iQ Block Country
by Pascal · Blocks
Allow or disallow visitors from certain countries accessing (parts of) your website
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 84/100
no flags
Active installs
20K+
≈25K estimated
Momentum
-36%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “block” and “block spam” for “geo block” and “countries”. “block” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #24. “geo block” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “block spam” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #16. “countries” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
84 health vs 71 average across 2,522 Blocks plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.6%
of downloads still active
At least 20K of 1.2M lifetime downloads are still running, in line with 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 4 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 60 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
3.9★ over 166 reviews, smoothed to 3.95★
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.
36
Momentum
Losing ground
-1.2
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
15%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
+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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| block countries your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| block country | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| ban countries your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| disallow | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| country | #3 | #4 | down 2 |
| geoblocking your tag | #3 | #2 | down 1 |
| country block | #3 | #4 | down 2 |
| detect and block by country | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| countries | #5 | #5 | down 3 |
| geo block | #4 | #5 | up 1 |
| block spam your tag | #16 | #12 | down 8 |
| block ip | #10 | #10 | down 3 |
| ip to country | #6 | #5 | 0 |
| country ip | #6 | #5 | 0 |
| ban | #12 | #12 | down 6 |
| code block | #13 | #14 | up 1 |
| ip block | #8 | #8 | 0 |
| block your tag | #24 | #18 | down 16 |
| geo blocking | #14 | #13 | down 8 |
| parts | #21 | #20 | 0 |
122 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 92 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Swap “block” and “block spam” for “geo block” and “countries”. “block” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #24. “geo block” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “block spam” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #16. “countries” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- Slipping on “block”. Down 16 places since 2026-09-17, now #24. Check what shipped around then, and what moved above you.
- Slipping on “block spam”. Down 8 places since 2026-09-21, now #16. Check what shipped around then, and what moved above you.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 24.7K · 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
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
4
releases in the last 12 months
2mo ago
latest release · v1.2.29 · 1 Sep 2026
79
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 98% 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 “20K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2.3 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 8 Dec 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ mourinor62075mo ago
Easy to install. I just needed to stop all non usa countries. It does the job great
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ qwioqwio6mo ago
But this is absolutely brilliant. I was getting bot/spam traffic that was creating draft orders from Malaysia & Singapore. Installed this, uploaded the IP database (read the FAQs – get it from Maxmind, download GeoLite2-Country.mmdb and upload it to /wp-content/uploads) and it’s blocked all the bots – no more carding/whatever they were trying to do. Works just fime with Litespeed. Thank you so much!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ madarkosh1.0y ago
It doesn’t work at all and after activating it forces you to buy data from their site.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ tranxhdr1.6y ago
Needed a plugin to block specific countries from accessing my site, specifically India and Pakistan. Both countries have no good reason to access my site. Google Analytics show both countries rank in the top 3 for traffic coming to my site. Pretty sure it’s no good user agent actors for malicious activities. iQ Block Country works like a charm. I even tested it myself by using a vpn and it blocked access for IPs coming from India and Pakistan.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Scott Hendison1.6y ago
I’ve used this on more than a dozen sites over the years, and the functionality has been fantastic. I do wish there was an easier way to keep the IPs current without FTP, but I’m a fan. Keep up the good work! This topic was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by Scott Hendison.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jrdon7181.7y ago
Waste of time.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ marcie731.9y ago
It does not work and nobody answer.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mishash2.3y ago
I had to uninstall the latest version of the plugin (1.2.23) as it was causing crash of my WordPress site. To get rid of “There has been a critical error on this website.”, I had to physically delete the plugin directory on the server. This topic was modified 2 years ago by mishash.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.2.28 Fix: Prevent rare occassion $pagenow can be bypassed in PHP 8.2 1.2.28
- — Version 1.2.26 Fix: Plugin was no longer compatible with PHP 7 1.2.26
- — Version 1.2.25 Changed: Fixed some PHP 8.1 compability errors Changed: Altered license check 1.2.25
- — Version 1.2.24 Added: SiteGuru Service Changed: Multiple internal changes 1.2.24
- — Version 1.2.23 Change: Upgraded the GeoIP Library to the latest version. 1.2.23
- — Version 1.2.21 Fix: Minor update to support PHP 8.x better 1.2.21
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 5 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (1.2.29). Sites still on an older version should update.
- 2022-09-26 CVE-2022-41155 Authentication Bypass by Primary Weakness Affects <= 1.2.18 Patched in 1.2.19
- 2022-05-17 CVE-2022-1762 Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key Affects <= 1.2.13 Patched in 1.2.17
- Patched Medium · 5.5 WordPress iQ Block Country <= 1.2.11 - Authenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2021-09-22 CVE-2021-36873 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.2.11 Patched in 1.2.12
- 2015-08-24 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 1.1.20 Patched in 1.1.20
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
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 68 languages, 1 at 90% or more
Plus 44 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
6 of 8 pass · checked 26 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Allow or disallow visitors from certain countries accessing (parts of) your website"
- ✓ Has a FAQ 9 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 9 of 9 read like questions a user would type.
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("if you have", "if you want", "if you need").
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ✓ Headings and lists 4 headings and 2 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 7,330 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 1 of 5 tags appear in the text ("ban countries", "Block countries", "block spam", "Geoblocking" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-06-29 30K+ → 20K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-06-28 20K+ → 30K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-06-27 30K+ → 20K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-06-26 20K+ → 30K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2024-06-24 30K+ → 20K+ down after 1338 days in tier
- 2020-10-25 40K+ → 30K+ down after 47 days in tier
- 2020-09-08 30K+ → 40K+ up after 1287 days in tier
- 2017-03-01 20K+ → 30K+ up after 563 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).
-
Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Breadcrumb NavXT 800K+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag A -
PDF Embedder – PDF Viewer & Embed PDF Files for WordPress 300K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Layout Grid Block 200K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag D -
Crowdsignal Forms 200K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag A -
Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for iQ Block Country into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/iq-block-country" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="iQ Block Country — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> iQ Block Country: 20K+ active installs, 3.9★ (166 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/iq-block-country
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