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Redirection

By John Godley

Site Administration & Utilities / URL Redirects & 301 Management

Redirection Review - In-Depth Analysis

Manage 301 redirects and track 404 errors easily. Improve your site without needing server knowledge.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

7.64/10

User Rating

4.4/5 (based on 701+ reviews)

Active Installations

2,000,000+

Update Frequency

Very Good 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

Redirection is the most popular redirect manager for WordPress. With it you can easily manage 301 redirections, keep track of 404 errors, and generally tidy up any loose ends your site may have. This can help reduce errors and improve your site ranking.

Redirection is designed to be used on sites with a few redirects to sites with thousands of redirects. It has been a WordPress plugin for over 10 years and has been recommended countless times.

Full documentation can be found at the plugin's website. Redirection is compatible with PHP from 7.0 to 8.3.

Create and manage redirects quickly and easily without needing Apache or Nginx knowledge. If your WordPress supports permalinks then you can use Redirection to redirect any URL. There is full support for regular expressions so you can create redirect patterns to match any number of URLs.

In addition to straightforward URL matching, you can redirect based on other conditions such as login status, WordPress capability, browser, referrer, cookies, and more. A configurable logging option allows viewing all redirects occurring on your site.

You can also track 404 errors, add HTTP headers, and migrate permalinks easily. The plugin has a fully-featured import and export system, making it easy to manage your redirects.

Comparing to Alternatives

Redirection stands out among WordPress redirect plugins by offering a comprehensive set of features without cost. It competes well with other redirect plugins but excels in flexibility and logging capabilities.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Comprehensive redirect management including 301, 302, and 307 redirects
Detailed logging of 404 errors and redirects for troubleshooting
User-friendly interface with easy setup and management
Supports conditional redirects based on login status, referrer, and more

Weaknesses

No official pro version with additional premium features
Can be overwhelming for users needing only simple redirects
Occasional performance impact on very large sites with many redirects

User Sentiment Analysis

Users consistently praise Redirection for its reliability and ease of use, highlighting its effectiveness in managing URL changes and preserving SEO.

Positive highlights

'Great plugin! Have used it on at least a dozen websites.' - clayray
'Easy to use and reliable' - Luke Garrison
'Essential plugin for all my sites' - remotetohome
'Works great!!! Just what I needed!!' - flexjoly
'Clear documentation, helpful support when issues arise.' - Anil Dervishi

Common complaints

Lack of a paid pro version limits advanced feature access
Some users find the interface complex for simple redirect needs

Weaknesses

No premium support or advanced features beyond the free plugin
Potentially slower performance on sites with extensive redirect rules

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Website owners and developers who need a robust, free solution for managing redirects and monitoring 404 errors with detailed logging and flexible conditions.

Not ideal for

Users seeking a lightweight plugin for only basic redirects or those wanting premium support and advanced features through a paid version.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version includes full redirect management, 404 error logging, conditional redirects, and a user-friendly interface for managing URL changes efficiently.

Final Verdict

Redirection is a powerful and reliable plugin that effectively handles complex redirect needs and 404 error management without any cost. Its comprehensive features and ease of use make it a top choice for WordPress users.

While it lacks a premium version, its free offering is sufficient for most users, making it an essential tool for maintaining SEO and user experience during site changes.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Redirection plugin.

301

404

redirect

Screenshots

FAQ

Ease of use. Redirections are automatically created when a post URL changes, and it is a lot easier to manually add redirections than to hack around a .htaccess. You also get the added benefit of being able to keep track of 404 errors.