Maintenance Redirect
by Peter Hardy-vanDoorn · Admin & Utilities
Display a maintenance mode page and allow invited visitors to bypass the functionality to preview the site.
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 87/100
no flags
Active installs
10K+
≈19K estimated
Momentum
-6%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “coming soon”, “developer” and “redirect” for “503”, “bypass” and “under maintenance”. “coming soon” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “503” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “developer” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “bypass” sits at #8 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “redirect” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “under maintenance” sits at #10 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
87 health vs 56 average across 5,902 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.6%
of downloads still active
At least 10K of 219.4K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,194 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.
This plugin shipped 3 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 165 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 6.9.11; the current branch is 7.1
4.9★ over 24 reviews, smoothed to 4.36★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 1 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.
33
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.5
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
5%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| maintenance your tag | #9 | #10 | down 1 |
| bypass | #8 | #9 | 0 |
| maintenance mode your tag | #13 | #12 | down 1 |
| maintenance mode page | #12 | #14 | down 2 |
| site maintenance | #10 | #11 | up 1 |
| under maintenance | #10 | #9 | 0 |
| simple maintenance mode | #6 | #8 | up 1 |
| wordpress maintenance | #12 | #15 | down 2 |
| developer mode | #9 | #9 | down 2 |
| maintenance page | #17 | #18 | down 2 |
| wordpress maintenance mode | #10 | #13 | down 1 |
| unavailable | #24 | #16 | down 3 |
| wp maintenance | #17 | #20 | down 1 |
| redirect by ip | #20 | #18 | — |
| coming soon your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| developer your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| redirect your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
45 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 14 listed. 31 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “coming soon”, “developer” and “redirect” for “503”, “bypass” and “under maintenance”. “coming soon” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “503” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “developer” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “bypass” sits at #8 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “redirect” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “under maintenance” sits at #10 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 “maintenance mode”. #13 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 6.4K · 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.
3
releases in the last 12 months
6mo ago
latest release · v2.2.1 · 21 May 2026
21
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 49% 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 “10K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 5.7 years ago; the previous band took 16 months to cross, which places it about 90% of the way through.
Install history since 7 May 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Mauro1.2y ago
The plugin is very good and is always my choice when I have to develop a new project. I have a small but important suggestion: Add a code editor to Maintenance Mode HTML. It is difficult to keep the code tidy without it.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ crdunst1.8y ago
Really easy to use, and does the job perfectly. Thanks.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ veetihsu3.8y ago
It works just fine. Definitely recommend!!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anne-Mieke Bovelett3.8y ago
Great plugin! I used to apply password protection via Plesk (HTTP Auth) to shield my playgrounds. But now I am in a situation where that affects what I am doing in the backend. Creating a site with Cwicly, which starts puking when you use HTTP Auth, unless you know how to whitelist your server, which I don’t. I’m not a hoster. Maintenance Redirect is the PERFECT solution. Simple to set up, no screaming “buy our pro” messages (there is no pro, as far as I know). Dear developers, tell me, how can I buy you coffee?
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Bence Fodor4.0y ago
It works well and does not have a premium offering. The link generation feature is super useful. There was an issue recently with PHP 8.x and it was fixed quite quickly. Thanks, Peter!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pinkeyegraphics4.0y ago
This plugin is great. I’ve used various other ‘coming soon’ type plugins and this is the best. It allows me to easily show clients their website before launch, and work on a site with the public seeing a custom holding page. And it’s light, free, and well-updated. I will be using this again.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Manni024.3y ago
I’ve been using this plugin for years and it’s been working perfectly. I really enjoy the ability to keep working on a website while it’s out for maintenance, and let either everyone on our network to do so (useful when testing from various clients such as PCs, iPad etc) or selected testers from outside our organisation (different IP address) to access it as well. The new 1.8.1 version has a handy feature that allows to add the current IP address with a single click, which is useful as our host doesn’t give us a fixed IP, so I have to do this everytime I’m about to switch maintenance mode on. The plugin is great when initially designing a site, before it’s open to the wider public but we need to allow access to a few usewrs to test it/provide feedback, and it’s still very useful when we have to take the site off for maintenance, for example when we moved hosting recently. It also provides various ways to customise the “maintenance” message, from super quick and easy to more sophisticated. I needed support recently as there was a minor glitch on a new release, and it was explained and fixed right away. Overall, it’s a great plugin, with great support, and it’s free. Many thanks to the author for taking the time to maintain it and for sharing it with us.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ THAWK5.1y ago
This tool is great, it allows you to redirect an entire wordpress while still allowing users to login to /wp-admin. It even allows for ?paramaters in the external url, many plugins I tried strip these….
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.2.1 Fixed conflict with PublishPress Capabilities plugin’s admin notices cleanup function. Thanks to @manni02 for bringing that to my attention. 2.2.1
- — Version 2.2 Updated minimum requirements for WP (6.1). Added built-in WordPress code editor to the HTML field. Thanks to @maurofon for the idea to do this. 2.2
- — Version 2.1.1 Updated minimum requirements for PHP (7.4). Removed the checking of X-FORWARDED-FOR header to get the IP address for the whitelisting bypass as some over-zealous security researcher says that can be spoofed. Access throu 2.1.1
- — Version 2.0.1 Added clarification to readme and on-screen info about the scope of what this plugin blocks (see FAQs) 2.0.1
- — Version 2.0 Updated minimum requirements for WP (5.1) and PHP (5.6). Updated the UI with tabs for each of the sections. Changed the activation method from a select menu to a toggle switch. Split the HTML and Message storage in the d 2.0
- — Version 1.8.3 Fixed sprintf() PHP warning. 1.8.3
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (2.2.1). Sites still on an older version should update.
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 1 language, 0 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
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 "Display a maintenance mode page and allow invited visitors to bypass the functionality to preview the site."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 4 of 4 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("for designers"); 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 0 headings and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,261 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "coming soon" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2021-03-08 9K+ → 10K+ up after 480 days in tier
- 2019-11-14 8K+ → 9K+ 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).
-
Maintenance Mode 8K+ installs · 4.3★ · 4 shared tags A -
Maintenance 1M+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags A -
Under Construction, Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode 10K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags A -
Coming soon and Maintenance mode 8K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags B -
Rocket Maintenance Mode & Coming Soon Page 4K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags C -
Maintenance & Coming Soon Redirect Animation 3K+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Maintenance Redirect into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/jf3-maintenance-mode" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Maintenance Redirect — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Maintenance Redirect: 10K+ active installs, 4.9★ (24 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/jf3-maintenance-mode
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