Access Guard
Access Guard is a comprehensive WordPress plugin that enhances access protection, controls user permissions, and provides IP banning functionality. With Access Guard, you can safeguard your website from malicious users…
Solid choice
Access Guard is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. Is rated 5/5 and was last updated 3 weeks ago, and scores 71/100 on our health check.
- Actively developed — last update 3 weeks ago
- Tested with the latest WordPress (7.1)
- Small user base (<10 active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Access Guard stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| access protection | >100 |
| access-control | >100 |
| IP-blocking | >100 |
| restrict content | >100 |
| user access manager | >100 |
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
About Access Guard
From the official readme · v1.1.0Description
Access Guard is a comprehensive WordPress plugin that enhances access protection, controls user permissions, and provides IP banning functionality. With Access Guard, you can safeguard your website from malicious users, protect sensitive content, and strengthen overall security measures.
Free Features
- IP Blocking: Easily ban specific IP addresses or IP ranges to prevent unwanted traffic and protect your website from malicious users.
- IP Whitelisting: Restrict access to only a specific list of IP addresses or ranges, blocking everyone else. Administrators are always exempt to prevent accidental lockouts.
- Customizable Ban Messages: Personalize the messages displayed to blocked users, providing instructions or redirecting them to alternative content.
- User Role-Based Access Control: Define access permissions for different user roles, restricting content visibility or interaction based on user roles.
- Restricted Content: Mark individual posts or pages as restricted so only users who can read content may view them.
- Basic Brute Force Protection: Failed login attempts are automatically throttled — after 5 failed attempts from the same IP, further login attempts from that IP are locked out for 20 minutes.
Coming Soon
- Password Protection: Add password protection to specific pages or posts, granting access only to those who enter the correct password.
- Time-Based Access Control: Set time-based restrictions to make content available for a limited period, perfect for time-sensitive promotions or temporary exclusivity.
- Activity Logging: Keep track of user activities, including IP ban events and access attempts, to monitor website security.
Paid Features ( Coming Soon )
- Advanced Brute Force Protection: Enhance login security with advanced measures like CAPTCHA verification, two-factor authentication, and login attempt limiting.
- Advanced IP Blocking: Unlock advanced IP blocking options, such as blocking entire countries or regions based on IP geolocation data.
- Advanced Access Control Rules: Create complex access control rules based on user roles, specific conditions, or custom criteria.
- Advanced Activity Logging and Notifications: Receive detailed email notifications for critical events, and access comprehensive activity logs with advanced filtering and search options.
- Multisite Support: Extend Access Guard’s capabilities to WordPress multisite installations, managing access and IP blocking across multiple sites.
- Developer API: Utilize a developer-friendly API to extend Access Guard’s functionality or integrate it with other plugins or custom solutions.
- Priority Support: Access premium support channels, including priority email support and dedicated assistance from the plugin developers.
License
This plugin is licensed under the GPLv2 or later. For more details, see the License URI mentioned above.
Support
For any support inquiries or feature requests, please email neebplugins@gmail.com or contact Support Desk
Installation
- Upload the ‘access-guard’ folder to the ‘/wp-content/plugins/’ directory.
- Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress.
- Configure the access protection settings and IP blocking rules in the plugin settings page.
- Customize the ban messages and access control rules according to your requirements.
- Enjoy enhanced access protection and security for your WordPress website.
Frequently asked questions
Can I block specific IP addresses or IP ranges?
Yes, Access Guard allows you to easily ban specific IP addresses or IP ranges to prevent unwanted traffic and protect your website.
Can I control user access based on their roles?
Absolutely! Access Guard provides user role-based access control, allowing you to define different access permissions for different user roles.
Can I customize Ban Message?
Yes, you can personalize the messages displayed to blocked users.
Will Access Guard lock me out of my own site?
No. Administrators (users who can manage options) are always exempt from IP bans, IP whitelisting, and role-based access rules, so you can’t accidentally lock yourself out.
Does this work with full-page caching (Varnish, Cloudflare, a caching plugin serving static HTML)?
IP-based checks run in PHP on every request, so if a page is served entirely from a cache layer in front of WordPress, a banned visitor may still receive the cached page. Exclude logged-out dynamic checks from your cache, or check your host/CDN’s IP-blocking feature for edge-level enforcement.
Changelog
Fixes a crash on restricted content, a spoofable IP-ban bypass, and adds IP whitelisting plus basic brute force protection. Recommended update.
1.1.0
- Fixed: undefined method call that crashed any restricted post/page for every visitor.
- Fixed: settings page heading/description not rendering due to missing output.
- Fixed: IP ban could be bypassed by spoofing client-supplied headers; now uses the server-verified connection IP.
- Fixed: broken singleton pattern in the main plugin class.
- Fixed: PHP notices on archive/search pages from an unguarded global $post.
- Added: IP whitelisting.
- Added: basic brute force protection on wp-login (5 attempts, 20 minute lockout).
- Added: administrators are now always exempt from bans to prevent lockouts.
- Added: settings are now sanitized on save.
- Replaced the ~2.9MB Tailwind CSS build with a lightweight Bootstrap-based admin UI (under 200KB total).
1.0.1
- Bug fixes
1.0.0
- Initial release
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
FAQ
Access Guard: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 7, 2026
Is Access Guard free?
Yes. Access Guard is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Access Guard safe to use in 2026?
Access Guard is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. Is rated 5/5 and was last updated 3 weeks ago, and scores 71/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Access Guard?
Access Guard is active on <10 WordPress websites and has been downloaded 1,815 times since it launched in October 2023. It was downloaded 117 times in the last 30 days.
Does Access Guard work with WordPress 7.1?
Yes. The developer has tested Access Guard up to WordPress 7.1.3, the latest release. It requires WordPress 6.2 or newer.
What PHP version does Access Guard need?
Access Guard requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Access Guard last updated?
The latest version, 1.1.0, was released on September 18, 2026 (3 weeks ago).
Who makes Access Guard?
Access Guard is developed and maintained by Nitin Prakash.
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