Best WordPress Password Protection Plugins in 2026
Data from WordPress.org Updated First published 5 min read
Locking pages, sections or a whole site behind a password.
WordPress can put a password on a single page. These plugins extend that to whole sections, the entire site, or specific categories, usually with one shared password rather than user accounts.
Together these 10 plugins run on more than 1,073,700 active WordPress sites. Ranked from both WordPress.org orderings for "password", its tag listing and its search results.
On this page
Best Password Protection Plugin for each measure
One plugin per measure, taken from the same WordPress.org figures as the ranking. A measure with nothing behind it is left out rather than guessed.
- Most installed
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Kadence Security
700,000+, active installs reported by WordPress.org
- Highest rated
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Password Protect Pages
4.7 out of 5, from 270 reviews, counting only plugins with at least 50
- Most reviewed
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Kadence Security
3,990 reviews, the largest body of feedback behind a score
- Most recently updated
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Passster
September 3, 2026, the latest release in this list
- Longest established
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Kadence Security
October 23, 2010, first published on WordPress.org
- Best support record
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Kadence Security
7 of 13 resolved, recent threads on the WordPress.org support forum
Password Protection Plugins compared: rating, reviews, installs
| # | Plugin | Rating | Reviews | Active installs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Password Protected | 4.4 | 139 | 300,000+ |
| 2 | Password Protect Pages | 4.7 | 270 | 30,000+ |
| 3 | Protect Uploads | 4.8 | 12 | 30,000+ |
| 4 | Kadence Security | 4.6 | 3,990 | 700,000+ |
| 5 | Passster | 4.2 | 60 | 10,000+ |
| 6 | Protect the Children! | 4.9 | 15 | 1,000+ |
| 7 | PDF Password Protect | 5.0 | 1 | 200+ |
| 8 | Simple Password Protect | 5.0 | 1 | 400+ |
| 9 | Multiple Post Passwords | 5.0 | 11 | 2,000+ |
| 10 | Password Protect | 3.7 | 3 | 100+ |
The 10 best Password Protection Plugins, ranked by WordPress.org
Ranked from both WordPress.org orderings for "password", its tag listing and its search results. Arrows show movement against the previous snapshot.
Password Protected — Lock Entire Site, Pages, Posts, Categories, and Partial Content
4.4 (139) 300,000+ active installs Updated Jul 30, 2026 Tested up to 7.0.4 Paid version availableProtect your WordPress site, pages, posts, WooCommerce products, and categories with single or multiple passwords.
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PPWP – Password Protect Pages
4.7 (270) 30,000+ active installs Updated Sep 3, 2026 Tested up to 7.1Password protect WordPress pages and posts by user roles or with multiple passwords; protect your entire website with a single password.
4.8 (12) 30,000+ active installs Updated Aug 28, 2026 Tested up to 7.1Protect your uploads directory. Prevent browsing, add watermarks, disable right-click, and password-protect files. For more information, visit protect …
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Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection
4.6 (3,990) 700,000+ active installs Updated Jul 27, 2026 Tested up to 7.0.4 Paid version availableHarden your site security with Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), Vulnerability Scanner, Firewall, and more. Formerly iThemes Security.
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5.Passster
Passster – Password Protect Pages and Content
4.2 (60) 10,000+ active installs Updated Sep 3, 2026 Tested up to 7.1Password Protect Pages, Posts & Content in WordPress
4.9 (15) 1,000+ active installs Updated Feb 17, 2026 Tested up to 6.9.7Easily password protect the child pages/posts of a post/page that is password protected.
5.0 (1) 200+ active installs Updated Aug 13, 2026 Tested up to 7.0.4Protect PDF files by passwords on your WordPress Website.
5.0 (1) 400+ active installs Updated Oct 30, 2025 Tested up to 6.8.8Protect your entire WordPress site with a simple password. GDPR-compliant with modal links for legal pages.
5.0 (11) 2,000+ active installs Updated Jan 17, 2026 Tested up to 6.8.8Set multiple passwords for your protected pages so you can give them to different users.
Password Protect – Temporary Login Without Password & Password Protect Entire Site
3.7 (3) 100+ active installs Updated Aug 14, 2026 Tested up to 7.1Password Protect entire site & create Temporary Login Without Password links. Simple & secure access for developers or maintenance.
