Only Self Pings
Keep internal pingbacks while restricting outgoing WordPress pingbacks to your own site and explicitly approved URLs.
Solid choice
Only Self Pings is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 10+ sites and was last updated 3 days ago, and scores 66/100 on our health check.
- Actively developed ā last update 3 days ago
- Tested with the latest WordPress (7.1)
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- Needs PHP 8.2 or newer
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release ā each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Only Self Pings stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| pingbacks | #97 |
| privacy | >100 |
| self pings | #2 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
About Only Self Pings
From the official readme Ā· v1.1.0Description
WordPress can send pingbacks to sites you link to. While self-pings can help connect related articles on your own site, you may not want WordPress notifying external sites whenever you publish a link. Only Self Pings restricts outgoing pingbacks to your own site or to explicitly approved URLs.
With no saved settings, it allows your current public site URL and URLs beneath it. You can replace this list with the URLs you want to allow under Settings > Only Self Pings.
- Small plugin with no external service, JavaScript, tracking or front-end assets.
- Works with links processed by WordPress’s normal pingback system, independently of the editor used to write a post.
- Retains settings from version 1.0.
- Supports per-site settings when network activated on Multisite.
The plugin does not enable pingbacks. Outgoing notifications must be enabled in WordPress, and the receiving article must accept pingbacks.
Installation
- Upload the only-self-pings folder to /wp-content/plugins/, or upload the plugin ZIP through Plugins > Add New Plugin.
- Activate Only Self Pings.
- Open Settings > Only Self Pings and review the allowed URLs.
- If you want WordPress to send pingbacks, make sure “Attempt to notify any blogs linked to from the article” is enabled under Settings > Discussion.
Requires WordPress 6.8 or newer and PHP 8.2 or newer. Prefer a currently supported PHP release provided by your host.
Frequently asked questions
How does the allowed URL list work?
Enter complete http:// or https:// URLs, separated by newlines or commas. Protocol (HTTP/HTTPS), domain and port must match. The destinationās path must match an allowed path or sit beneath it. For example, https://example.com/blog allows https://example.com/blog and https://example.com/blog/article. It does not allow https://example.com/blogger, https://example.com.evil.test/blog or https://other.example.com/blog. HTTP and HTTPS are separate: add both if you need both. Domain names are case-insensitive; paths are case-sensitive. A final slash on an allowed URL is optional. An omitted HTTPSā¦
What does an empty list mean?
Saving an empty list blocks all outgoing pingbacks handled by this plugin, including self-pings. A missing or structurally damaged option defaults to your current public site URL. Invalid entries within a saved list are ignored, not treated as permission to ping any site.
What changes when upgrading from 1.0?
Your saved list is retained, but URL matching is deliberately stricter. External HTTPS URLs are no longer allowed automatically. Lookalike hostnames and partial path matches are blocked. HTTP and HTTPS are separate, and paths are case-sensitive. Review your settings after upgrading, particularly if your site moved to HTTPS or another domain. Saved URLs are not automatically rewritten. Old entries containing query strings, fragments, credentials or ambiguous paths no longer allow pings; replace them with the intended origin/path rule. Saving the settings warns about invalid entries and removesā¦
Does this make my site private or stop incoming pings?
No. It filters outgoing pingback target URLs in WordPressās pre_ping hook. It does not restrict incoming pingbacks, trackbacks, update services, visitor referrers, search engines or HTTP requests made by other plugins. Allowed pages can redirect or advertise a pingback endpoint on another host. WordPress handles that discovery and delivery; this plugin does not enforce an HTTP firewall over those later requests. Only allow sites you trust.
Will this create internal backlinks on a password-protected site?
Not necessarily. The receiving pingback service normally needs to fetch and verify the linking article. Authentication, disabled XML-RPC/pingbacks, hosting rules or other plugins can prevent delivery. This plugin preserves eligible self-pings; it does not implement an independent backlink index.
What happens on Multisite?
The plugin can be activated per site or network-wide. Each site has its own allowed URLs and Settings page. A site without saved settings defaults to its current public site URL. There is no network-wide allowlist.
What happens when I deactivate or delete the plugin?
Deactivation keeps the settings. Deleting the plugin removes its own OnlySelfPingsOpts option, including per-site options on Multisite. It never edits or deletes WP-HideRefer settings.
Changelog
Requires PHP 8.2+ and WordPress 6.8+. Fixes HTTPS filtering and callback errors. Existing settings are retained; review your allowed URLs because scheme, host, port and path matching are now stricter. Copyright (C) 2012-2026 Ulf Benjaminsson. Distributed under the GNU General Public License, version 2 or later, without warranty.
1.1.0
- Modernized for WordPress 6.8+ and PHP 8.2+.
- Fixed the pre_ping callback argument mismatch that could cause a fatal error.
- Fixed external HTTPS URLs bypassing the allowlist.
- Replaced raw URL prefix matching with exact scheme, host and port matching plus path boundaries.
- Rejected malformed URLs, credentials and ambiguous paths instead of guessing destinations.
- Replaced broken activation/deactivation callbacks with lazy defaults and a guarded uninstall.php.
- Fixed the old initialization/uninstall code targeting WP-HideRefer’s option instead of this plugin’s settings.
- Preserved existing options, explicit empty lists and settings-page links.
- Added validation feedback, capability checks, accessible field labeling and a standard WordPress text domain.
- Added Multisite-aware cleanup on deletion.
- Updated documentation to explain matching rules, migration and the limits of pingback filtering.
1.0
- Public release.
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own ā no account needed.
Best Only Self Pings alternatives
All pingbacks plugins ā
FAQ
Only Self Pings: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org Ā· checked Oct 17, 2026
Is Only Self Pings free?
Yes. Only Self Pings is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Only Self Pings safe to use in 2026?
Only Self Pings is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 10+ sites and was last updated 3 days ago, and scores 66/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Only Self Pings?
Only Self Pings is active on 10+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 2,740 times since it launched in May 2012. It was downloaded 86 times in the last 30 days.
Does Only Self Pings work with WordPress 7.1?
Yes. The developer has tested Only Self Pings up to WordPress 7.1.3, the latest release. It requires WordPress 6.8 or newer.
What PHP version does Only Self Pings need?
Only Self Pings requires PHP 8.2 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Only Self Pings last updated?
The latest version, 1.1.0, was released on October 13, 2026 (3 days ago).
Who makes Only Self Pings?
Only Self Pings is developed and maintained by ulfben.
What are the best alternatives to Only Self Pings?
The most popular alternatives to Only Self Pings are Remove Pingback-Trackback Cā¦ (100+ installs), Pingback Killer (100+ installs) and Moderate Pingbacks (50+ installs).
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