Head-to-head · October 2026
crawler-hunter vs ShieldUp
ShieldUp comes out ahead, winning 4 of 7 head-to-head checks against crawler-hunter.
crawler-hunter
Bots and web crawlers coming to your site check the content of the full user agent string, and those that are…
ShieldUp – Bad Bots, Scrapers, Attackers
Tired of bad bots, scrapers, attackers and sluggish website performance?
| Metric | crawler-hunter | ShieldUp |
|---|---|---|
| Active installs | 10+ | 80+ |
| Downloads (30 days) | 81 | 101 |
| Download trend | +12.5% | +102% |
| Rating | 4.5/5 | 5/5 |
| Reviews | 2 | 3 |
| Health score | 38/100 | 35/100 |
| Last updated | 1 year ago | 2 years ago |
| Tested up to | WP 6.8.11 | WP 6.7.10 |
| Support resolved | — | — |
| Requires PHP | 5.6+ | 7.2.1+ |
| First released | Oct 2022 | Jan 2024 |
Daily downloads, last 90 days
crawler-hunterShieldUp
Choose crawler-hunter if…
You care most about health score, last updated and tested up to.
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in over a year
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.8 (latest is 7.1)
Choose ShieldUp if…
You care most about active installs, downloads (30 days) and download trend.
- Small user base (80+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in over a year
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.7 (latest is 7.1)
FAQ
crawler-hunter vs ShieldUp: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 9, 2026
Which is better, crawler-hunter or ShieldUp?
ShieldUp comes out ahead, winning 4 of 7 head-to-head checks against crawler-hunter. Choose crawler-hunter if you care most about health score, last updated and tested up to. Choose ShieldUp if you care most about active installs, downloads (30 days) and download trend.
Is crawler-hunter more popular than ShieldUp?
ShieldUp is the more popular of the two with 80+ active installs, compared with 10+ for crawler-hunter.
Can I use crawler-hunter and ShieldUp together?
Both plugins cover bad bots and security, so most sites only need one. Running two plugins that do the same job can cause conflicts and slow your site down — pick the one that fits best and remove the other.
Are crawler-hunter and ShieldUp free?
Yes. Both are free to download from the official WordPress.org plugin directory. Either may also offer paid upgrades from its developer.
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