Content Control – The Ultimate Content Restriction Solution! Restrict Content, Create Conditional Blocks & More
by Daniel Iser · Membership
Also makes 8 other plugins · 727.2K+ installs across the portfolio →
Restrict content based on login status, user roles, device type & more. Monetize your content with a paywall or members-only content.
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 86/100
Open vulnerability
Active installs
40K+
≈45K estimated
Momentum
+4%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “maintenance mode”, “membership” and “members only” for “monetize”, “content” and “paywall”. “maintenance mode” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “monetize” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “membership” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “content” sits at #9 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “members only” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #11. “paywall” sits at #9 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
86 health vs 71 average across 300 Membership plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.4%
of downloads still active
At least 40K of 912.3K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Membership plugin keeps 0.9%, across 166 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Membership 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 7 releases 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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 34 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.9★ over 575 reviews, smoothed to 4.84★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 3 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
Get the full rank-higher report →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.
37
Momentum
Losing ground
-1.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 23d
16%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 23d
+1.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| content control | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| control | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| restrict content | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| content restriction your tag | #3 | #3 | 0 |
| conditional blocks | #5 | #3 | down 1 |
| access control your tag | #6 | #4 | down 2 |
| restrict content pro | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| monetize | #6 | #6 | 0 |
| status control | #3 | #1 | 0 |
| content | #9 | #7 | down 3 |
| restricted content | #6 | #4 | down 1 |
| restriction | #11 | #6 | down 3 |
| members only your tag | #11 | #6 | down 2 |
| paid content | #7 | #6 | 0 |
| paywall | #9 | #6 | down 3 |
| restrict | #13 | #6 | down 7 |
| conditional content | #6 | #4 | down 2 |
| content restriction plugin | #6 | #5 | down 1 |
| restrict blocks | #6 | #3 | down 2 |
| restrict post content | #6 | #5 | down 1 |
| maintenance mode your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| membership your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
301 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 229 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 “maintenance mode”, “membership” and “members only” for “monetize”, “content” and “paywall”. “maintenance mode” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “monetize” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “membership” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “content” sits at #9 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “members only” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #11. “paywall” sits at #9 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- One page off on “members only”. #11 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 103.3K · 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
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
7
releases in the last 12 months
1mo ago
latest release · v2.7.4 · 29 Sep 2026
52
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. 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 “40K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 16 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 30 Jun 2017
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ mgel5mo ago
Il fait bien son travail !
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ lifeaboe8mo ago
i like it, it’s seamless and small but very functional.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ rvwfreewheelers8mo ago
This is so handy on my site. I have a number of forms that are only visible to members, but this makes it easy for me to make the forms accessible to Logged In users (or just admins), and then to have a separate block informing people who reach the page without being logged in that they just need to log in to access the form, or to renew their membership in order to use it. It lets me have a single page have different content for different roles or for logged in vs logged out. It even works on widgets so I can have custom widgets for logged in members very easily. Thank so much for maintaining this plugin!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ richwords8mo ago
I Wanted to create hidden pages which can’t be visible to visitors. This plugin helped me to do so. Thank you Content Control.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ khetheri11mo ago
Very easy to setup and to configure.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ adriansoewono11mo ago
cannot select multiple blocks altogether to save time but even have to select the block individually already does the job well.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ culturemix12mo ago
works smooth and easy to use
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mikhail1.0y ago
<font dir=”auto” style=”vertical-align: inherit;”><font dir=”auto” style=”vertical-align: inherit;”>Я новичок в сайтостроении, мне 80 лет, и этот плагин очень простой и эффективный</font></font>, не было никаких проблем при использовании.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 6.5 Tweak: Passed the original filtered content to the restricted message filter. 6.5
- — Version 6.4 Fix: Revert change in previous update that broke rendering of some shortcodes within [content_control] shortcode inner contents. 6.4
- — Version 6.3 Fix: Excerpt rendering when custom message wasn’t set. 6.3
- — Version 6.2 Security: Escaped [content_control] message attribute. Fix: Misc JS bugs in admin. Developer: Added new content_control/pre_restrict_content & content_control/pre_restrict_excerpt filters to allow overloading/short curcu 6.2
- — Version 6.1 Improvement: Only fetch titles & ids when loading posts/taxonomy for the Restriction Editor. Reducing request overhead. Improvement: Ensure taxonomies are also removed from search appropriately. Improvement: Reduce memor 6.1
- — Version 6.0 Feature: Added new setting to control restricted content visibility in search results Site owners can now choose to completely hide restricted content from search results Includes detailed security guidance when enabling 6.0
Security history
via Wordfence Intelligence1 open vulnerability affects the current version (2.7.4). 4 of 5 disclosed are patched.
- Patched Medium · 6.4 Content Control <= 2.6.1 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2025-05-07 CVE-2025-47501 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.6.1 Patched in 2.6.2
- 2025-03-04 CVE-2024-11153 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects <= 2.5.0 Patched in 2.6.0
- Patched Medium · 5.3 Content Control <= 2.1.0 - Missing Authorization to Sensitive Information Exposure ↗2024-04-16 CVE-2024-0615 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects <= 2.1.0 Patched in 2.2.0
- Patched Medium · 6.4 Content Control <= 1.1.9 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Shortcode ↗2022-12-29 CVE-2022-4509 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.1.9 Patched in 1.1.10
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 17 languages, 1 at 90% or more
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
6 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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 3 of 3 read like questions a user would type.
- ! 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 WooCommerce, Gutenberg, Easy Digital Downloads, REST API.
- ✓ Headings and lists 5 headings and 5 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 4,616 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "access-control" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-06-29 50K+ → 40K+ down after 13 days in tier
- 2025-06-16 40K+ → 50K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2025-06-14 50K+ → 40K+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2025-06-11 40K+ → 50K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2025-06-09 50K+ → 40K+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2025-06-06 40K+ → 50K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-06-05 50K+ → 40K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-06-04 40K+ → 50K+ up after 186 days in tier
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).
-
SureMembers – Membership & Content Restriction Plugin 2K+ installs · 4.1★ · 4 shared tags B -
Restrict User Access – Ultimate Membership & Content Protection 10K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags A -
s2Member – Excellent for All Kinds of Memberships, Content Restriction Paywalls & Member Access Subscriptions 8K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags B -
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Simple Membership 40K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Content Control – The Ultimate Content Restriction Solution! Restrict Content, Create Conditional Blocks & More into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/content-control" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Content Control – The Ultimate Content Restriction Solution! Restrict Content, Create Conditional Blocks & More — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Content Control – The Ultimate Content Restriction Solution! Restrict Content, Create Conditional Blocks & More: 40K+ active installs, 4.9★ (575 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/content-control
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