External Links vs Extend Link (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, External Links has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 36 reviews) and leads in active installations (9.0K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. External Links has accumulated 358K+ total downloads while Extend Link has 12K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | External Links | Extend Link | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.8/5 | ◄ | 3/5 |
| Total Reviews | 36 | ◄ | 2 |
| Active Installs | 9.0K+ | ◄ | 1.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 358K+ | ◄ | 12K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 8 years ago | ► | 2 months ago |
| First Released | 2008 | 2016 | |
| Age | 18 years | 10 years | |
| WP Requires | 2.8+ | 5.8+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | 7.4+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 6.8.1 | 2.0.1 |
Rating Breakdown
External Links
Extend Link
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, External Links averaged approximately 10 daily downloads while Extend Link averaged 10.
Recent Reviews
External Links Reviews
Best of its kind!
Hope this one never goes away!!!
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.
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
Extend Link Reviews
doesn’t work with the Gutenberg editor :(
The idea is great and a great job but it doesn’t work with the Gutenberg editor 🙁 When the plugin is updated by adding the functionalities under the existing “open in new window” button in the Gutenb
Makes adding a Link Class easy.
Easy to use for adding a Link Class attribute for your links in the TinyMCE editor.
More Nofollow Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as External Links and Extend Link
Internal links & external links manager: open in new window or tab, control nofollow, ugc, sponsored & noopener. SEO friendly.
Automatically insert rel=nofollow and target=_blank to all the external links into your website posts, pages or menus. Support exclude domain.
Adds a checkbox in the insert/edit link popup for including rel="nofollow".
Control search engine indexing with robots directives using HTML meta tags or HTTP headers.
Improves your blog's search engine optimization by "noindexing" pages you choose. Now also for page-based (as opposed to date-based) archives.
DoFollow Case by Case allows you to selectively apply dofollow to comments and make links in pages or posts nofollow.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.