Better WordPress External Links vs Jetpack
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | Better WordPress External Links v1.1.3 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 5.0/5 Visit Details | Jetpack v16.3.1 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 3.7/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 400+ | 3M+ |
| Last updated | June 10, 2014 | October 12, 2026 |
| Editions | Better WordPress External Links | Jetpack · Jetpack paid plans ($) |
| Pros | Nofollow and new-window options for external links; Domain filter to decide what counts as external; No external service calls | Many modules in one plugin, each switched on separately; Brute-force protection and an image CDN without extra services; Contact form with Akismet spam checks and entries kept in admin |
| Cons | Only processes content through the_content; Options page is dense for a simple job; Older framework code base | Needs a WordPress.com connection to work fully; Usage tracking runs once the site is connected, with no separate toggle found; Paid plans gate some features, such as multi-step forms |
| Mentioned in our posts | — | 7 |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Rewrites external links in post content, Nofollow option for external links, Top-level domain and domain filtering for external detection | Site stats dashboard, Brute force login protection, Photon image CDN, Social sharing buttons, Related posts, Newsletter and blog subscriptions, XML sitemaps, VideoPress video hosting ($), Secure sign-on through WordPress.com |
| Integrations | ||
| Payment | — | PayPal ($) |
| — | MailPoet | |
| E-commerce | — | WooCommerce |
| Other | — | Akismet, WordPress.com |
| Requires WordPress | 3.0 | 7.0 |
| Requires PHP | — | 7.4 |
| Tested up to | 3.9 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | Yes |
| External services | — | jetpack.wordpress.com, api.bruteprotect.com, public-api.wordpress.com, www.sandbox.paypal.com, www.paypal.com, api-m.sandbox.paypal.com, api.paypal.com, v0.wordpress.com, videopress.com, widgets.wp.com, pixel.wp.com, subscribe.wordpress.com |
| Blocks | — | 60 |
| Shortcodes | — | 60 |
| Custom tables | — | 1 |