Spider Blocker
SpiderBlocker will block most common bots that consume bandwidth and slow down your blog.
Consider an alternative
Spider Blocker shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 20K+ sites, is rated 4/5 and was last updated 2 years ago, and scores 38/100 on our health check.
- Proven at scale on 20K+ active sites
- No update in 2 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.5 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Spider Blocker stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| Apache | >100 |
| block | >100 |
| bots | >100 |
| htaccess | >100 |
| seo | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 4 from 5 reviews
About Spider Blocker
From the official readme · v1.3.7Description
Spider Blocker blocks most common bots that consume bandwidth and slow down your blog.
It accomplishes this by using .htaccess file to minimize impact on your website. It’s hidden from external scanners.
Spider Blocker is specifically designed for Apache servers with mod_rewrite enabled, allowing you to effortlessly safeguard your website from the most prevalent bots that hamper performance and drain resources.
Plugin Features
- Block Unlimited bots from viewing your site
- Easy Export/Import rules (comes with most common list of bots)
- Zero Footprint
Installation
- Upload ‘spider-blocker’ directory to the ‘/wp-content/plugins/’ directory
- Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
- Go to Tools menu and then **SpiderBlocker* to configure
- If you use any other plugin to edit .htaccess file, make sure that content of file is valid
Changelog
v1.3.1
- Added prlog.ru bot
v1.3.0
- Added support for WP v5.6+
v1.2.6
- Fix issue with class constants
v1.2.5
- Visual fixes and code clean-up
- Added support for LiteSpeed server
v1.2.0
- Code clean-up
- Support for the latest version of WordPress
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 — no account needed.
Best Spider Blocker alternatives
All Apache plugins →
FAQ
Spider Blocker: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 26, 2026
Is Spider Blocker free?
Yes. Spider Blocker is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Spider Blocker safe to use in 2026?
Spider Blocker shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 20K+ sites, is rated 4/5 and was last updated 2 years ago, and scores 38/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Spider Blocker?
Spider Blocker is active on 20K+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 620,023 times since it launched in October 2015. It was downloaded 1,435 times in the last 30 days.
Does Spider Blocker work with WordPress 7.1?
Spider Blocker is officially tested up to WordPress 6.5.12, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Spider Blocker last updated?
The latest version, 1.3.7, was released on May 7, 2024 (2 years ago).
Who makes Spider Blocker?
Spider Blocker is developed and maintained by Niteo.
What are the best alternatives to Spider Blocker?
The most popular alternatives to Spider Blocker are Redirection (2M+ installs), Custom PHP Settings (10K+ installs) and PageSpeed Module (200+ installs).
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