10 Best WP REST API Controller Alternatives in 2026
Updated September 7, 2026 · Ranked by how closely each plugin matches, from WordPress.org data · How this works
WP REST API Controller has 8,000+ active installs on WordPress.org. These 10 plugins share its category or its tags on WordPress.org, are actively maintained, and each has at least 100 active installs. They are ordered by how closely they match, not by our opinion.
The 10 closest alternatives to WP REST API Controller
- 1
WPGet API
Closest matchWPGet API – Connect to any external REST API
5.0 (32) 10,000+ active installsConnect any REST API to WordPress. WPGet API enables easy API integration, allowing you to display API data without any code.
Shares the api, endpoint, rest tags on WordPress.org. A similar number of installs, last updated 25 days ago.
- 2
WordPress REST API (Version 2)
4.2 (34) 10,000+ active installsAccess your site's data through an easy-to-use HTTP REST API. (Version 2)
Shares the api, rest tags on WordPress.org. A similar number of installs, no update since November 28, 2017.
- 3
4.8 (38) 80,000+ active installsDisable the use of the REST API on your website to site users. Now with User Role support!
Shares the api, rest tags on WordPress.org. About 10 times the installs, no update since September 14, 2023.
- 4
4.8 (36) 30,000+ active installsDisables the WP REST API for visitors not logged into WordPress.
Shares the api, rest tags on WordPress.org. About 3.8 times the installs, last updated 28 days ago.
- 5
4.9 (42) 10,000+ active installsEnable caching of the WordPress REST API and auto-flush caches upon wp-admin editing.
Shares the api, rest tags on WordPress.org. A similar number of installs, last updated July 25, 2026.
- 6
4.4 (74) 10,000+ active installsSecure and protect WordPress REST API from unauthorized access using JWT token, Basic Authentication, API Key, OAuth 2, or external token.
Shares the rest tag on WordPress.org. A similar number of installs, last updated 5 days ago.
- 7
4.0 (24) 30,000+ active installsThe Custom Field Template plugin extends the functionality of custom fields.
Shares the meta tag on WordPress.org. About 3.8 times the installs, last updated 27 days ago.
- 8
4.8 (84) 70,000+ active installsEasily add and manage custom meta tags to various parts of your site or on individual posts, such as Yahoo and Google verification tags.
Shares the meta tag on WordPress.org. About 8.8 times the installs, last updated May 23, 2026.
- 9
4.9 (20) 50,000+ active installsSmart Custom Fields is a simple plugin for managing custom fields.
Shares the meta tag on WordPress.org. About 6.3 times the installs, last updated July 16, 2026.
- 10
Metricool – Social media and site statistics
4.5 (21) 80,000+ active installsSite metrics and social media analytics for Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, X Twitter. The single best tool for Social Media Managers!
Shares the meta tag on WordPress.org. About 10 times the installs, last updated 13 days ago.
Switching from WP REST API Controller: common questions
What is the best alternative to WP REST API Controller?
WPGet API is the closest match: it shares the same WordPress.org tags and has 10,000+ active installs with a 5.0 out of 5 rating.
Which WP REST API Controller alternative has the most users?
Disable REST API, with 80,000+ active installs reported by WordPress.org.
Which WP REST API Controller alternative is rated highest?
Meta Tag Manager, rated 4.8 out of 5 by 84 reviewers. Only plugins with at least 50 reviews are counted.
Are these WP REST API Controller alternatives free?
Every plugin listed here is free to install from WordPress.org. Where WordPress.org marks a plugin as commercial, the developer also sells a paid version or add-ons, and that is shown on each plugin.
How are alternatives chosen?
Automatically, from WordPress.org data: plugins that share a category top 10 with WP REST API Controller score highest, then plugins that appear in the same WordPress.org rankings, then plugins with the same tags, weighted so rare tags count more than common ones. Plugins by the same author and plugins rated under 4.0 are left out.
How we choose these alternatives
Nothing on this page is picked by hand. Every day we walk the whole WordPress.org directory, then score every plugin against WP REST API Controller on three signals: sharing a category top 10 counts most, then appearing in the same WordPress.org rankings, then carrying the same tags, with rare tags counting for more than common ones like "wordpress". Plugins by the same author are excluded, so an author's own add-ons cannot fill the list, and so is anything rated below 4.0 or with fewer than 100 active installs. The ten highest scores are what you see, in that order. Full methodology.
The bottom line
WPGet API is the closest match to WP REST API Controller by the data we track, and Disable REST API has the widest reach with 80,000+ active installs. JWT Authentication for WP REST APIs shipped the most recent release, on September 2, 2026. The list is rebuilt every day from WordPress.org, so a plugin that stops being maintained drops out on its own.
Weekly · free
What moved this week
One email a week, built from the same daily snapshots these rankings come from: the plugins that climbed, what launched, and one ranking worth a look.