PrimePlaced – Advanced password protection
Lock your entire WordPress site behind a single password with a branded lock screen, session or timed access, and simple admin controls.
Solid choice
PrimePlaced is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 30+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 2 months ago, and scores 70/100 on our health check.
- Tested with the latest WordPress (7.1)
- Small user base (30+ 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 PrimePlaced stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| access-control | >100 |
| Password Protect | #25 |
| private site | #95 |
| Restrict access | >100 |
| site lock | #53 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
About PrimePlaced
From the official readme · v1.0.2Description
Password-protect your entire WordPress site with a simple, branded access screen. PrimePlaced – Advanced password protection helps you lock a development site, share a private client preview, keep a staging site closed, or run a private blog — without building a full membership system.
Visitors see a password screen before they can reach any protected content. Once the correct password is entered, access is remembered for the current browser session or for a number of days you choose in the plugin settings.
The free version gives you a complete, site-wide password gate with practical customization options and clear controls in the WordPress dashboard. No coding required.
Free Features
- Site-Wide Password Protection: Lock the public frontend of your entire WordPress site behind one primary password.
- Customizable Password Screen: Add your logo, adjust background colors, and edit the heading, field labels, button text, and error message.
- Session or Duration-Based Access: Let visitors stay signed in for one browser session or remember access for a chosen number of days.
- Live Design Preview: Review password screen changes in real time from the admin area.
- Protection Status Widget: See your site’s lock status and key protection details right from the WordPress dashboard.
- Cache-Friendly Access Control: Uses cache-busting headers and integrates with common caching workflows to help prevent stale cached pages from bypassing the lock screen.
- Built-In Attempt Throttling: Slows down repeated password checks to reduce automated guessing attempts.
PrimePlaced is built for agencies, developers, site owners, and anyone who needs a fast, reliable way to password-protect a WordPress site during development, client review, migration, or private sharing.
PRO Features
The optional Pro extension adds advanced password protection and granular access control for larger sites, agencies, stores, and client projects.
- Multiple Passwords: Create separate passwords, each with its own settings and access rules.
- Scheduled Passwords: Set activation and expiration dates for temporary or time-based access.
- Specific Content Protection: Protect individual posts, pages, products, categories, custom post types, and taxonomies instead of locking the whole site.
- Editor and Template Integrations: Manage protection from the Gutenberg and classic editors, and use password form blocks with branded lock screen templates.
- Role and IP Bypass: Let selected user roles or trusted IP addresses skip the password screen entirely.
- Advanced Session Controls: Configure remember-me behavior and stricter re-authentication rules per protected area.
- Bot Protection: Add Google reCAPTCHA v2 or invisible reCAPTCHA v3 to password forms when enabled by the administrator.
- Activity Logs and Reports: Review authentication attempts, configure log retention, and use export, statistics, backup, and import tools.
- WooCommerce and Custom Content Rules: Apply password protection to products, product categories, and other public content types.
Privacy Policy
When protection features are active, this plugin stores and processes the following data on your WordPress site:
Cookies:
* Functional cookies store the temporary authentication token needed to remember an authorized visitor.
* The cookie can last for the current browser session or for a number of days selected by the administrator.
Activity Logs (Pro Only):
* IP addresses associated with authentication requests.
* Browser user-agent strings used for diagnostic information.
* Timestamps of access evaluations.
* Evaluation status codes such as successful, failed, or blocked attempts.
Plugin settings and cookie configuration are stored locally in your WordPress database at all times. The dedicated activity log table (Pro only) is likewise created and maintained entirely on your own server infrastructure.
Third-Party Services
This plugin includes or integrates with the following external services:
- Freemius – Used for optional account connection, licensing, upgrade checkout, support/account screens, and software update services. Communication with Freemius happens through administrator-initiated opt-in, account, checkout, support, or update flows. Privacy Policy: https://freemius.com/privacy/
- Google reCAPTCHA (Pro Only) – Used only when a site administrator configures and enables a Pro reCAPTCHA module for bot mitigation on password forms. Depending on the configured version, Google may receive information such as the visitor’s IP address and browser/device data. Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
Installation
Using The WordPress Dashboard
- In your WordPress admin area, go to ‘Plugins’ > ‘Add New’.
- Search for ‘PrimePlaced – Advanced password protection’.
- Click ‘Install Now’, then click ‘Activate’.
- Go to ‘Settings’ > ‘Advanced password protection’ to configure your site lock.
- Add a primary password, enable protection, and customize the password screen.
Manual Installation
- Download the
primeplaced-advanced-password-protection.ziparchive. - Go to ‘Plugins’ > ‘Add New’ > ‘Upload Plugin’ in your WordPress dashboard.
- Select the ZIP file and click ‘Install Now’.
- Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu.
