PublishPress Permissions: Access Control, Content Permissions, User Access
by PublishPress · Login & Users
Also makes 13 other plugins · 305.2K+ installs across the portfolio →
The permissions plugin for posts, pages, categories, tags and more. You can control permissions for roles, individual users, and even custom groups.
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
no flags
Active installs
10K+
≈19K estimated
Momentum
-9%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “restrict” for “manage user access”. “restrict” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “manage user access” sits at #18 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
86 health vs 61 average across 2,204 Login & Users plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.1%
of downloads still active
At least 10K of 907.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Login & Users plugin keeps 0.7%, across 1,477 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Login & Users 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 13 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
Well tuned across the board
Updated 18 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.3★ over 66 reviews, smoothed to 4.21★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
1 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
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.
51
Momentum
Holding steady
+0.7
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
40%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
+1.6
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 permissions your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| access control your tag | #4 | #6 | down 1 |
| permissions your tag | #4 | #5 | down 3 |
| user access your tag | #4 | #7 | up 1 |
| permission | #3 | #5 | 0 |
| publishpress | #9 | #9 | up 2 |
| access | #10 | #13 | down 2 |
| user permissions | #8 | #8 | down 3 |
| control access | #7 | #10 | up 4 |
| control | #22 | #15 | down 10 |
| user access control | #9 | #14 | up 4 |
| user roles and permission | #10 | #10 | down 1 |
| manage user access | #18 | #18 | 0 |
| woocommerce access control | #11 | #12 | 0 |
| content visibility | #21 | #17 | — |
| private content | #22 | #17 | — |
| restrict access | #22 | #17 | down 5 |
| guest author | #23 | #18 | 0 |
| content access | #16 | #19 | up 5 |
| content control | #16 | #15 | down 2 |
| restrict your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
128 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 103 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “restrict” for “manage user access”. “restrict” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “manage user access” sits at #18 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 25.7K · 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.
13
releases in the last 12 months
18d ago
latest release · v4.9.1 · 14 Oct 2026
203
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 “10K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 4.8 years ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 90% of the way through.
Install history since 18 May 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ armnetworking4mo ago
Finally found something that has exactly what I needed. This is a software the developer should be proud of. Simple but complex
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dlitaker5mo ago
PublishPress already makes my day-to-day job so much easier, but their customer support is next-level. We recently ran into an issue, and Kevin was incredibly responsive, walking us through the solution step-by-step. What impressed me most was that after helping us resolve it, the team actually issued a global PublishPress update to fix the bug for all their other users, too. I highly recommend this plugin—both the software and the team behind it are top-notch!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ rudsonalex9mo ago
muito caro a versão pro
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sezgee10mo ago
This suite of products is incredibly robust and therefore understandably complex. I’ve used it on many sites. Recently, we had a particularly complicated setup and support worked with me patiently and tirelessly, even over the winter holidays, to help resolve it. There is always a way, and if you can’t find it, they can.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ BɅJV10mo ago
Hi there, I has been a while since the update but it seems that this plugin has not been tested with the latest version of WordPress (v6.9). This notification keep appearing on the plugin’s detail page: Warning: This plugin has not been tested with your current version of WordPress. Is it safe or not to update this plugin?
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ burlamhack11mo ago
Great plugin
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ cclimente1.1y ago
I am using Publishpress Permissions on my site. The plugin is reliable and very easy to manage. And the Support team do their best to answer my questions in a reasonable timeframe.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ biege1191.4y ago
helped alot
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (4.9.1). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 5.3 PublishPress Permissions: Access Control, Content Permissions, User Access <= 4.8.3 - Unauthenticated Insecure Direct Object Reference ↗2026-09-02 CVE-2026-84771 Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key Affects <= 4.8.3 Patched in 4.8.4
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 15 languages, 5 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
7 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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 13 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 13 of 13 read like questions a user would type.
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("perfect for", "use this", "if you need").
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WooCommerce, Block editor, WPML, bbPress and 4 more.
- ✓ Headings and lists 17 headings and 3 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 11,962 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "access-control", "User Access" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2022-01-28 9K+ → 10K+ up after 127 days in tier
- 2021-09-23 8K+ → 9K+ up after 153 days in tier
- 2021-04-23 7K+ → 8K+ up after 97 days in tier
- 2021-01-16 6K+ → 7K+ up after 137 days in tier
- 2020-09-01 5K+ → 6K+ up after 112 days in tier
- 2020-05-12 4K+ → 5K+ up after 202 days in tier
- 2019-10-23 5K+ → 4K+ down after 655 days in tier
- 2018-01-06 6K+ → 5K+ down after 700 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).
-
Trilobita Editor Remit — installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Restricted Site Access 10K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Custom Access Roles 200+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B -
Role Based Content Restrictor 100+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags A -
Restrict Anonymous Access 70+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags C
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for PublishPress Permissions: Access Control, Content Permissions, User Access into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/press-permit-core" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="PublishPress Permissions: Access Control, Content Permissions, User Access — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> PublishPress Permissions: Access Control, Content Permissions, User Access: 10K+ active installs, 4.3★ (66 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/press-permit-core
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