JSON Content Importer vs WP REST API (v1, deprecated)
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| Feature | JSON Content Importer v2.0.16 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.9/5 Visit Details | WP REST API (v1, deprecated) v1.2.5 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 5,000+ | — |
| Last updated | September 2, 2026 | — |
| Editions | JSON Content Importer (Free) · JCI PRO ($) | WP REST API |
| Pros | Shortcode and Gutenberg block show API data without code; Caches remote feeds to reduce API calls; Contact Form 7 integration forwards submissions to an API | Lets older apps read and write posts, users and media as JSON; Post meta and custom post type data are exposed in responses; Free, with no settings screen to configure |
| Cons | Pro upgrade prompts appear throughout the admin screens; Output layout depends on a display template set up per feed; Debug output and API answer boxes add clutter for editors | Deprecated: only security fixes are still made; The core REST API or WP REST API v2 is preferred for new projects; No versioned routes beyond the v1 set |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | — |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Shortcode [jsoncontentimporter] displays API data, Gutenberg block to load an API URL and display its data, Caches remote feed responses with an expiry time, Reads JSON, XML and CSV input, Sends POST requests to APIs as well as GET, REST endpoints used by the block editor preview, Upgrade prompts and links to the paid PRO plugin | Post endpoints for list, read, create, update and delete, User endpoints including the current user, Taxonomy and term endpoints, Media item endpoint and thumbnail data on posts, Post meta read on responses and written on insert, Custom post type endpoints, Registers rewrite rules for the API base path |
| Integrations | ||
| Plugins | Contact Form 7 | — |
| Requires WordPress | 6.9 | 3.9 |
| Requires PHP | 7.0 | — |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 4.4 |
| Phones home | No | No |
| Blocks | 1 | — |
| Shortcodes | 1 | — |