Private groups
by Robin W · Uncategorized
Also makes 8 other plugins · 8.2K+ installs across the portfolio →
For bbPress - Creates private forum groups
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
A 90/100
no flags
Active installs
1K+
≈1.5K estimated
Momentum
+38%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “bbpress” and “forum” for “group” and “a z”. “bbpress” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “group” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “forum” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “a z” sits at #14 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
90 health vs 58 average across 25,733 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.6%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 155.3K lifetime downloads are still running, in line with its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,767 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 1 release in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Excellent listing optimization
Well tuned across the board
Updated 72 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.9★ over 49 reviews, smoothed to 4.50★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
1 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
38
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
18%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.2
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| private your tag | #2 | #3 | 0 |
| groups your tag | #3 | #4 | down 1 |
| private post | #2 | #4 | 0 |
| private content | #2 | #3 | up 2 |
| private files | #3 | #6 | up 1 |
| private site | #3 | #3 | 0 |
| private message | #3 | #4 | up 1 |
| private page | #2 | #3 | 0 |
| bbp your tag | #5 | #3 | 0 |
| plugin groups | #4 | #8 | up 1 |
| group | #7 | #13 | down 1 |
| a z | #14 | #9 | 0 |
| a to z | #15 | #10 | 0 |
| topics | #22 | #20 | — |
| bbpress your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| forum your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
54 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 14 listed. 40 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “bbpress” and “forum” for “group” and “a z”. “bbpress” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “group” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “forum” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “a z” sits at #14 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 1.7K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
1
releases in the last 12 months
5mo ago
latest release · v3.9.7 · 22 May 2026
115
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 94% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “1K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 15 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 10 Mar 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ smoothkeyboard622.2y ago
Exactly what I needed. A simple, yet powerful solution. Very well documented inside the Settings area.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ olesuper83.4y ago
Just works wonderfully, I’m really impressed.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ acrspf3.4y ago
While testing, I was already impressed with the functionality, then had a minor bug issue and it was fixed within 24 hours with a few emails. Now that’s superb support 🙂 Super plugin that works great and helped with some real headaches. The interface is intuitive and powerful without being complex. This allows the sort of finer grained permissions that WordPress should incorporate in the first place. -Andy from the US
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mllapan3.9y ago
This plugin unfortunately is a total mess.We need a simple plugin that let us make bbPress private.Such a plugin is for advanced things, but even like that it is very confusing.Forum Visibility tab.This tab allows you to set forum visibility.By default where the forum has groups set, then these are only visible to authorised users. However you may want users to see that forums exist (to attract new forum users), but not to see content.I am like: “What?”I did not create any groups of anything as I know.Movies don’t start from the end, or the middle but from the beginning, and so should tutorials. This topic was modified 3 years, 6 months ago by mllapan.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ DeepBlue3.9y ago
Works great as intended A great addition to a bbPress forum easy to install & configure
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Dani4.0y ago
The plugin comes with quite a few settings, but once you get a little familiar with it, it works well and you can control bbPress very well!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pauliverbot5.4y ago
I installed and configured the plugin for the membership site I am building and it is working great! The best thing is, that the developer (Robin) helped me within some hours to resolve a specific configuration I needed for my site. Great support! 6/5 stars 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Lepalois5.8y ago
Vraiment un très bon plugin mis à jour régulièrement. On fait des assemblages entre les groupes (visibilité, écriture, modifier, etc). Seul petit reproche, ne pas afficher le nom du groupe sous l’avatar si l’on le souhaite.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.7.2
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 128 languages, 0 at 90% or more
Plus 104 more locales with partial translations.
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
4 of 8 pass · checked 25 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "For bbPress - Creates private forum groups"
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("designed for"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions bbPress.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,761 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-07-26 2K+ → 1K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-07-25 1K+ → 2K+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2025-07-22 2K+ → 1K+ down after 5 days in tier
- 2025-07-17 1K+ → 2K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-07-16 2K+ → 1K+ down after 920 days in tier
- 2023-01-08 3K+ → 2K+ down after 2225 days in tier
- 2016-12-05 2K+ → 3K+ up after 416 days in tier
- 2015-10-16 1K+ → 2K+ up
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
- P Private forums visibility 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 4 shared tags D
-
bbp style pack 6K+ installs · 4.8★ · 3 shared tags B - B bbP topic count 300+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags A
- B bbp user ranking 200+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags A
- B bbp last post 200+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags A
- B bbp profile information 100+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Private groups into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/bbp-private-groups" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Private groups — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Private groups: 1K+ active installs, 4.9★ (49 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/bbp-private-groups
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.