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Best Free WordPress Plugins for External Link

15 plugins compared · Updated August 2026 · External Link

All 15 Free only Premium only

Choosing a WordPress plugin for external link comes down to a few things: whether it is still actively maintained, whether real users rate it well, and whether it does the specific job you need without dragging the rest of the site down.

We ranked 15 plugins using our WPScore, which weighs the user rating (adjusted for how many people actually rated it), how many sites run it, how recently it was updated, and which WordPress version it is tested against. 15 of them have enough public data to be scored; the rest are listed below the ranked block, clearly marked, rather than being given a number we cannot justify.

How this list is funded. Some links here earn us a commission if you buy. It costs you nothing extra, and it does not move anything up the list — the order comes from the WPScore, which is calculated from public ratings, install counts and update history. See the method.

At a glance

  1. 1. Broken Link Checker Best overall 86/100
  2. 2. Page Links To 86/100
  3. 3. External Links 86/100
  4. 4. External Links in New Window / New Tab 85/100
  5. 5. Pz-LinkCard 85/100
  6. 6. EXMAGE 85/100
  7. 7. Simple Blog Card 82/100
  8. 8. No External Links 81/100
  9. 9. Rel Nofollow 80/100
  10. 10. Leaving Notice Popup For External Links 78/100
  11. 11. External Permalinks Redux 75/100
  12. 12. External Links Overview 74/100
  13. 13. Emplibot 68/100
  14. 14. Indicate External Links 67/100
  15. 15. Internal Link Visualizer 67/100
1 Broken Link Checker
Best overall Free by WPMU DEV - Your All-in-One WordPress Platform

Broken Link Checker

Broken Link Checker helps you catch broken links & images fast, before they hurt your SEO or UX. Scan and bulk-fix issues from one easy dashboard.

3.8★
from 603 ratings
500k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
86

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
2 Page Links To
Free by Mark Jaquith

Page Links To

Lets you make a WordPress page (or port or other content type) link to a URL of your choosing (on your site, or on another site), instead of its norma …

4.9★
from 157 ratings
100k+
active installs
Updated
Apr 2026
Tested to
WP 6.9.7
86

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
3 External Links
Free by WebFactory

External Links

Internal links & external links manager: open in new window or tab, control nofollow, ugc, sponsored & noopener. SEO friendly.

4.3★
from 247 ratings
90k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
86

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
5 Pz-LinkCard
Free

Pz-LinkCard

This plugin is intended to display a link in a blog card format. The goodbye to the text-only link.

5★
from 9 ratings
20k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
85

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
6 EXMAGE
Free by VillaTheme

EXMAGE

Add images using external links - Save your storage with EXMAGE effortlessly

5★
from 33 ratings
6k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
85

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
8 No External Links
Free by mihdan

No External Links

Convert external links into internal links, site wide or post/page specific. Add NoFollow, Click logging, and more...

4.8★
from 16 ratings
4k+
active installs
Updated
Apr 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
81

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
9 Rel Nofollow
Free by Stefano

Rel Nofollow

Adds rel="nofollow" to posts external links unless specified otherwise.

5★
from 4 ratings
700+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
80

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
13 Emplibot
Free by Emplibot

Emplibot

Automated keyword research, automated blogging, with internal and external links, engaging infographics, unique featured images, and more.

5★
from 2 ratings
100+
active installs
Updated
Nov 2025
Tested to
WP 6.8.8
68

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
15 Internal Link Visualizer
Free by suivixtenzia

Internal Link Visualizer

Visualize your site's internal and external links as an interactive map. Discover orphan content and optimize your linking strategy.

3.7★
from 3 ratings
100+
active installs
Updated
Dec 2025
Tested to
WP 6.8.8
67

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org