MSBD Maintenance Mode
Display a clean maintenance page to visitors and non-admin users while administrators and network administrators continue browsing normally.
Use with caution
MSBD Maintenance Mode works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. Was last updated 3 months ago, and scores 49/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (<10 active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where MSBD Maintenance Mode stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| coming soon | >100 |
| maintenance mode | >100 |
| msbd | #1 |
| under construction | >100 |
About MSBD Maintenance Mode
From the official readme · v1.0.3Description
MSBD Maintenance Mode is a lightweight maintenance mode plugin for WordPress. When active, the plugin replaces the public frontend template with a simple maintenance page for logged-out visitors and lower-role logged-in users.
Administrators can continue browsing the real website normally while maintenance mode is active.
Main features
- Shows a maintenance page to visitors and non-admin logged-in users.
- Allows site administrators to bypass maintenance mode with the
manage_optionscapability. - Allows network administrators and super admins to bypass maintenance mode on WordPress multisite.
- Supports a Media Library logo.
- Supports a direct HTTP/HTTPS logo URL.
- Provides required maintenance badge and title fields plus an optional message field.
- Allows only
<strong>,<i>,<em>, and<br>formatting in the maintenance message. - Uses clean template and stylesheet override paths for theme developers.
- Excludes admin, login, AJAX, cron, REST API, WP-CLI, and Customizer preview requests.
- Includes WordPress nonce verification and capability checks for settings forms.
- Sanitizes saved settings and escapes template/admin output.
- Includes internationalization support with the
msbd-maintenance-modetext domain and/languagesdomain path.
Multisite support
On WordPress multisite:
- Network Admin > MSBD Maintenance manages network-level default settings from a top-level network admin menu.
- Each subsite admin can use the top-level MSBD Maintenance menu to manage that subsite’s own settings.
- Subsite settings override network defaults after they are saved.
Request exclusions
The plugin does not replace these request types:
- WordPress admin area
- Login and registration pages
- AJAX requests
- Cron requests
- REST API requests
- WP-CLI requests
- Customizer preview requests
Template customization
Theme developers can override the public maintenance page without editing the plugin by adding either or both files to the active theme or child theme:
msbd-maintenance-mode/main.php
msbd-maintenance-mode/style.css
Template lookup priority is:
- Child theme:
msbd-maintenance-mode/main.php - Parent theme:
msbd-maintenance-mode/main.php - Plugin fallback:
wp-content/plugins/msbd-maintenance-mode/tpl/main.php
Stylesheet lookup priority is:
- Child theme:
msbd-maintenance-mode/style.css - Parent theme:
msbd-maintenance-mode/style.css - Plugin fallback:
wp-content/plugins/msbd-maintenance-mode/assets/css/maintenance.css
The selected stylesheet is loaded with wp_enqueue_style(). The default plugin template sends a 503 Service Unavailable response, adds no-cache headers, and outputs a noindex meta tag.
Privacy
The plugin does not collect, store, or transmit personal data. It does not connect to external services.
If an administrator enters an external logo URL, visitors’ browsers may request that image from the external URL provider.
Installation
- Upload the
msbd-maintenance-modefolder to/wp-content/plugins/. - Activate MSBD Maintenance Mode from the Plugins screen.
- For single-site WordPress, go to the top-level MSBD Maintenance admin menu.
- For multisite network defaults, go to Network Admin > MSBD Maintenance.
- For multisite subsite settings, go to the subsite dashboard, then the top-level MSBD Maintenance menu.
- Customize the required maintenance badge and title, and optionally customize or clear the message.
- Select a Media Library logo or paste a direct HTTP/HTTPS logo URL if you want to display a logo.
- Visit the frontend as a logged-out visitor or lower-role user to view the maintenance template.
Frequently asked questions
Does the plugin have an enable/disable switch?
No. Activating the plugin enables maintenance mode. Deactivating the plugin disables maintenance mode.
Who can browse the real website while maintenance mode is active?
