External Links vs Rel Nofollow Checkbox (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 5.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. External Links has accumulated 358K+ total downloads while Rel Nofollow Checkbox has 82K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | External Links | Rel Nofollow Checkbox | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.8/5 | ◄ | 4.5/5 |
| Total Reviews | 36 | ◄ | 26 |
| Active Installs | 9.0K+ | ◄ | 5.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 358K+ | ◄ | 82K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 8 years ago | ► | 8 years ago |
| First Released | 2008 | 2014 | |
| Age | 18 years | 12 years | |
| WP Requires | 2.8+ | 4.7+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 6.8.1 | 1.1.5 |
Rating Breakdown
External Links
Rel Nofollow Checkbox
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, External Links averaged approximately 10 daily downloads while Rel Nofollow Checkbox averaged 5.
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
Rel Nofollow Checkbox Reviews
Still serving me well but any alternative since no update?
I have been using this plugin for over 5 years now and on more than one site. It is very simple and still serves its purpose, however, due to the lack of updates, I am having security concerns. I have
Don`t work
В текущей версии ВП плагин не работает((
Update please
It is time to update this extension. This is not reassuring in terms of security and compatibility.
More Nofollow Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as External Links and Rel Nofollow Checkbox
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.
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.
Remove type attribute from script and style tags added by WordPress
DoFollow Case by Case allows you to selectively apply dofollow to comments and make links in pages or posts nofollow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is External Links or Rel Nofollow Checkbox more popular?
Which has better ratings — External Links or Rel Nofollow Checkbox?
Are External Links and Rel Nofollow Checkbox free?
Which plugin has better support — External Links or Rel Nofollow Checkbox?
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.