If Widget – Visibility control for Widgets
by Andrei · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 2 other plugins · 51.1K+ installs across the portfolio →
Control what widgets your site’s visitors see, with custom visibility rules
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
D 46/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
1K+
≈1.5K estimated
Momentum
+24%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “hide”, “roles” and “rules” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
46 health vs 56 average across 5,895 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →6.2%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 16.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,188 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Admin & Utilities plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
Removal-risk signals
53/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 5+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Falling behind WordPress. Tested up to WordPress 5.6.23.
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.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 2112 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.6.23; the current branch is 6.8
4.4★ over 9 reviews, smoothed to 4.15★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 2112 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
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.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| hide your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| roles your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| rules your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| visibility your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widget your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “hide”, “roles” and “rules” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 293 · 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.
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% 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 2.4 years 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 21 Sep 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ rsurfer3.5y ago
This is the only plugin that actually let me target by URL. Other plugins apparently could, but none worked for me. This was the last plugin I was willing to try before giving up. The interface is also simple and intuitive. I hope to see this plugin become more popular!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ katypical4.9y ago
Tried it. No options in the widget area. It appears this plug-in no longer works.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ fahmineo5.9y ago
I tried other plugins and not fullfil my needs. But, If Widget – Visibility control for Widgets is the only exceptions. The main of my need is restrict widget for certain user role, then this plugin solved my problem.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ rangitoto6.4y ago
Plugin works fine but would be nice if I could choose something like: If post id is…, or if category id is…., if tag is…. Or is it possible and I‘m searching too far? cheers Rangi This topic was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by rangitoto.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ frostyjpn6.5y ago
If you are trying the other widget control plugins, you are wasting your time. This one is perfect.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ aptharsia6.6y ago
Was looking for a simple plugin to hide widgets based on user role or if they were signed in or not. This works flawlessly! Great work!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ cleforweb6.6y ago
Tested all other plugins. This one is the best, especially for “url contains” feature.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mooneyesart6.7y ago
I was having trouble removing the widgets from mobile view. This fixed the issue, thank you!!
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3.2
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 29 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 Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ✓ Headings and lists 3 headings and 2 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,749 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
- 2024-05-24 2K+ → 1K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-05-23 1K+ → 2K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-05-22 2K+ → 1K+ down after 596 days in tier
- 2022-10-04 3K+ → 2K+ down after 90 days in tier
- 2022-07-06 2K+ → 3K+ up after 537 days in tier
- 2021-01-15 400+ → 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).
-
If Menu – Visibility control for Menus 50K+ installs · 4.1★ · 4 shared tags C -
Widget Context 30K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
Hide Posts 20K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A -
Dynamic Widgets 10K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
WP-ShowHide 9K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags A -
AH Display Widgets 8K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for If Widget – Visibility control for Widgets into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/if-widget" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="If Widget – Visibility control for Widgets — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> If Widget – Visibility control for Widgets: 1K+ active installs, 4.4★ (9 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/if-widget
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