Site administrators can browse normally. On multisite, network administrators and super admins can also browse normally.
Can lower-role logged-in users browse the real website?
No. Logged-in users below administrator level see the maintenance template.
Can each multisite subsite use its own logo?
Yes. A subsite admin can save subsite-specific settings from the top-level MSBD Maintenance menu. Once saved, those settings override the network defaults for that subsite.
Which logo is displayed if both Media Library logo and Logo URL are set?
The direct Logo URL is displayed first. If the Logo URL field is empty, the Media Library logo is used.
Which HTML tags can I use in the maintenance message?
The message accepts , , , and tags. Attributes and all other HTML tags are removed when the settings are saved.
Can I use an external image URL for the logo?
Yes. The Logo URL field accepts internal or external HTTP/HTTPS image URLs.
Does the plugin block wp-admin or wp-login.php?
No. Admin, login, AJAX, cron, REST API, WP-CLI, and Customizer preview requests are excluded.
Can I customize the maintenance page design?
Yes. Add msbd-maintenance-mode/main.php to override the template and/or msbd-maintenance-mode/style.css to override the stylesheet in your active theme or child theme.
Does the plugin use external services?
No. The plugin does not connect to external services. If you paste an external logo URL, the visitor’s browser will request that image from the external URL.
Changelog
Adds configurable maintenance-page content, required badge/title values, restricted safe HTML formatting, and a theme stylesheet override.
1.0.3
- Added configurable badge, title, and message fields.
- Required non-empty badge and title values while allowing an empty message.
- Allowed only
<strong>,<i>,<em>, and<br>formatting in the maintenance message. - Added field-specific sanitization for site and network settings.
- Added a theme stylesheet override at
msbd-maintenance-mode/style.css.
1.0.2
- Moved the default maintenance template CSS to an enqueued stylesheet.
- Loaded the maintenance stylesheet only for the plugin fallback template.
- Moved settings-page CSS and JavaScript into conditionally enqueued static assets.
1.0.1
- Removed the unnecessary manual text-domain loading call for WordPress.org-hosted translations.
- Prefixed maintenance-template variables to follow WordPress plugin coding standards.
- Replaced a WordPress 6.5-only REST request helper with compatibility logic for WordPress 5.8 and later.
1.0.0
- Initial release.
- Added maintenance template replacement for visitors and lower-role users.
- Added administrator and network administrator bypass logic.
- Added single-site top-level settings page.
- Added multisite network top-level settings page.
- Added multisite subsite settings support.
- Added Media Library logo selector.
- Added direct HTTP/HTTPS Logo URL field.
- Added plugin action settings link.
- Added theme template override support through
msbd-maintenance-mode/main.php. - Added internationalization support and language template file.
- Added nonce verification, capability checks, sanitization, and escaping for repository readiness.
Screenshots
For developers
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FAQ
MSBD Maintenance Mode: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 24, 2026
Is MSBD Maintenance Mode free?
Yes. MSBD Maintenance Mode is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is MSBD Maintenance Mode safe to use in 2026?
MSBD Maintenance Mode works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. Was last updated 3 months ago, and scores 49/100 on our health check.
How many websites use MSBD Maintenance Mode?
MSBD Maintenance Mode is active on <10 WordPress websites and has been downloaded 254 times since it launched in July 2026. It was downloaded 67 times in the last 30 days.
Does MSBD Maintenance Mode work with WordPress 7.1?
MSBD Maintenance Mode is officially tested up to WordPress 7.0.7, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does MSBD Maintenance Mode need?
MSBD Maintenance Mode requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was MSBD Maintenance Mode last updated?
The latest version, 1.0.3, was released on July 18, 2026 (3 months ago).
Who makes MSBD Maintenance Mode?
MSBD Maintenance Mode is developed and maintained by Shah Alom.
What are the best alternatives to MSBD Maintenance Mode?
The most popular alternatives to MSBD Maintenance Mode are Maintenance (1M+ installs), LightStart (400K+ installs) and CMP (200K+ installs).
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