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Relative URL

By Sparanoid

Site Administration & Utilities / Site Migration & Cloning

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

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

Relative URL Review - In-Depth Analysis

Relative URL converts absolute URLs to relative URLs for local development. Ideal for debugging on mobile devices.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.7/10

User Rating

4.2/5 (based on 26+ reviews)

Active Installations

3,000+

Update Frequency

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

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Relative URL applies the wp_make_link_relative function to links, converting them to relative URLs. This is especially useful for developers debugging local WordPress instances on mobile devices like iPads and iPhones.

Notice: This plugin should be used for local development only. It has not been tested in a production environment and may cause issues, such as unwanted URLs in RSS feeds or sharing URLs being replaced with relative URLs.

For example, a link like http://localhost:8080/wp/ will be converted to /wp/. Similarly, http://localhost:8080/wp/2012/09/01/hello-world/ will become /wp/2012/09/01/hello-world/. After activating this plugin, you can easily access your local instance using http://10.0.1.5:8888/wp/ on your iPad or other mobile devices without facing style and navigation issues.

Comparing to Alternatives

Relative URL is a plugin designed to simplify URL management in WordPress, with several alternatives available that offer similar functionality.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Works well with local development tools like ngrok
Compatible with AWS CloudFront delivery
Simplifies relative URL management
Lightweight and easy to use

Weaknesses

Compatibility issues with WordPress 5.9.1
Limited updates and support
No premium version with advanced features
Some users report it being ineffective on newer WordPress versions

User Sentiment Analysis

The plugin holds a strong positive rating with most users praising its functionality, though a notable minority report critical compatibility issues.

Positive highlights

Perfect for ngrok local testing (renattto)
Makes relative URL management easy (dipraj2008)
Works great with WP 5.0 and Divi Theme (Mike Garde)
Facilitates local development and client demos (instinctcreatif)

Common complaints

Does not work with WordPress 5.9.1, causing inability to create posts or pages

Weaknesses

Compatibility problems with recent WordPress versions
Lack of updates to address newer WordPress releases
Limited functionality compared to some alternatives

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Developers and site owners working with local development environments or older WordPress versions who need simple relative URL management.

Not ideal for

Users running the latest WordPress versions, especially 5.9.1 or later, or those needing advanced URL handling features or active support.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers basic relative URL functionality suitable for local development and simple use cases.

Final Verdict

Relative URL is a useful plugin for managing URLs in WordPress, especially for local development and older WordPress versions. It is lightweight and praised for its simplicity and effectiveness in specific scenarios like using ngrok or AWS CloudFront.

However, it suffers from compatibility issues with newer WordPress versions, notably 5.9.1, which can severely impact site functionality. Users requiring up-to-date support or advanced features may want to consider alternative plugins.