Restrict By Category for WooCommerce
by EDGARROJAS · Security
Also makes 18 other plugins · 9.9K+ installs across the portfolio →
Restrict access to WooCommerce product categories.
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 49/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
10+
≈15 estimated
Momentum
-11%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “access”, “category” and “restriction” 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.
49 health vs 66 average across 1,778 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.3%
of downloads still active
At least 10 of 3.6K lifetime downloads are still running, below 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.
Removal-risk signals
46/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Not actively maintained. No update in about 2 years.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.8.34, 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: WP compatibility
Updated 843 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.8.34; the current branch is 7.1
3.4★ over 5 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.0★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Set "Tested up to" to WordPress 7.1; lagging the current branch costs search weight.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| access your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| category your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| restriction your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| woocommerce 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
- “access”, “category” and “restriction” 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 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 162 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #30,400 to #44,800, alongside the other plugins at 10+ 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 1 Nov 2026.
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
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 “10+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3.5 years 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 20 Aug 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Istiaq Nirab8.2y ago
its not working in my site
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ aasyed8.3y ago
I installed this plugin on my website. Was impressed with the simplicity until I realized that it did not work.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sergioz8.4y ago
thank you for this plugin. i was going crazy till i found it . its very very simple to use and it works
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ vincentjflorio8.4y ago
Now is when. Activated, visited its page on the Dashboard menu, clicked two checkboxes, and the relevant products and categories were gated off. Even shows the correct alternate views and message so as not to disorient people who would otherwise see little or nothing. Also, I totally get that Administrator is a role anyway, but it’s super easy to test with when you, as the admin, can just toggle yourself on and off to see how your changes affect things.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ SSVapes8.5y ago
If you own a woocommerce shop and need a simple but elegant way to restrict product categories to specific logged-in user roles, well, this is your plugin. WooCommerce Restrict By Category works flawlessly and is easy to use. Install it, then go settings. In each user box select the categories that you want the user to see. That’s it. Simple, and perfect. I searched 5 times before I found this plugin. It should rank higher in the searches. It does the exact job using good UI/UX so that’s why i give WooCommerce Restrict By Category a 5 star rating. This topic was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by SSVapes.
Read on wp.org ↗
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 2 Nov 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 0 of 1 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 Mentions WooCommerce.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 191 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("category", "Restriction", "security" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2023-04-29 20+ → 10+ down after 207 days in tier
- 2022-10-04 30+ → 20+ down
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).
-
Loginizer 1M+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
User Role Editor 700K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
Pages with category and tag 50K+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag A -
PublishPress Taxonomies – Tag, Category, and Taxonomy Manager – Autotagger Automatically Add Terms 40K+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag A -
Add Category to Pages 20K+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag D - W WP No Base Permalink 10K+ installs · 4.0★ · 1 shared tag D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Restrict By Category for WooCommerce into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/woo-restrict-by-category" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Restrict By Category for WooCommerce — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Restrict By Category for WooCommerce: 10+ active installs, 3.4★ (5 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/woo-restrict-by-category
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