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Spider Blocker vs Custom PHP Settings (2026)

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

Spider Blocker

Spider Blocker

4(5)

20K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 year ago
View Spider Blocker
VS
Custom PHP Settings

Custom PHP Settings

4.4(15)

10K+ active installs

Free

Updated 4 months ago
View Custom PHP Settings

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Custom PHP Settings has a higher user rating (4.4/5 from 15 reviews) while Spider Blocker leads in active installations (20K+ vs 10K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Spider Blocker has accumulated 612K+ total downloads while Custom PHP Settings has 408K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4/5Spider Blocker
►
Custom PHP Settings4.4/5
Total Reviews
5Spider Blocker
►
Custom PHP Settings15
Active Installs
20K+Spider Blocker
◄
Custom PHP Settings10K+
Total Downloads
612K+Spider Blocker
◄
Custom PHP Settings408K+
Support Resolution
N/ASpider Blocker
Custom PHP SettingsN/A
Last Updated
1 year agoSpider Blocker
►
Custom PHP Settings4 months ago
First Released
2015Spider Blocker
Custom PHP Settings2019
Age
11 yearsSpider Blocker
Custom PHP Settings7 years
WP Requires
4.0+Spider Blocker
Custom PHP Settings4.1.0+
PHP Requires
false+Spider Blocker
Custom PHP Settings5.6+
Business Model
FreeSpider Blocker
Custom PHP SettingsFree
Latest Version
1.3.7Spider Blocker
Custom PHP Settings2.4.1

Rating Breakdown

Spider Blocker

4/5(5 reviews)
5
60%
4
0%
3
20%
2
20%
1
0%

Custom PHP Settings

4.4/5(15 reviews)
5
80%
4
7%
3
0%
2
0%
1
13%

Recent Reviews

Spider Blocker Reviews

by hugrat

Too many concerns

Apparently you need to keep your htaccess readable all the time or the plugin turns off. I cannot find any info if the htaccess still needs the plugin to function after this. This does not make me fee

by Akshit Sethi

Perfect!

Does what it promises to do. No more bad bots to my WP blog 🙂

by deleted

Good first impression

I like that you can add additional bots. It does what it says and keeps the worst offenders of your page out of the box It also didn’t crash my multi site or disable admin or anything (like “Stop bad

Custom PHP Settings Reviews

by picklypickle

very bad

THE worst

by cantoute

Bad got worse

The plugin is badly coded… could be handy but since last updates it has decided you needed a premium to set vars like post_max_size This topic was modified 1 year, 9 months ago by cantoute

by deffectrix

Amazing so Simple

This is an awesome plugin, works like a charm. Thank you. This topic was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by deffectrix.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Spider Blocker or Custom PHP Settings more popular?
Spider Blocker has 20K+ active installations while Custom PHP Settings has 10K+. Spider Blocker is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Spider Blocker or Custom PHP Settings?
Spider Blocker has a 4/5 rating from 5 reviews, while Custom PHP Settings has a 4.4/5 rating from 15 reviews.
Are Spider Blocker and Custom PHP Settings free?
Spider Blocker is free and Custom PHP Settings is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Spider Blocker or Custom PHP Settings?
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?
Spider Blocker was last updated 1 year ago and Custom PHP Settings was last updated 4 months ago.

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