Simple Site Lockdown
Need to make sure that a site is private for all but the administrators? Just activate this plugin.
Consider an alternative
Simple Site Lockdown shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 80+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 12 years ago, and scores 37/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (80+ active installs)
- No update in 12 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 4.0 (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 Simple Site Lockdown stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| block | >100 |
| blocking | >100 |
| maintenance | >100 |
| privacy | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 7 reviews
About Simple Site Lockdown
From the official readme · v1.1.1Description
Need to make sure that a site is private for all but the administrators? Just activate this plugin.
There are no settings, no configuration – it just forces anyone that isn’t an admin to go to the login page. They won’t see anything of the site at all. Great for hiding sites really quickly.
Installation
It’s recommended that you install this plugin by searching for it in your WordPress Dashboard.
- Go to Plugins > Add New
- Search for “Simple Site Lockdown”
- The first result should be this plugin, check the author is ‘philipjohn’ to double check
- Click Install Now
- Click Activate Plugin
Installing any other way carries the risk that it’s from a source which could have injected malicious software into the plugin.
Changelog
1.1
- Changed license from GPL to WTFPL
- Prevented direct access
- Added readme
1.0
- Initial plugin
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.
Best Simple Site Lockdown alternatives
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FAQ
Simple Site Lockdown: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 14, 2026
Is Simple Site Lockdown free?
Yes. Simple Site Lockdown is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Simple Site Lockdown safe to use in 2026?
Simple Site Lockdown shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 80+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 12 years ago, and scores 37/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Simple Site Lockdown?
Simple Site Lockdown is active on 80+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 10,253 times since it launched in February 2013. It was downloaded 75 times in the last 30 days.
Does Simple Site Lockdown work with WordPress 7.1?
Simple Site Lockdown is officially tested up to WordPress 4.0.38, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Simple Site Lockdown last updated?
The latest version, 1.1.1, was released on September 3, 2014 (12 years ago).
Who makes Simple Site Lockdown?
Simple Site Lockdown is developed and maintained by Philip John.
What are the best alternatives to Simple Site Lockdown?
The most popular alternatives to Simple Site Lockdown are Spectra Legacy (1M+ installs), Breadcrumb NavXT (800K+ installs) and PDF Embedder (300K+ installs).
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