How to choose a Password Protection Plugin for WordPress
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1
A shared password is not user access
One password for everyone cannot be revoked per person and spreads. If you need to know who saw what, this is the wrong category.
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2
Check what leaks around it
Search results, RSS feeds, sitemaps and REST endpoints can expose protected content that the page itself hides.
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3
Media files are usually still open
Protecting a page rarely protects the PDF linked from it. A direct URL to the uploads folder ignores the password entirely.
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4
Whole-site protection should not be indexed
A site behind a password should tell search engines not to index it, or the login screen becomes your search listing.
Password Protection Plugin comparisons: side by side
The top four against each other on installs, ratings, reviews and updates. Each measure names its own leader; there is no overall winner.
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vs
Password Protected vs Password Protect Pages#1 vs #2 · 300,000+ vs 30,000+ installs
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vs
Password Protected vs Protect Uploads#1 vs #3 · 300,000+ vs 30,000+ installs
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vs
Password Protected vs Kadence Security#1 vs #4 · 300,000+ vs 700,000+ installs
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vs
Password Protect Pages vs Protect Uploads#2 vs #3 · 30,000+ vs 30,000+ installs
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vs
Password Protect Pages vs Kadence Security#2 vs #4 · 30,000+ vs 700,000+ installs
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vs
Protect Uploads vs Kadence Security#3 vs #4 · 30,000+ vs 700,000+ installs
How we rank Password Protection Plugins
WordPress.org publishes two orderings for "password" and neither is reliable alone. The tag listing covers every tag the directory files these plugins under, "password", "password-protect", "password-protection" and "protect-content", and is sorted by active installs, which lets a large plugin carrying one of them loosely sit above the ones the category is about. Its search results are sorted by relevance and carry their own noise. So a plugin is placed here by where it sits across both lists: high in each one lifts it, high in only one does not. We fetch both every day at 03:00 UTC, keep every day's snapshot, and add nothing of our own. No plugin is inserted, removed or sponsored, and each entry shows its position in both lists on its own page. Full methodology.
Password Protection Plugins FAQ
What is the best Password Protection Plugin for WordPress?
On WordPress.org's own ranking for "password", Password Protected is #1 as of September 7, 2026, with 300,000+ active installs and a 4.4 out of 5 rating. By active installs, Kadence Security leads with 700,000+. By rating, Password Protect Pages scores 4.7 out of 5 from 270 reviews.
Which Password Protection Plugin has the most active installs?
Kadence Security, with 700,000+ active installs reported by WordPress.org as of September 7, 2026. It ranks #4 in this list.
Which Password Protection Plugin has the highest rating?
Password Protect Pages, rated 4.7 out of 5 by 270 reviewers on WordPress.org. Only plugins with at least 50 reviews are counted, so a single 5-star review does not win.
Which Password Protection Plugin was updated most recently?
Passster shipped its latest release on September 3, 2026. 7 of the 10 plugins in this list were updated in the last 90 days, which is the usual sign of active maintenance.
How many Password Protection Plugins are there on WordPress.org?
WordPress.org lists 188 plugins tagged "password", "password-protect", "password-protection" and "protect-content" as of September 7, 2026. This page shows the top 10 in the directory's own order.
Are these Password Protection Plugins free?
All 10 are free to install from WordPress.org. 2 of them are listed as commercial, meaning the developer sells a paid version or add-ons: Password Protected, Kadence Security.
Is password protection the same as a membership plugin?
No. Password protection gates content behind a shared secret with no accounts, so it cannot be revoked for one person and it spreads the moment someone forwards it. A membership plugin ties access to an individual account, which is what you need for paid content or anything you may have to withdraw.
Are files still accessible on a password protected page?
Usually yes, and it is the most common gap in this category. The page is gated but the PDF or image behind it sits in the uploads folder, reachable by anyone with the URL. If the files are the point, you need a plugin that serves them through a permission check rather than linking to them directly.
Password Protection Plugins: the bottom line
As of September 7, 2026, Password Protected holds the #1 spot for "password" on WordPress.org, followed by Password Protect Pages and Protect Uploads. If install base matters most, Kadence Security leads with 700,000+ active installs. If ratings matter most, Password Protect Pages scores 4.7 out of 5 across 270 reviews.
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