IP Ban
by Sandor Kovacs · Security
Also makes 4 other plugins · 2.7K+ installs across the portfolio →
Simple IP Ban is a lightweight ip / user agent ban plugin.
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 52/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
2K+
≈2.5K estimated
Momentum
+44%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “anti spam”, “ip ban” and “protection” 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.
52 health vs 66 average across 1,786 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.0%
of downloads still active
At least 2K of 50K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,061 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Security 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 4.7.39, well behind 7.1.
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 3262 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.7.39; the current branch is 7.1
4.0★ over 9 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.1★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3262 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| anti spam your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| ip ban your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| protection your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| user agent ban 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
- “anti spam”, “ip ban” and “protection” 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 · 1,491 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 311 · 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
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
9.9y ago
latest release · v1.3.0 · 10 Dec 2016
13
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 67% 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 “2K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 9 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 1 Mar 2017
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ moonyell6.9y ago
Hope this plugin may keep updating.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wp_ntnguy9.1y ago
I previously rated this plugin as 1 star because it locked me out of my own website. It turns out, it was because I was on the wrong Wi-Fi network. Now that I got it to work, I am giving it 5 stars. A simple and lightweight plugin and it is exactly what I was looking for to ban IP addresses. This topic was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by wp_ntnguy. This topic was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by wp_ntnguy.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ stevedemo19.2y ago
Locked me out of my site, I had to FTP in and delete the plugin. Everything looks fine until you log out then BAM it blocked me. It may have worked at one time but it doesn’t work now.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ idmesspass10.8y ago
Good work team! It is exactly what i needed and you made a great job with it! Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Redneval11.0y ago
The simple ip ban is purely simple. Very easy to understand. You just type the ip you want to ban and that very ip get banned. No criteria, filters or anything complicated. You just need something like limit-login-attempts-like widget or tool or whatever to find those suspicious ip. Then you type those ip to block them from attempting to login your site again.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ lolblaster12.3y ago
Works as expected and yet so simple to use but unfortunately there is no option to show a certain message to the banned user other than redirect that user to a site of your choice – OR show him a blank page.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ artmaug12.8y ago
The plugin works perfectly, helped me in a situation with a malicious user. Congratulations to the developer and please keep up the great work.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Den99913.2y ago
does not work and does not block by IP
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.3.0 [Test] WordPress 4.7 [Fix] Plugin may not ban well on all hosting providers and on wide ranges of IP (like 125.80.0.0 125.87.255.255), due to the fact that ip2long can return negative values in some cases. (Reported by F 1.3.0
- — Version 1.2.6 [Test] WordPress 4.3.2 [Test] WordPress 4.3.1 [Test] WordPress 4.3.0 [Test] WordPress 4.2.1 1.2.6
- — Version 1.2.5 Fix: Warning: Missing argument 2 for wp_kses() error message (2 posts) – https://wordpress.org/support/topic/warning-missing-argument-2-for-wp_kses-error-message 1.2.5
- — Version 1.2.4 Add CSRF protection and sanitize user input [Test] WordPress 4.0.1 1.2.4
- — Version 1.2.3 [Test] WordPress 4.0 1.2.3
- — Version 1.2.2 [Test] WordPress 3.9.1 1.2.2
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (1.3.0). Sites still on an older version should update.
- 2014-12-12 CVE-2014-9413 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.2.3 Patched in 1.2.4
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.
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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
1 of 8 pass · checked 31 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 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 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 0 headings and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 678 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 2 of 4 tags appear in the text; "anti-spam", "protection" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-02-11 3K+ → 2K+ down after 168 days in tier
- 2025-08-27 2K+ → 3K+ up after 167 days in tier
- 2025-03-13 3K+ → 2K+ down after 161 days in tier
- 2024-10-03 4K+ → 3K+ down after 168 days in tier
- 2024-04-18 5K+ → 4K+ down after 37 days in tier
- 2024-03-12 4K+ → 5K+ up after 23 days in tier
- 2024-02-18 5K+ → 4K+ down after 352 days in tier
- 2023-03-03 6K+ → 5K+ down after 202 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).
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for IP Ban into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/simple-ip-ban" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="IP Ban — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> IP Ban: 2K+ active installs, 4.0★ (9 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/simple-ip-ban
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