugins that I tried that works fine and did not break anything. Would be nice to have icons options, but hey, I’m thankful for it as it is, and the current icon is a good choice.

by FeliceAntonio

Simple and useful

Simple and comfortable to use, really nice style, I was looking for. I’m searching to improve my website, accessibility and usability too and I removed all the target="_blank" on my posts and I marked

Frequently Asked Questions

Is External Links in New Window / New Tab or External Links more popular?
External Links in New Window / New Tab has 30K+ active installations while External Links has 9.0K+. External Links in New Window / New Tab is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — External Links in New Window / New Tab or External Links?
External Links in New Window / New Tab has a 4.5/5 rating from 77 reviews, while External Links has a 4.8/5 rating from 36 reviews.
Are External Links in New Window / New Tab and External Links free?
External Links in New Window / New Tab is free and External Links is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — External Links in New Window / New Tab or External Links?
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?
External Links in New Window / New Tab was last updated 4 months ago and External Links was last updated 8 years ago.

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