TimeQuota – User Time Limits
Control and restrict active browsing time per user, role, and guest visitor. Measures real engagement and blocks access when daily limits are reached.
Solid choice
TimeQuota – User Time Limits is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. Is rated 5/5 and was last updated 2 months ago, and scores 67/100 on our health check.
- Tested with the latest WordPress (7.1)
- 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 TimeQuota – User Time Limits stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| access-control | >100 |
| session limit | #97 |
| time limit | #65 |
| time management | >100 |
| user quota | #16 |
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
About TimeQuota – User Time Limits
From the official readme · v1.1.0Description
TimeQuota is a lightweight, production-ready WordPress plugin that empowers website owners to set daily active time limits for users and guest visitors.
Unlike simple session timeout plugins that merely calculate current_time - login_time, TimeQuota accurately tracks true active engagement. If a user switches to another tab, minimizes their browser, or walks away from their keyboard, the timer instantly pauses.
Key Features:
- True Active Time Tracking: Uses Page Visibility API, window focus/blur, and user activity events (mouse movement, keystrokes, scrolling) to measure genuine active engagement.
- Server-Side Enforcement: Client timers are never trusted. All limits, timestamps, and heartbeats are authoritatively validated and calculated on the WordPress backend.
- Smart Multi-Tab Coordination: Prevents double-counting and timer exploitation when users have multiple browser tabs open simultaneously.
- Guest & Anonymous Visitor Limits: Issue secure first-party visitor tokens to enforce browsing quotas even for non-logged-in and incognito visitors.
- Role-Based Time Limits: Configure distinct allowances per user role (e.g., 30 mins for Subscribers, 120 mins for Authors, Unlimited for Administrators).
- Smooth Live Countdown: Configurable floating or fixed widget displays remaining time smoothly without hammering your server.
- Customizable Warning Banners: Warn users before their time runs out (e.g., at 5 minutes remaining).
- Modern Expiration Screen: When the daily quota is exhausted, users see a sleek blocking screen informing them when access resets (or redirect them to a custom upgrade URL).
- Automatic Daily Resets: Quotas reset automatically every day at midnight based on your WordPress timezone—no dependency on WP-Cron reliability.
- Excluded Pages: Whitelist critical pages (login, registration, checkout, account, contact) from quota restrictions.
- Real-time Admin Dashboard: View total tracked users today, currently active users, total site usage time, and top users.
- Zero External Dependencies: 100% self-hosted within your WordPress database. No external APIs, third-party tracking, or analytics services required.
Support & Credits
If you find this plugin helpful, consider supporting its development with a donation.
Developed by RoarDev
Installation
- Upload the
timequota-user-time-limitsfolder to the/wp-content/plugins/directory, or install the ZIP file via Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin. - Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu in WordPress.
- Navigate to Settings → TimeQuota to configure your daily time limits, role rules, and expiration behavior.
Frequently asked questions
How does TimeQuota detect if a user is active?
TimeQuota monitors Page Visibility events, browser focus, and user interaction (mouse moves, scrolling, keyboard input). If the tab is hidden, blurred, or idle for longer than the configured timeout (default 60 seconds), the countdown pauses automatically.
Can users cheat the timer by modifying JavaScript?
No. The frontend timer is purely visual. The server receives lightweight heartbeat requests, validates time deltas, and maintains the authoritative database record. If a user tampers with the JavaScript timer, the server will still reject access and block the page upon reaching the quota.
What happens if a user opens multiple tabs?
TimeQuota synchronizes tab state locally. Only the tab currently active in the foreground increments time and sends heartbeats. Opening 3 tabs simultaneously will not consume 3x the quota or give the user extra time.
Does TimeQuota support guest and incognito visitors?
Yes. TimeQuota issues a secure first-party cookie token to track active browsing time for anonymous visitors and enforces daily guest quotas configured in settings.
How do daily resets work?
Usage is logged against the calendar date according to your WordPress site’s configured timezone (wp_date('Y-m-d')). When the date changes at midnight, the user’s used seconds for that new date start at 0, instantly resetting their daily quota.
Are administrators blocked when their time expires?
By default, Administrators are set to Unlimited (0 minutes), meaning they are never blocked. You can customize limits for any role under Settings → TimeQuota → User Roles & Guests.
Changelog
1.1.0
- Added Guest / Anonymous visitor active time tracking with cookie-based identification.
- Configurable daily guest browsing quotas in settings.
- Improved database migration and safe auto-upgrades.
- Updated compatibility for latest WordPress releases.
1.0.0
- Initial release of TimeQuota.
- Active browsing time tracking with Page Visibility and activity listeners.
- Role-based time quotas and automatic daily resets.
- REST API heartbeat synchronization with anti-tamper server validation.
- Multi-tab coordination via localStorage.
- Configurable floating countdown widget and warning notifications.
- Customizable blocking screen and redirect options.
- Admin dashboard with real-time site usage statistics.
Screenshots
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FAQ
TimeQuota – User Time Limits: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 17, 2026
Is TimeQuota – User Time Limits free?
Yes. TimeQuota – User Time Limits is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is TimeQuota – User Time Limits safe to use in 2026?
TimeQuota – User Time Limits is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. Is rated 5/5 and was last updated 2 months ago, and scores 67/100 on our health check.
How many websites use TimeQuota – User Time Limits?
TimeQuota – User Time Limits is active on <10 WordPress websites and has been downloaded 161 times since it launched in September 2026. It was downloaded 68 times in the last 30 days.
Does TimeQuota – User Time Limits work with WordPress 7.1?
Yes. The developer has tested TimeQuota – User Time Limits up to WordPress 7.1.3, the latest release. It requires WordPress 5.8 or newer.
What PHP version does TimeQuota – User Time Limits need?
TimeQuota – User Time Limits requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was TimeQuota – User Time Limits last updated?
The latest version, 1.1.0, was released on September 2, 2026 (2 months ago).
Who makes TimeQuota – User Time Limits?
TimeQuota – User Time Limits is developed and maintained by RoarDev.
What are the best alternatives to TimeQuota – User Time Limits?
The most popular alternatives to TimeQuota – User Time Limits are PublishPress Capabilities:… (100K+ installs), Content Control (40K+ installs) and Restrict User Access (10K+ installs).
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