Simple Access Control
by Peter Wooster · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 4 other plugins · 420+ installs across the portfolio →
A very simple plugin that hides specific pages, posts and menu items from users based on their logged in staus.
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 48/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
200+
≈250 estimated
Momentum
+22%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “menu”, “page” and “post” 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.
48 health vs 56 average across 5,896 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.0%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 20.2K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,189 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.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance 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 8+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.9.35, well behind 6.8.
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 3271 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.9.35; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 7 reviews, smoothed to 4.21★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3271 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| menu your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| page your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| post your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “menu”, “page” and “post” 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 106 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #11,300 to #12,900, alongside the other plugins at 200+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 21 Oct 2026.
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
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
9.0y ago
latest release · v1.6.0 · 17 Nov 2017
9
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 90% 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 “200+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 10 months 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 17 Oct 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Chris Dennis7.8y ago
Well thought out — uses filters to hide selected pages and menu items. A bit more documentation would be nice though — it took me a while to find the extra check boxes on the right hand side of the post/page editing form.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ solysergio7.9y ago
It’s lightweight, easy and works fine. what’s else?
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Steve8.8y ago
This is exactly what i needed. Simple and easy to use. Just one problem. Doesn’t work with bbpress or learndash. Still, thanks for making this plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ maidstein9.0y ago
Strike! The plugin does absolutely reliable what it should – simple and smart. You can lock any page or post if a user is logged in or nobody is logged in. If the lock pulls, a freely programmable HTML code is interpreted using e.g. a button with a link to the WP login screen can be displayed. Tip: Don’t forget a query string after the URL to return to the primary page after the login. Simply fantastic! Peter, thanks for updating! Now everything works fine. This topic was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by maidstein. This topic was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by maidstein. This topic was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by maidstein. This topic was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by maidstein. This topic was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by maidstein. This topic was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by maidstein. This topic was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by maidstein. This topic was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by maidstein. This topic was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by maidstein.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ HPA Auto10.9y ago
Simple and work great
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ steamship12.8y ago
Does exactly what it says on the tin. Easy to install, and easy to use. Thank you.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ essaum13.9y ago
Great plugin, we need to make the post unhidden on homepage, category but user needs to log to see it
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
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
3 of 8 pass · checked 1 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "A very simple plugin that hides specific pages, posts and menu items from users based on their logged in st..."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 1 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Installation Instructions").
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("use it"); 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 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,408 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 4 tags appear in the text; "security" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-01-02 300+ → 200+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-01-01 200+ → 300+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-12-31 300+ → 200+ down after 7 days in tier
- 2025-12-24 200+ → 300+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-12-23 300+ → 200+ down after 390 days in tier
- 2024-11-28 400+ → 300+ down after 395 days in tier
- 2023-10-30 500+ → 400+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2023-10-29 400+ → 500+ up after 2 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).
-
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Post Type Switcher 200K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Reveal IDs 40K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A - W WP Admin UI Customize 30K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags C
-
Admin Menu Tree Page View 10K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A -
Duplicate PP 10K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Simple Access Control into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/simple-access-control" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Simple Access Control — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Simple Access Control: 200+ active installs, 5.0★ (7 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/simple-access-control
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