WordPress Importer vs RSS Importer (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, WordPress Importer has a higher user rating (3.1/5 from 317 reviews) and leads in active installations (2.0M+ vs 30K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. WordPress Importer has accumulated 67M+ total downloads while RSS Importer has 1.3M+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | WordPress Importer | RSS Importer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 3.1/5 | ◄ | 2/5 |
| Total Reviews | 317 | ◄ | 10 |
| Active Installs | 2.0M+ | ◄ | 30K+ |
| Total Downloads | 67M+ | ◄ | 1.3M+ |
| Support Resolution | 0% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 4 months ago | ◄ | 1 year ago |
| First Released | 2010 | 2010 | |
| Age | 16 years | 16 years | |
| WP Requires | 5.2+ | 3.0+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.2+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 0.9.5 | 0.3.2 |
Rating Breakdown
WordPress Importer
RSS Importer
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, WordPress Importer averaged approximately 15,704 daily downloads while RSS Importer averaged 114.
Recent Reviews
WordPress Importer Reviews
Works but Basic
WordPress Importer did the main job and helped me move content fast. But the process felt a bit plain, and I had to check a few things myself after import. So 3 stars from me.
Simple Import Tool
Used this to import old site content, and it worked fine. The process was simple n didn’t take much time. No issues so far, does exactly what it should. Pretty useful, tnkz 👍
Smooth Import Tool
Used WordPress Importer to move some posts from another site. The process was simple and worked fine. Took a bit of time on bigger files, but overall, it did the job well. Tnkz devs.
RSS Importer Reviews
Not working
Only pulling through the titles not the main body of the posts.
It seems to get only XML from a downloaded file
It should allow an URL specification to get feed from an online website.
Needs update for PHP 7
This plugin needs an update to work with php7. (and 8) @garethgillman has provided a fix. https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fix-for-php-7/ Once that’s fixed it works really nice. Although it could a
Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.