External Links – nofollow, noopener &… vs noindex SEO (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
External Links – nofollow, noopener &…
90K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, noindex SEO has a higher user rating (5/5 from 2 reviews) while External Links – nofollow, noopener &… leads in active installations (90K+ vs 3.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. External Links – nofollow, noopener &… has accumulated 1.7M+ total downloads while noindex SEO has 46K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | External Links – nofollow, noopener &… | noindex SEO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.3/5 | ► | 5/5 |
| Total Reviews | 247 | ◄ | 2 |
| Active Installs | 90K+ | ◄ | 3.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 1.7M+ | ◄ | 46K+ |
| Support Resolution | 100% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 1 week ago | ◄ | 2 months ago |
| First Released | 2011 | 2020 | |
| Age | 15 years | 6 years | |
| WP Requires | 4.2+ | 6.6+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.2+ | 7.2+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.64 | 2.0.0 |
Rating Breakdown
External Links – nofollow, noopener &…
noindex SEO
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, External Links – nofollow, noopener &… averaged approximately 1,227 daily downloads while noindex SEO averaged 19.
Recent Reviews
External Links – nofollow, noopener &… Reviews
Almost nothing at free version
Almost nothing at free version.
Essential Plugin for SEO Control Over External Links
This plugin is exactly what I needed to manage external link behavior on my site. The ability to customize nofollow and dofollow rules by domain is a huge win for SEO, especially for trusted citations
Garbage
Messed my whole site up.
noindex SEO Reviews
Wish I had this plugin 5 years ago!
This plugin is a big time saver, is simple, and works like it should. It helps mitigate search spam too!
Exactly what I was looking for!
A simple tool to add noindex meta tags to some sections of the site without being an overblown plugin. Thanks to the guys who made this plugin!
More Nofollow Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as External Links – nofollow, noopener &… and noindex SEO
Automatically insert rel=nofollow and target=_blank to all the external links into your website posts, pages or menus. Support exclude domain.
The external links plugin for WordPress lets you process outgoing links differently from internal links.
Adds a checkbox in the insert/edit link popup for including rel="nofollow".
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.
Remove type attribute from script and style tags added by WordPress
Frequently Asked Questions
Is External Links – nofollow, noopener &… or noindex SEO more popular?
Which has better ratings — External Links – nofollow, noopener &… or noindex SEO?
Are External Links – nofollow, noopener &… and noindex SEO free?
Which plugin has better support — External Links – nofollow, noopener &… or noindex SEO?
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.