Very Simple Password for WordPress
by lucasbustamante · Uncategorized
A simple and lightweight password protection for Wordpress.
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 47/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
200+
≈250 estimated
Momentum
+110%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “password”, “password protect” and “password 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.
47 health vs 58 average across 25,736 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.8%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 11.3K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,765 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized 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 9+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.7.39, 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 3526 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.7.39; the current branch is 6.8
4.6★ over 10 reviews, smoothed to 4.18★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3526 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| password your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| password protect your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| password protection your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| protected your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| simple password your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “password”, “password protect” and “password 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 · 1,487 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 92 · 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.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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
9.7y ago
latest release · v1.7 · 6 Mar 2017
5
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% 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 19 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 4 Apr 2017
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ jlgarcia8.7y ago
Nice. Works. Thank you.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Blamedutchie9.0y ago
As long as we approach the site with http or no prefix in the address bar, it works. With https, the plugin lets us pass. Tested three times in different browsers. Same result. Uninstalled. Next.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ caraid9.0y ago
A great and clean, simple plugin to protect front end access to your site. When I say simple I mean clean and simple end user interface with very clean code Just perfect to use on your test sites/Private site or for demonstrating a site build to clients without letting the rest of the world in. I have abandoned a premium plugin to use this instead. Why ? It just works! What more can anyone ask. Well done and thank you Lucas
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ onico09.1y ago
Keep it simple… sweet 🙂 Keep going thanks !
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ j4ck059.2y ago
Its very simple and well made plugin. Just the things you are looking for, no BS.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pierredumort9.2y ago
Feels like a premium plugin but is free. Has some nice features and works perfectly.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ gd6d9.4y ago
Few settings but just the basics! Thanks
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Li-An9.5y ago
Better than the other plugins of this sort I tested with focus on security and well thought options.
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
2 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 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 2 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! 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 3 headings and 2 lists.
- ! Enough to quote 671 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "protected" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-04-22 300+ → 200+ down after 8 days in tier
- 2025-04-14 200+ → 300+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2025-04-11 300+ → 200+ down after 11 days in tier
- 2025-03-31 200+ → 300+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2025-03-29 300+ → 200+ down after 85 days in tier
- 2025-01-03 200+ → 300+ up after 29 days in tier
- 2024-12-05 300+ → 200+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2024-12-02 200+ → 300+ up after 1 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).
-
PPWP – Password Protect Pages 30K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags A -
Passster – Password Protect Pages and Content 10K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags B -
Nucuta Password Protect 10+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags D -
Smart Protect 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
Password Protected 300K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A -
ContentProtector – password protect your page, post or text 5K+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Very Simple Password for WordPress into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/very-simple-password" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Very Simple Password for WordPress — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Very Simple Password for WordPress: 200+ active installs, 4.6★ (10 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/very-simple-password
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