72
iQ Block Country
Effective geoblocking that demands a little extra homework from you.
Poor rating
72/100
The plugin works well for geoblocking but requires manual database setup and carries some SEO risks.
Active installs
~25,000
our estimate · wp.org shows 20k+
Rating
3.9★
163 ratings
Trend · vs a year ago
-2%
Holding steady
77 → 75 installs/day
What to watch out for
- MINORverified rating is 3.95★
- MINORreviews unevenly distributed over time
Downloads over time
real new installs per day · release spikes shown separately from the trend2025-04-302025-08-082025-11-162026-02-232026-06-03
organicrelease spikerelease tailorganic trend · 14d rolling median
Holding steady · -2% in the last year
77/day a year ago→75/day today
Reviews
what people actually sayiQ Block Country is a functional country/IP-blocking plugin that earns genuine praise when set up correctly, but carries a notable caveat: it requires a separate third-party database (MaxMind GeoLite2) that many users find confusing to obtain and install, and a handful of users report serious site-breaking or SEO-damaging conflicts.
What people like
- +Effectively blocks traffic from selected countries when configured correctly, including passing VPN-based self-tests×6
- +Useful for stopping bot/spam registrations, carding attempts, and brute-force attacks×4
- +The required MaxMind GeoLite2 database is free to obtain, and the plugin itself is free×3
- +Works alongside caching/server software such as LiteSpeed without issues for some users
- +Setup instructions and FAQs are considered clear and sufficient by users who followed them×3
Common complaints
- −Requires manually downloading and uploading a third-party MaxMind database file; the plugin does not work at all without it, which many users find confusing or misleading×5
- −Caused a critical WordPress site crash requiring manual deletion of the plugin directory (since 1.2.23)
- −Reported to interfere with sitemap generation, blocking search engine crawlers and harming SEO rankings
- −Conflict with SEOPress plugin corrupted .htaccess and damaged SEO optimisation
- −No response from support reported by multiple users×2
- −Automating database updates requires a paid MaxMind subscription; free users must update manually
Review trustReviews look organic
- 3.95★Verified rating — holds steady vs the raw 3.90★
- 4%One-shot reviewers — most reviewers are active community members
Reviews per month · 5★ vs lower
2023-12-172025-03-112026-06-04
5★ reviews1–4★ reviews
All-time ratings · 163 total
Latest reviews · 90 analyzed
- 2026-04-24★★★★★Completely stopped bots & carding spamqwioqwio
- 2025-10-14★★★★★It doesn't workmadarkosh
- 2025-04-02★★★★★Works as advertised!tranxhdr
- 2025-03-19★★★★★Multiple Sites – No Issues For YearsScott Hendison
- 2025-03-02★★★★★Does not work!!jrdon718
- 2024-12-21★★★★★no supportmarcie73
- 2024-07-12★★★★★Had to uninstallmishash
- 2024-05-24★★★★★I tried 3 other blockers and none worked until I tried iQ Block Country.christiantraveler
- 2024-05-22★★★★★Excelent PluginLem Technology Web
- 2024-01-18★★★★★Causes Errors with Sitemapstkp1
Releases
recent versions from WordPress.org SVNFor developers & the curious
the raw signals behind the grade — none of this is on the friendly summary aboveDownload signals
Baselines are computed on organic days only — release spikes and their tails are excluded, so they're not inflated by the auto-update wave.
65
Baseline · median of last 7 organic days
77
Prior 7-day baseline
55
Floor · 25th percentile over 14 days
65
Latest day · 2026-06-03(organic)
-15.6%
Week-over-week organic trend
Review signals
Concentration and drive-by metrics drive the review-burst and fake-review flags. 30–40% solo reviewers is normal; we only flag the extremes.
20%
Max month share · biggest single 30-day window
1.65
Distribution CV · <0.6 even, >1.5 bursty
69%
5★ share in analyzed sample
4%
Solo reviewers · only this one wp.org activity
—
Volume velocity · last 6mo vs prior 6mo
3.97 → 3.95★
Sample avg · raw → solo-filtered