WP-HideRefer
WP-HideRefer adds proxies to your outgoing links, keeping your site private!
Consider an alternative
WP-HideRefer shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 4/5 and was last updated 8 years ago, and scores 27/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 7 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 5.1 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & supportDaily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where WP-HideRefer stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| anonymise | #45 |
| anonymize | >100 |
| blank referrer | >100 |
| hide referrer | >100 |
| mask | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 4 from 4 reviews
About WP-HideRefer
From the official readme · v1.12Description
When your readers follow links from your blog, the linked site can see where they come from. Thus; your blog is known by every site you’ve ever linked to.
WP-HideRefer adds proxies to your outgoing links, keeping your site private!
There are many plugins to anonymize links. What makes WP-HideRefer better is:
- it’s 100% WordPress API compliant
- it’s entirely server-side (= cacheable & no JavaScript!)
- therefore; supports infinite-scroll (AJAX / streaming)
- it correctly filters your feeds and comments
- it can handle your manually anonymized links!
(Please note that WP-HideRefer requires PHP 5 or newer.)
Additional Notes
Copyright (C) 2012-2019 Ulf Benjaminsson (hello at my full name dot com)
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA
Installation
- Extract the
wp-hiderefer-folder and transfer it to the/wp-content/plugins/directory - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
- Go to Settings->WP-HideRefer to adjust settings.
Changelog
Update to avoid displaying warnings over poorly formated HTML.
1.12
Tested for WordPress 5.x and PHP 7.x
1.11
Don’t display warnings to end user when HTML is poorly formated.
1.1
Handle relative links correctly (ergo; don’t proxy internal links)
1.0
Public release.
Screenshots
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 WP-HideRefer alternatives
All anonymise plugins →| Rank | Plugin | Active installs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
WP Migrate DB Anonymization
Addon for WP Migrate DB and WP Migrate DB Pro to anonymize user data on database export…
|
300+ |
FAQ
WP-HideRefer: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 5, 2026
Is WP-HideRefer free?
Yes. WP-HideRefer is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is WP-HideRefer safe to use in 2026?
WP-HideRefer shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 4/5 and was last updated 8 years ago, and scores 27/100 on our health check.
How many websites use WP-HideRefer?
WP-HideRefer is active on 10+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 3,332 times since it launched in May 2012. It was downloaded 40 times in the last 30 days.
Does WP-HideRefer work with WordPress 7.1?
WP-HideRefer is officially tested up to WordPress 5.1.26, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does WP-HideRefer need?
WP-HideRefer requires PHP 5.2 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was WP-HideRefer last updated?
The latest version, 1.12, was released on March 24, 2019 (8 years ago).
Who makes WP-HideRefer?
WP-HideRefer is developed and maintained by ulfben.
What are the best alternatives to WP-HideRefer?
The most popular alternatives to WP-HideRefer are WP Migrate DB Anonymization (300+ installs).
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