Htaccess by BestWebSoft – WordPress Website Access Control Plugin
by bestwebsoft · Blocks
Also makes 17 other plugins · 204.3K+ installs across the portfolio →
Protect WordPress website – allow and deny access for certain IP addresses, hostnames, etc.
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
B 80/100
Few reviews
Active installs
400+
≈400 estimated
Momentum
+8%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “access” and “control access” for “bestwebsoft” and “deny”. “access” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “bestwebsoft” sits at #14 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “control access” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “deny” sits at #17 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
80 health vs 71 average across 2,522 Blocks plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.9%
of downloads still active
At least 400 of 43.4K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Blocks plugin keeps 2.1%, across 1,577 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Blocks 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 2 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.
Excellent listing optimization
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 190 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
4.0★ over 2 reviews, smoothed to 4.10★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
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.
45
Momentum
Holding steady
+0.2
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
31%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
+0.5
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| allow directive your tag | #1 | #13 | 0 |
| deny directive your tag | #1 | #5 | 0 |
| directive block your tag | #4 | #23 | 0 |
| htaccess | #6 | #23 | 0 |
| bestwebsoft | #14 | #24 | up 2 |
| access control | #19 | #24 | 0 |
| deny | #17 | #24 | up 3 |
| access your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| control access your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
14 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 7 listed. 7 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 “access” and “control access” for “bestwebsoft” and “deny”. “access” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “bestwebsoft” sits at #14 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “control access” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “deny” sits at #17 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 600 · 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.
2
releases in the last 12 months
6mo ago
latest release · v1.8.9 · 24 Apr 2026
34
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 96% 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 “400+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band yesterday and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just over 400.
At the current install trend, crossing 500+ in roughly 750 days.
Install history since 19 Sep 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ gently11110.1y ago
Very helpful tool, like it so much Thnx 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mike V. Gorbunov11.1y ago
sorry, guys, but only 3 stars. the plugin works as it should, but it has 10% of functionality needed. please take WP htaccess Control as an example, which is free, btw.
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 2 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (1.8.9). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 6.1 Htaccess by BestWebSoft – WordPress Website Access Control Plugin <= 1.7.5 - Reflected Cross-Site Scripting ↗2017-04-14 CVE-2017-18496 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 1.7.6 Patched in 1.7.6
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.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 118 languages, 2 at 90% or more
Plus 94 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
5 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Protect WordPress website – allow and deny access for certain IP addresses, hostnames, etc."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 7 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 7 of 7 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you have"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ✓ Headings and lists 5 headings and 8 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,275 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 1 of 5 tags appear in the text ("allow directive", "control access", "deny directive", "directive block" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-30 300+ → 400+ up after 28 days in tier
- 2026-10-02 400+ → 300+ down after 8 days in tier
- 2026-09-24 300+ → 400+ up after 71 days in tier
- 2026-07-15 400+ → 300+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2026-07-12 300+ → 400+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-07-10 400+ → 300+ down after 10 days in tier
- 2026-06-30 300+ → 400+ up after 56 days in tier
- 2026-05-05 400+ → 300+ down after 1 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).
-
Loginizer 1M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
User Role Editor 700K+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag A -
Remove Dashboard Access 30K+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag A -
User Access Manager 10K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag A -
Groups – Memberships and Access Control 10K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
Controlled Admin Access 10K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Htaccess by BestWebSoft – WordPress Website Access Control Plugin into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/htaccess" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Htaccess by BestWebSoft – WordPress Website Access Control Plugin — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Htaccess by BestWebSoft – WordPress Website Access Control Plugin: 400+ active installs, 4.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/htaccess
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