Unlock-To-View – Video Paywall & Rentals
Unlock-To-View is a lightweight WordPress video paywall plugin for restricting access to videos and offering pay-per-view rentals. Viewers simply enter their email address, receive an unlock code, and use the code to…
Solid choice
Unlock-To-View is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. Is rated 5/5 and was last updated 3 weeks ago, and scores 71/100 on our health check.
- Actively developed — last update 3 weeks ago
- 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 Unlock-To-View stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| content restriction | >100 |
| pay per view | #72 |
| video paywall | #9 |
| video rental | #27 |
| wordpress video | >100 |
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
About Unlock-To-View – Video Paywall & Rentals
From the official readme · v1.3.3Description
Unlock-To-View is a lightweight WordPress video paywall plugin for restricting access to videos and offering pay-per-view rentals. Viewers simply enter their email address, receive an unlock code, and use the code to access the video for the configured rental period.
Create your first video rental shortcode in minutes, then place it on any WordPress page to start offering time-limited video access.
No registration is required, and viewers can pay afterwards if you choose to use a manual payment process.
Unlock-To-View works with shortcode-based WordPress video players, YouTube, Vimeo, and direct video URLs. No media player selection is required when creating a shortcode.
Demo
Watch on YouTube:
Key Features:
- Lock any video with a simple shortcode.
- Fixed price and duration for all rentals.
- Works with shortcode-based WordPress video players and video URLs without requiring a media player selection.
- Easy-to-use shortcode generator in the admin panel.
- All shortcodes are stored in a log.
- Full rental log with email, slug, media, expiration, unlock code and IP.
- Email reminders for expired video rentals and unpaid manual payments.
- A mark as paid button to show if a rental is paid.
- CSV export of all shortcodes and rentals.
- Customizable unlock button text.
- No third-party integration.
PRO Features:
- Full customization of the unlock/rental button.
- Fixed or individual price and duration for rentals.
- Styling options directly in the admin panel.
How it works:
- Embed a video on any page or post.
- Use the Unlock-To-View shortcode.
- Users unlock the video by adding their email address.
- All rentals are logged using email, slug, expiry date and code.
External services
This plugin may connect to the following external services:
Vimeo (player.vimeo.com)
- Purpose: To display embedded videos using Vimeo’s video player.
- What is sent: When a video is displayed, the visitor’s browser requests the video from Vimeo’s servers. This includes the video ID and standard browser request information (such as IP address and user agent).
- When: Only when a page containing a Vimeo video shortcode is viewed.
- Terms of Service: https://vimeo.com/terms
- Privacy Policy: https://vimeo.com/privacy
theappmill.com
- Purpose: The plugin includes links to the developer’s website for documentation, support, and information about Unlock-To-View PRO. The “Upgrade to Pro” menu item and other upgrade links open the plans and features page at https://theappmill.com/unlocktoview/unlocktoview_plans.html.
- What is sent: No data is sent automatically by Unlock-To-View. If an administrator manually clicks one of these external links, their browser makes a normal web request to theappmill.com. Standard request information such as IP address, browser/user-agent information, and referrer information may be processed by the website or its hosting provider.
- When: Only when an administrator manually clicks a link to theappmill.com in the plugin interface.
- Terms of Service: https://theappmill.com/unlocktoview/terms.html
- Privacy Policy: https://theappmill.com/unlocktoview/privacy.html
License
This plugin is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 as published by the Free Software Foundation.
Installation
Watch on YouTube:
- Install and activate Unlock-To-View from the WordPress Plugins screen.
- Go to Unlock-To-View → Settings and set your rental price, currency, rental duration, button text, and email message.
- Add your payment instructions so viewers know how to pay after receiving an unlock code.
- Go to Unlock-To-View → Shortcode Generator.
- Enter a Rental ID and the video URL or shortcode you want to protect.
- Copy the generated shortcode and paste it into the page where the protected video should appear.
- Visit the page as a viewer, enter an email address, request an unlock code, and test the full unlock flow.
- Check the Rental Log to confirm that the email address, Rental ID, unlock code, expiry time, IP address, and payment status are recorded.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use any video player?
Unlock-To-View works with WordPress video players that provide a shortcode, as well as supported video URLs such as YouTube, Vimeo, and direct video files. You no longer need to select a media player in the shortcode generator.
How do I set the rental duration?
Go to Settings → General Settings → Duration (hours) to set how long a rental lasts. In the free version there is one duration for all rentals. In the PRO version you can set this individually per shortcode.
How do I set the rental price?
Go to Settings → General Settings → Price to set the price for rentals. In the free version there is one price for all rentals. In the PRO version you can set this individually per shortcode.
Can I customize the unlock button text?
Yes. In Settings → General Settings → Button Label, you can customize the text users see.
Can I export my rental log?
Yes. Use the “Export to CSV” button on the admin page.
Do viewers need an account to unlock a video?
No. Viewers only need to enter their email address, receive an unlock code, and use that code to access the video.
Can I use Unlock-To-View for manual payments?
Yes. Unlock-To-View is designed for manual payment workflows. You can include your payment instructions in the email sent to viewers.
What happens when a rental expires?
The viewer’s unlock code stops granting access after the configured rental duration. You can track expired rentals in the rental log.
Changelog
Refreshes the WordPress.org plugin page copy and screenshots.
1.3.3
- Updated WordPress.org readme copy, screenshots, tags, FAQ, and installation guidance.
1.3.2
- Completely suppressed notices from other plugins on Unlock-To-View admin screens.
- Added protection against notices injected after page load.
1.3.1
- Prevented notices from other WordPress plugins from appearing inside Unlock-To-View admin headers.
1.3.0
- Now supports all media players.
- Added automatic rendering for shortcode-based WordPress video players and video URLs.
- Simplified new public shortcodes to use the Rental ID only.
- Preserved backwards compatibility with existing saved player-specific shortcodes.
1.2.7
- Corrected and improved readme documentation.
1.2.6
- Refreshed plugin design and styling.
- Added shortcode list management.
- Added HTML5 video player support.
- Added unlock button emoji option.
- Updated compatibility for WordPress 7.0.
Screenshots
For developers
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Best Unlock-To-View alternatives
All content restriction plugins →
FAQ
Unlock-To-View: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 17, 2026
Is Unlock-To-View free?
Yes. Unlock-To-View is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Unlock-To-View safe to use in 2026?
Unlock-To-View is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. Is rated 5/5 and was last updated 3 weeks ago, and scores 71/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Unlock-To-View?
Unlock-To-View is active on <10 WordPress websites and has been downloaded 1,028 times since it launched in October 2025. It was downloaded 182 times in the last 30 days.
Does Unlock-To-View work with WordPress 7.1?
Yes. The developer has tested Unlock-To-View up to WordPress 7.1.3, the latest release. It requires WordPress 5.0 or newer.
What PHP version does Unlock-To-View need?
Unlock-To-View requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Unlock-To-View last updated?
The latest version, 1.3.3, was released on September 23, 2026 (3 weeks ago).
Who makes Unlock-To-View?
Unlock-To-View is developed and maintained by Lise Rasmussen.
What are the best alternatives to Unlock-To-View?
The most popular alternatives to Unlock-To-View are User Registration & Members… (50K+ installs), Content Control (40K+ installs) and Paid Membership Subscriptio… (10K+ installs).
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