WP Basic Authentication

How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.

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

How often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.

Share of active installs on each version of this plugin · 42% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.

Refined from the date this plugin crossed into its current band.

No paid tier is visible, so we don't put a figure on revenue or sale value: that would be guessing. The install base is a real asset to an acquirer, just not one public data lets us price. A small install base leaves thin data to model from.

1. ★★★★★ WimScholtes

   2.2y ago

   Like the title says, a very useful and easy to use plugin. This was exactly what I needed to make my blog only visible for some next to kin followers. Great job! 🙂

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ Sea Jay

   2.9y ago

   This plugin is still working perfectly, just as described.(Can you update the compatibility version? It shows this on install: “Warning: This plugin has not been tested with your current version of WordPress.”) This topic was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by Sea Jay. Reason: Added suggestion to remove warning

   Read on wp.org ↗
3. ★★★★★ lighthaus205

   3.9y ago

   Works just as expected. Thanks a lot!

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ brokercarrier

   5.2y ago

   This plugin perfectly reproduces the functionality of .htpasswd on Apache. We needed a solution like this for a website that is running on OpenLiteSpeed, and it works perfectly. Thank you! This topic was modified 5 years ago by brokercarrier.

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ Adam Blodgett

   5.3y ago

   Plugin does what it promises: easy and quick HTTP-like authentication. Easy to install and use.

   Read on wp.org ↗

Recent releases and news for this plugin

1. — Version 1.2.1 Tested up to WordPress 7.0 Use CSS custom properties for admin color scheme compatibility 1.2.1
2. — Version 1.2.0 Add REST API (/wp-json/) authentication toggle Add path exclusion list for health checks, webhooks, and other endpoints Add IP allowlist to bypass authentication for trusted addresses Add production environment warning w 1.2.0
3. — Version 1.1.2 Fix password authentication failure caused by double-hashing during save Fix hash detection to support all WordPress password hash formats Fix warning message HTML on settings page 1.1.2
4. — Version 1.1.1 Fix small issue on setting page 1.1.1
5. — Version 1.1.0 Hash password with automatic migration from older versions Automatic password migration for users updating from pre-1.1.0 versions Tested up to WordPress 6.9 1.1.0
6. — Version 1.0.3 Tested up to WordPress 6.5 Separate protected frontend and wp-login page 1.0.3

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1

Translated into 3 languages, 0 at 90% or more

Growth timeline

Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow

1. 2024-03-13 1K+ → 2K+ up

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).

• L Limit Login Attempts 300K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag D
• WPS Limit Login 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A
• Two Factor 100K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A
• WP-Members Membership Plugin 50K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag B
• Force Login 30K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A
• Google Authenticator 20K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag A

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Drop a live Pulse card for WP Basic Authentication into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

WP Basic Authentication: 2K+ active installs, 5.0★ (5 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-30. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-basic-authentication