XML Sitemap & Google News vs Virtual Robots.txt (2026)

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

XML Sitemap & Google News

XML Sitemap & Google News

4.4(83)

100K+ active installs

Free + Premium

Updated 2 months ago
View XML Sitemap & Google News
VS
Virtual Robots.txt

Virtual Robots.txt

4.3(10)

50K+ active installs

Free

Updated 3 months ago
View Virtual Robots.txt

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, XML Sitemap & Google News has a higher user rating (4.4/5 from 83 reviews) and leads in active installations (100K+ vs 50K+). Both are free + premium WordPress plugins. XML Sitemap & Google News has accumulated 4.5M+ total downloads while Virtual Robots.txt has 442K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.4/5XML Sitemap & Google News
Virtual Robots.txt4.3/5
Total Reviews
83XML Sitemap & Google News
Virtual Robots.txt10
Active Installs
100K+XML Sitemap & Google News
Virtual Robots.txt50K+
Total Downloads
4.5M+XML Sitemap & Google News
Virtual Robots.txt442K+
Support Resolution
100%XML Sitemap & Google News
Virtual Robots.txtN/A
Last Updated
2 months agoXML Sitemap & Google News
Virtual Robots.txt3 months ago
First Released
2009XML Sitemap & Google News
Virtual Robots.txt2009
Age
17 yearsXML Sitemap & Google News
Virtual Robots.txt17 years
WP Requires
4.4+XML Sitemap & Google News
Virtual Robots.txt5.0+
PHP Requires
5.6+XML Sitemap & Google News
Virtual Robots.txtfalse+
Business Model
Free + PremiumXML Sitemap & Google News
Virtual Robots.txtFree
Latest Version
5.7.2XML Sitemap & Google News
Virtual Robots.txt1.10

Rating Breakdown

XML Sitemap & Google News

4.4/5(83 reviews)
5
81%
4
5%
3
2%
2
0%
1
12%

Virtual Robots.txt

4.3/5(10 reviews)
5
80%
4
0%
3
0%
2
10%
1
10%

Recent Reviews

XML Sitemap & Google News Reviews

by momocamel

perfect plugin with great support!

Didn’t work at first, the support offered to help and reinstalled it and it works. it has automatically submit to Google and Bing, that’s awesome feature. works perfectly now I guess. This top

by kenfortune

Finally!

Finally! A sitemap plugin that allows me to edit my sitemap with ease. This is the 6th sitemap plugin I’ve tried and my favourite by far. Very easy to exclude certain pages, posts, tags or categories

by kolniu

Google Error, # Auffindbarkeit Sitemaps Vorübergehender Verarbeitungsfehler

Google Error, # vorübergehender Fehler bei der Verarbeitung Ihrer Sitemap.Dieser Fehler tritt leider erst seid kurzem auf.Meine Website wurde seid dem nicht mehr von Google crawling aktualisiert. V

Virtual Robots.txt Reviews

by commexjimmy

This plugin is working great for me

I have used this plugin for many years and never had a problem with it. So with that said, I do highly recommend it.

by treysuttle

Doesn’t seem to work as described

I had an issue that I believed was being caused by the plugin but the plugin author was very quick to help and clear up the issue. Great and helpful customer service – thanks! This topic was m

by Denis Creative

Very useful

Simple and easy. Works perfectly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is XML Sitemap & Google News or Virtual Robots.txt more popular?
XML Sitemap & Google News has 100K+ active installations while Virtual Robots.txt has 50K+. XML Sitemap & Google News is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — XML Sitemap & Google News or Virtual Robots.txt?
XML Sitemap & Google News has a 4.4/5 rating from 83 reviews, while Virtual Robots.txt has a 4.3/5 rating from 10 reviews.
Are XML Sitemap & Google News and Virtual Robots.txt free?
XML Sitemap & Google News is free + premium and Virtual Robots.txt is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — XML Sitemap & Google News or Virtual Robots.txt?
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?
XML Sitemap & Google News was last updated 2 months ago and Virtual Robots.txt was last updated 3 months ago.

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