Restrictly – Access Control
Performance-focused access control for WordPress, enforcing rule-based visibility across content, menus, and blocks with a clean core.
Consider an alternative
Restrictly – Access Control shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites and was last updated 9 months ago, and scores 38/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.9 (latest is 7.1)
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 Restrictly – Access Control stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| access-control | >100 |
| content restriction | >100 |
| rest-api | >100 |
| user roles | >100 |
| visibility | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
About Restrictly – Access Control
From the official readme · v0.1.1Description
Restrictly™ delivers professional-grade access control without compromising your site’s speed or reliability.
It enforces rule-based visibility across pages, posts, menus, Full Site Editing (FSE) blocks, search results, and REST API responses, while maintaining full compatibility with themes and page builders.
In the free version, access rules are driven by user roles and login status, providing a clean and reliable foundation for content and navigation control.
Includes Extended Visibility Filtering, which automatically hides restricted content from search results, archives, and public listings.
For full documentation, setup guides, and developer notes, visit the official Restrictly™ website.
Features
- Full Site Editing (FSE) Integration – Add block-level visibility directly inside the Site Editor.
Choose who can see each block (Everyone, Logged-In, Logged-Out, or Specific Roles) with optional color-coded indicators. - Navigation Block Support (FSE Menus) – Manage visibility for navigation links, submenus, and page lists directly within the Site Editor.
- Extended Visibility Filtering – Automatically hides restricted content from:
- Search results
- Category, tag, and author archives
- Home listings and custom queries
- REST API Enforcement – Applies Restrictly™ visibility rules to REST API responses, automatically filtering restricted content for unauthorized users.
- Dynamic Menu Visibility (Classic Menus) – Control menu item visibility by login state or user role in the classic menu editor.
- Full, Quick, and Bulk Edit Support – Manage restrictions from any editor interface.
- Sortable, Filterable Columns – Instantly see and organize restricted items in list tables.
- Administrator Override – Allows administrators to bypass restrictions for testing.
- Divi & Page Builder Compatibility – Works perfectly with Divi and other builders.
- Performance-Focused & Secure – Built entirely on WordPress core APIs with strict sanitization and escaping.
- Translation Ready – Includes a
.potfile for localization. - Clean Uninstall – Removes all plugin data and options when uninstalled.
Usage
Restricting Content
Restrictly™ lets you limit access to any page or post using intuitive controls:
– Login-Based Restrictions – Limit visibility to Logged-In or Logged-Out users.
– Role-Based Restrictions – Allow access only to specific user roles.
– Enforcement Actions – Display a custom message or redirect unauthorized users.
– Administrator Override – Admins can always access restricted content when enabled.
Restricting Blocks (FSE)
Restrictly™ integrates directly with the WordPress Site Editor (FSE) to provide per-block visibility:
– Choose Everyone, Logged-In, Logged-Out, or Specific Roles.
– Instantly preview restrictions using colored visibility indicators.
– Restrictions are enforced server-side for full security and consistency.
Restricting Navigation (FSE Menus)
Restrictly™ also controls FSE Navigation menu visibility:
– Show or hide individual links, submenus, and page lists by login status or role.
– Works natively inside the block-based Navigation editor.
REST API Enforcement
Restrictly™ applies identical access logic to REST API endpoints.
Unauthorized users see redacted content instead of restricted data — ensuring privacy across your site.
Search & Archive Filtering
Restricted content is automatically excluded from:
– Search results
– Category, Tag, and Author archives
– Home and custom queries
Restricting Menu Items (Classic Menus)
- Login-Based Visibility – Show menu items only to Logged-In or Logged-Out users.
- Role-Based Visibility – Display menu items only to selected roles.
- Conflict Detection – Highlights mismatched menu vs. page restrictions for easy correction.
Privacy
Restrictly™ does not collect user data, track activity, or transmit information externally.
Contributing & Support
Development happens on GitHub — pull requests and issue reports welcome:
https://github.com/bobbyalcorn/restrictly
For full documentation and support, visit:
https://restrictlypro.com
Installation
Requirements
- WordPress: 5.2 or higher (tested up to 6.9)
- PHP: 7.4 or higher (tested up to 8.3)
- Stable Version: 0.1.1
Automatic Installation
- Go to Plugins → Add New in your WordPress dashboard.
- Search for Restrictly.
- Click Install Now, then Activate.
Manual Installation
- Download the latest version from GitHub.
- Upload it via Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
- Activate Restrictly™ from the Plugins page.
Quick Start
- Activate Restrictly™ from the WordPress Plugins menu.
- Configure global rules under Restrictly → Settings.
- Apply restrictions in the page, post, or FSE block editor.
- Control menu visibility under Appearance → Menus.
Frequently asked questions
Can I restrict custom post types?
Not yet. Restrictly™ currently supports Pages, Posts, and Blocks (FSE). Custom post type (CPT) restrictions will be available in Restrictly™ Pro.
Does this work with Divi and Elementor?
Yes. Restrictly™ uses native WordPress APIs and is fully compatible with popular page builders.
Does it modify WordPress menus?
No. Restrictly™ only manages menu visibility, never structure or markup.
Will this slow down my website?
No. Restrictly™ is optimized for performance and runs lightweight logic only when required.
Can I restrict WooCommerce products?
Not yet. WooCommerce and CPT restrictions will be part of Restrictly™ Pro.
Changelog
Adds internal observability hooks used by Restrictly™ Pro for debugging and access diagnostics. No behavior changes.
0.1.1
Observability and internal lifecycle hooks added for Restrictly™ Pro debugging and diagnostics.
- Added gated debug event emission across all access enforcement paths.
- Added evaluation start, evaluation end, and final decision signals.
- Added administrator override observability (always-allow behavior).
- Added query influence detection for search, archive, and home queries.
- Added Full Site Editing (FSE) block, navigation, and query observability hooks.
- No behavior changes to access control logic.
- No overrides introduced.
- Fully backward compatible.
0.1.0
Initial public release of Restrictly™, a lightweight, performance-focused access control system for WordPress.
- Role-based and login-based restrictions for pages, posts, and FSE blocks.
- FSE Navigation visibility controls.
- Extended Visibility Filtering for search, archives, and queries.
- REST API content redaction for unauthorized users.
- Dynamic menu visibility (Classic & FSE).
- Administrator Access Override.
- Divi and builder compatibility.
- Full, Quick, and Bulk edit support.
- Sortable admin columns.
- Complete uninstall cleanup.
- Fully compliant with PHPCS/WPCS, PHPStan, ESLint, and Stylelint.
Screenshots
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FAQ
Restrictly – Access Control: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 29, 2026
Is Restrictly – Access Control free?
Yes. Restrictly – Access Control is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Restrictly – Access Control safe to use in 2026?
Restrictly – Access Control shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites and was last updated 9 months ago, and scores 38/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Restrictly – Access Control?
Restrictly – Access Control is active on 10+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 364 times since it launched in January 2026. It was downloaded 44 times in the last 30 days.
Does Restrictly – Access Control work with WordPress 7.1?
Restrictly – Access Control is officially tested up to WordPress 6.9.9, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Restrictly – Access Control need?
Restrictly – Access Control requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Restrictly – Access Control last updated?
The latest version, 0.1.1, was released on January 7, 2026 (9 months ago).
Who makes Restrictly – Access Control?
Restrictly – Access Control is developed and maintained by bobbyalcorn.
What are the best alternatives to Restrictly – Access Control?
The most popular alternatives to Restrictly – Access Control are PublishPress Capabilities:… (100K+ installs), Restrict User Access (10K+ installs) and PublishPress Permissions: A… (10K+ installs).
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