/ Plugin Category

/ Site Administration & Utilities

/ URL Redirects & 301 Management

/ Monkeyman Rewrite Analyzer

Monkeyman Rewrite Analyzer

By Jan Fabry

Site Administration & Utilities / URL Redirects & 301 Management

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

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

Monkeyman Rewrite Analyzer Review - In-Depth Analysis

Analyze and understand your WordPress rewrite rules. This tool helps visualize and test permalinks.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.83/10

User Rating

5/5 (based on 26+ reviews)

Active Installations

1,000+

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

This is a tool to understand your rewrite rules (Pretty Permalinks). It is indispensable if you are adding or modifying rules and want to understand how they work or why they don't work.

It is only an analyzer, it does not change any rules for you. It parses the rules down to their components and shows the connection with the resulting query variables. It allows you to try out different URLs to see which rules will match and what the value of the different query variables will be.

This plugin was written as a tool to help answering questions about rewrite rules on the WordPress Stack Exchange.

Comparing to Alternatives

Monkeyman Rewrite Analyzer stands alone in its category with no close direct alternatives available, making it a unique tool for analyzing WordPress rewrite rules.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Highly reliable and still functional years after release
Simple and easy to use interface
Effective for troubleshooting complex rewrite rules
Helps identify and simplify superfluous rewrite rules
Compatible with multiple recent WordPress versions

Weaknesses

No longer actively maintained or updated
Lacks modern UI enhancements
Limited to developer use cases
No premium or extended features available

User Sentiment Analysis

With a perfect 5-star rating from 26 reviews, users overwhelmingly praise the plugin's reliability and usefulness in managing rewrite rules.

Positive highlights

"STILL working after all these years" - Natacha
"Works Great" for plugin development - Kane G
"Very easy to use" and a must-have for developers - mumbomedia
"Incredibly useful plugin" for complex rewrites - jamieschmid
"Simple but very helpful" - ciceronepavaloi

Common complaints

Weaknesses

No recent maintenance or updates
Interface feels outdated
Limited to technical users
No new features or enhancements

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Developers and advanced users who need a reliable tool to analyze and troubleshoot WordPress rewrite rules, especially those working with custom permalinks and dynamic URLs.

Not ideal for

Casual WordPress users or site owners looking for a plugin with ongoing support, modern UI, or broader functionality beyond rewrite analysis.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers full functionality to analyze and debug WordPress rewrite rules without restrictions.

Final Verdict

Monkeyman Rewrite Analyzer is a highly effective and reliable tool for WordPress developers needing to analyze and troubleshoot rewrite rules. Its perfect rating and positive user feedback highlight its value despite the lack of recent updates.

However, the plugin is no longer actively maintained and lacks modern enhancements, which may limit its appeal to non-technical users or those seeking ongoing support. Still, it remains a unique and useful resource in its niche.