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Custom Permalinks vs Root Relative URLs (2026)

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

Custom Permalinks

Custom Permalinks

4.1(116)

100K+ active installs

Free

Updated 5 months ago
View Custom Permalinks
VS
Root Relative URLs

Root Relative URLs

2.9(20)

6.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 8 years ago
View Root Relative URLs

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Custom Permalinks has a higher user rating (4.1/5 from 116 reviews) and leads in active installations (100K+ vs 6.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Custom Permalinks has accumulated 2.5M+ total downloads while Root Relative URLs has 77K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.1/5Custom Permalinks
◄
Root Relative URLs2.9/5
Total Reviews
116Custom Permalinks
◄
Root Relative URLs20
Active Installs
100K+Custom Permalinks
◄
Root Relative URLs6.0K+
Total Downloads
2.5M+Custom Permalinks
◄
Root Relative URLs77K+
Support Resolution
0%Custom Permalinks
Root Relative URLsN/A
Last Updated
5 months agoCustom Permalinks
◄
Root Relative URLs8 years ago
First Released
2008Custom Permalinks
Root Relative URLs2011
Age
18 yearsCustom Permalinks
Root Relative URLs15 years
WP Requires
2.6+Custom Permalinks
Root Relative URLs3.2.1+
PHP Requires
7.0+Custom Permalinks
Root Relative URLsfalse+
Business Model
FreeCustom Permalinks
Root Relative URLsFree
Latest Version
3.1.2Custom Permalinks
Root Relative URLs2.3

Rating Breakdown

Custom Permalinks

4.1/5(116 reviews)
5
69%
4
9%
3
3%
2
2%
1
18%

Root Relative URLs

2.9/5(20 reviews)
5
40%
4
0%
3
10%
2
10%
1
40%

Recent Reviews

Custom Permalinks Reviews

by dondonkiii

Changed the slug but the page turned unavailable

Did not work… I dont think this is a functional plugin. it has 4 stars in total with lots of 1 stars i guess it is what it is. I deleted the plugin and it is fine now.

by saad7777

caused Posts/Pages to redirect to other posts/pages.

blog post are redirecting to some other post. i dunno why. but deactivating this plugin resolved the issue. So the issue must be in the plugin. is there anything i can do in this situation?

by nimonogi

Excellent plugin

Excellent plugin. I would really like to see categories included as well.

Root Relative URLs Reviews

by casper

Love the idea BUT

Unfortunately this is incompatible with Ninja Forms’ recaptcha; it breaks the Ajax call. I would personally love to see WordPress adopt a root-relative philosophy because I think absolute URLs are st

by Nurgiel

This is wrong…

You shouldn’t use this plugin, it will break everything. Enjoy the hell.

by nickkeenan

This is not a good strategy for site deployment

This is just not a good idea for the long term health of a site’s database. There’s a number of great database migration tools – including hosting tools – that should be used when transitioning a sit

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Custom Permalinks or Root Relative URLs more popular?
Custom Permalinks has 100K+ active installations while Root Relative URLs has 6.0K+. Custom Permalinks is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Custom Permalinks or Root Relative URLs?
Custom Permalinks has a 4.1/5 rating from 116 reviews, while Root Relative URLs has a 2.9/5 rating from 20 reviews.
Are Custom Permalinks and Root Relative URLs free?
Custom Permalinks is free and Root Relative URLs is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Custom Permalinks or Root Relative URLs?
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?
Custom Permalinks was last updated 5 months ago and Root Relative URLs was last updated 8 years ago.

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