- Open ‘Settings’ > ‘Advanced password protection’ and configure the lock screen.
Frequently asked questions
How do I password-protect my entire WordPress site?
Install and activate the plugin, open ‘Settings’ > ‘Advanced password protection’, add your primary password, enable site protection, and save the settings. Visitors will see the password screen before accessing the public frontend.
Is this a maintenance mode or coming soon plugin?
No. PrimePlaced is a password gate for private access, not a public coming-soon landing page. It’s built for staging sites, development work, client previews, and private projects where visitors need to enter a password — it does not create a membership system.
Can I customize the password screen?
Yes. The free version lets you upload a logo, change background colors, and customize the heading, labels, button text, and error message. The Pro extension adds block-based forms and additional templates.
Can I choose how long visitors stay logged in?
Yes. Choose a browser session or set a duration in days for the access cookie. The free version controls how long an authenticated visitor stays signed in; automatic password activation and expiration dates are available in Pro.
Can I protect only a specific page or post?
The free version protects the whole public site with one primary password. Pro adds rules for individual posts, pages, products, categories, custom post types, and taxonomies.
Does the free version support multiple passwords?
The free version uses one primary, site-wide password. Pro adds multiple passwords with separate access rules and schedules.
Can administrators bypass the lock screen?
Yes, administrators can always manage the plugin from the WordPress admin area. Pro adds explicit role-based bypasses and IP allowlisting for frontend access.
Is it compatible with page caching systems?
Yes. The plugin sends cache-busting headers and includes integrations for common WordPress caching workflows. If a cache plugin serves old public HTML, clear its cache after enabling or changing protection settings.
Does it integrate with WooCommerce?
WooCommerce-specific protection for products and product categories is available in the Pro extension. The free version provides site-wide password protection.
What PHP version do I need?
The plugin requires PHP 7.4 or higher. For best performance and security, a PHP 8.3+ environment (the version currently recommended by WordPress core) is preferred.
Does it use external services?
The free plugin includes Freemius for optional account, licensing, upgrade, and update services. Pro can use Google reCAPTCHA when an administrator configures and enables that feature. See the privacy and third-party service sections below for details.
Changelog
Improves LiteSpeed compatibility, lock-screen performance, and settings reliability. Update recommended.
1.0.2
- Fixed a settings update error caused by a legacy data key left over from earlier versions, which could block saving settings after upgrading.
- Fixed an issue where saving unrelated settings could unintentionally overwrite or re-encrypt an already saved password.
- Improved settings update handling to ignore unrecognized fields instead of rejecting the entire request.
- Added LiteSpeed Page Optimization compatibility so the lock-screen configuration and script are not transformed by JavaScript optimization.
- Reduced the lock-screen JavaScript payload by removing unneeded WordPress admin dependencies.
1.0.1
- Fixed global protection bypasses in WordPress REST responses and returned the correct authorization status for protected feeds.
- Protected sensitive settings by redacting saved passwords and session salts from standard REST responses while preserving an explicit, permission-protected password preview for authorized administrators.
- Strengthened password security with authenticated encryption, tamper detection, stricter settings validation, and race-safe throttling of parallel login attempts.
- Prevented authenticated protected pages from being stored as public cache entries and improved cache invalidation for LiteSpeed Cache and W3 Total Cache.
- Improved multisite activation, deactivation, and uninstall handling for networks with more than 100 sites, including cleanup of rate-limit data.
- Improved lock-screen and administrator accessibility with semantic landmarks, accessible color contrast, named mobile tabs, and reliable keyboard focus inside password modals.
- Corrected the password modal copy so adding a password does not incorrectly imply that site protection will be enabled automatically.
1.0.0
- Initial release.
Screenshots
For developers
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FAQ
PrimePlaced: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 8, 2026
Is PrimePlaced free?
Yes. PrimePlaced is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is PrimePlaced safe to use in 2026?
PrimePlaced is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 30+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 2 months ago, and scores 70/100 on our health check.
How many websites use PrimePlaced?
PrimePlaced is active on 30+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 438 times since it launched in June 2026. It was downloaded 128 times in the last 30 days.
Does PrimePlaced work with WordPress 7.1?
Yes. The developer has tested PrimePlaced up to WordPress 7.1.3, the latest release. It requires WordPress 6.2 or newer.
What PHP version does PrimePlaced need?
PrimePlaced requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was PrimePlaced last updated?
The latest version, 1.0.2, was released on August 23, 2026 (2 months ago).
Who makes PrimePlaced?
PrimePlaced is developed and maintained by dobrzepostawieni.
What are the best alternatives to PrimePlaced?
The most popular alternatives to PrimePlaced are PublishPress Capabilities:… (100K+ installs), Restrict User Access (10K+ installs) and PublishPress Permissions: A… (10K+ installs).
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