FixLinks AI vs Redirection Plugin
Redirection and FixLinks AI are both popular WordPress plugins for handling 404s and redirects — but they solve different problems. Here is exactly how they compare and which one to use.
Core difference: Redirection is a redirect manager — you tell it where to send traffic. FixLinks AI is a broken link finder and fixer — it discovers your 404s automatically and uses AI to suggest where to send the traffic. They solve related but different problems.
What each plugin does
Redirection
Redirection is one of the most popular WordPress plugins with over 2 million active installs. Its core job is to manage a library of redirect rules: you define an old URL and a destination, and Redirection enforces the redirect. It also logs 404 errors as they occur — when real visitors hit dead URLs, Redirection captures them so you can review and add redirects for them later.
What Redirection does not do: it does not proactively crawl your site to find broken links. You are dependent on real visitors (or search engine bots) hitting dead URLs and those errors appearing in the log. Links that nobody has visited yet will not appear until someone does.
FixLinks AI
FixLinks AI actively crawls your entire WordPress site — every page, post, product, and custom post type — and builds a complete list of broken internal and external links, including links nobody has clicked yet. For each broken URL, its AI analyses your site content and suggests the most relevant 301 redirect destination. You approve the suggestions and apply all redirects in one click.
Feature comparison
| Feature | FixLinks AI | Redirection |
|---|---|---|
| Proactive site crawl for broken links | Yes | No |
| 404 error logging | Yes | Yes (visitor-triggered) |
| AI redirect suggestions | Yes | No |
| Bulk redirect creation | Yes, one-click | Manual (CSV import) |
| Manual redirect management | Yes | Yes (primary feature) |
| Conditional redirects (by user agent, referrer, etc.) | No | Yes |
| Redirect groups/categories | No | Yes |
| Works on Nginx | Yes | Requires config |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes (fully free) |
When to choose FixLinks AI
- You want to find all broken links on your site, not just wait for visitors to hit them.
- You need to bulk-fix dozens or hundreds of 404s after a migration or site redesign.
- You want AI to suggest the correct redirect destination rather than figuring each one out manually.
- You want scheduled automatic scans with email alerts when new broken links appear.
See how FixLinks AI handles a full site migration in our guide: fixing broken links after a WordPress migration.
When to choose Redirection
- You already know your old and new URLs and just need a clean way to manage the redirect rules.
- You need advanced conditional redirects (by device, logged-in status, query parameters, referrer).
- You want to organise redirects into categories/groups for a large site.
- You are entirely on a free budget and happy to manage things manually.
The migration scenario (where FixLinks AI wins clearly)
Imagine you have just moved your site to a new domain or restructured your URL slugs. Suddenly you have 200 broken links. With Redirection, you would need to:
- Wait for Googlebot or visitors to hit the dead URLs and log them.
- Manually identify the correct destination for each one.
- Add 200 redirect rules by hand (or import via CSV).
With FixLinks AI, you run a crawl, review the AI-suggested destinations, and apply all 200 redirects in one click. The difference in time is significant.
Fix every broken link automatically
FixLinks AI finds your 404s and suggests the right 301 redirect with AI — install the free plugin and fix them in one click.
Download the free pluginFrequently asked questions
Can I use FixLinks AI and Redirection together?
Yes, and some users do — FixLinks AI for AI-powered detection and bulk redirect creation, Redirection for its detailed 404 log and manual redirect management. However, running two redirect managers simultaneously can cause conflicts, so most users choose one.
Does the Redirection plugin detect broken links?
Not proactively. Redirection logs 404 errors that actually occur (i.e., when a visitor hits a dead URL), but it does not crawl your site to find broken internal links. FixLinks AI actively crawls your site and finds every broken link regardless of whether anyone has visited it.
Which is better for a site migration?
FixLinks AI is significantly better for migrations because it crawls your site, detects all the new 404s created by the migration, and uses AI to suggest the right redirect for each one in bulk. Redirection requires you to manually add each redirect.