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Booter – Bots & Crawlers Manager

By uPress

Security & Privacy / Security Scanning & Malware Protection

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

Booter – Bots & Crawlers Manager Review - In-Depth Analysis

Booter is a management tool for bots and crawlers that prevents and treats damage caused by them. It offers features like dynamic robots.txt management and request rate limiting.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.82/10

User Rating

4.7/5 (based on 12+ reviews)

Active Installations

7,000+

Update Frequency

Below Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

5 / 10 (Medium Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Booter - Bots & Crawlers Manager is a preventative measure and treatment for damages caused by crawlers and bots. The plugin employs various technologies known by crawlers and bots, enhancing them to function smartly and almost automatically.

At the prevention level, Booter allows you to manage and create an advanced dynamic robots.txt file. You can view a 404 error log to identify common bad links and block harmful bots that cause high server loads or search for security vulnerabilities.

At the treatment level, Booter limits the number of requests from crawlers and bots. If they exceed a specified amount of requests per minute, their access will be rejected for a designated time. It also rejects unwanted links quickly by sending the appropriate HTTP status code to make search engines forget them.

To use the plugin effectively for damage treatment, activate it, enable the 404 error log, set the access rate limit, and monitor the log for common URL patterns. Enter these patterns on the reject links page and ensure the rejection code is 410. Repeat this process until the 404 error log is clear and check your website's index coverage regularly.

Comparing to Alternatives

Booter – Bots & Crawlers Manager competes with several established plugins in the bot and crawler management space, offering a straightforward approach to blocking unwanted traffic.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Simple and easy to use interface
Effective at blocking many bad bots
Lightweight with minimal impact on site performance
Highly rated by users for basic bot management
Regular updates addressing security issues

Weaknesses

Lacks advanced behavior detection for bots
No built-in way to whitelist IPs easily
Limited user support and documentation
Relies on large external lists which may increase memory usage

User Sentiment Analysis

With a strong 4.7 out of 5 rating from 12 reviews, most users appreciate Booter's effectiveness and simplicity, though some concerns exist regarding its detection methods and support.

Positive highlights

"Works well, doesn’t block all bots tho" – benny1883
"This plugin is a must have for those who hate bad bots" – Minaya
"Very SIMPLE, highly COMPREHENSIVE, and phenomenally effective plugin" – GoNo Food Finder
"Works! I had so many bots scraping my site it crashed every day" – worldlightmedia
"Useful for bad bots, hope it will be updated regularly" – zepolo

Common complaints

Relies solely on large static lists without behavior detection
Potentially high memory usage due to large lists
Lack of advanced AI or dynamic protection features
Limited options to whitelist or manage blocked users easily

Weaknesses

No behavior-based bot detection, only user-agent/referrer matching
Support and documentation are limited, with some user questions unanswered
Interface lacks features for managing blocked IPs directly
Security vulnerability fixed recently but indicates past risk

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users seeking a straightforward, lightweight plugin to block common bad bots without complex configuration or advanced features.

Not ideal for

Sites needing sophisticated bot detection with behavior analysis or those requiring extensive support and frequent updates.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers comprehensive bot blocking using large curated lists and basic management features sufficient for many users.

Final Verdict

Booter – Bots & Crawlers Manager is a solid choice for users wanting an easy-to-use, effective plugin to block many bad bots using curated lists. Its high user ratings reflect satisfaction with its core functionality and simplicity.

However, its reliance on static lists without behavior detection and limited management features may not suit advanced users. The recent security fix shows responsiveness but also highlights the need for vigilance. Alternatives with more features may be preferable for complex needs.