# WP Basic Authentication

> WP Basic Authentication has 2K+ active installs, a 5/5 rating from 5 reviews and 1.2K downloads in the last 30 days. Health score 68/100, keyword rankings, version adoption and the best alternatives.

**Verdict: Solid choice.** WP Basic Authentication is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 2K+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 4 months ago, and scores 68/100 on our health check.

**Basic Authentication for protected your development WordPress site like .htpasswd**

## Key facts

- **Overall rank:** —
- **Active installs:** 2K+
- **Total downloads:** 52,177
- **Downloads (30 days):** 1,241 (-11.8% vs previous 30 days)
- **Rating:** 5/5 from 5 reviews
- **Health score:** 68/100 (Good)
- **Version:** 1.2.1
- **Last updated:** May 25, 2026
- **Tested up to:** WordPress 7.0.6
- **Requires:** WordPress 5.7+, PHP 7.4+
- **Support resolved:** 0 of 0 threads (last 2 months)
- **Developer:** nutttaro (https://pageforge.pro/directory/authors/nutttaro/)
- **WordPress.org:** https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-basic-authentication/

## Category rankings

| Category | Rank | Plugins |
|---|---|---|
| [authentication](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/authentication/) | #19 | 263 |
| [Basic auth](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/basic-auth/) | #2 | 10 |
| [protected](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/protected/) | #2 | 21 |

## WordPress.org search positions

| Keyword | Position | Results |
|---|---|---|
| authentication | #8 | 4,250 |
| Basic auth | #1 | 350 |
| protected | #18 | 3,341 |

## Version adoption

- 1.2: 54.1%
- 1.0: 38.4%
- 1.1: 7.5%

## Alternatives

| # | Name | Active installs | Rating | Updated | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [Limit Login Attempts](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/limit-login-attempts/) | 300K+ | 4.6/5 (202) | Apr 4, 2023 | 48/100 |
| 2 | [WPS Limit Login](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/wps-limit-login/) | 100K+ | 4.9/5 (83) | Sep 18, 2026 | 81/100 |
| 3 | [Two Factor](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/two-factor/) | 100K+ | 4.8/5 (208) | Mar 27, 2026 | 60/100 |
| 4 | [WP-Members Membership Plugin](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/wp-members/) | 50K+ | 4.6/5 (272) | Sep 8, 2026 | 89/100 |
| 5 | [Google Authenticator](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/google-authenticator/) | 20K+ | 4.3/5 (135) | Aug 23, 2026 | 83/100 |
| 6 | [miniOrange 2FA – Two Factor Authentication for WordPress (OTP, SMS, Email, Google Authenticator)](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/miniorange-2-factor-authentication/) | 10K+ | 4.5/5 (385) | Sep 21, 2026 | 88/100 |
| 7 | [WP Limit Login Attempts](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/wp-limit-login-attempts/) | 10K+ | 4.6/5 (300) | Sep 15, 2026 | 88/100 |
| 8 | [Login for Google Apps](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/google-apps-login/) | 10K+ | 4.6/5 (64) | May 8, 2025 | 54/100 |
| 9 | [Login by Auth0](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/auth0/) | 10K+ | 3.1/5 (18) | Jul 12, 2024 | 34/100 |
| 10 | [Two Factor (2FA) Authentication via Email](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/two-factor-2fa-via-email/) | 9K+ | 5/5 (4) | Sep 11, 2026 | 83/100 |

## Frequently asked questions

### Is WP Basic Authentication free?
Yes. WP Basic Authentication is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.

### Is WP Basic Authentication safe to use in 2026?
WP Basic Authentication is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 2K+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 4 months ago, and scores 68/100 on our health check.

### How many websites use WP Basic Authentication?
WP Basic Authentication is active on 2K+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 52,177 times since it launched in September 2020. It was downloaded 1,241 times in the last 30 days.

### Does WP Basic Authentication work with WordPress 7.1?
WP Basic Authentication is officially tested up to WordPress 7.0.6, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.

### What PHP version does WP Basic Authentication need?
WP Basic Authentication requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.

### When was WP Basic Authentication last updated?
The latest version, 1.2.1, was released on May 25, 2026 (4 months ago).

### Who makes WP Basic Authentication?
WP Basic Authentication is developed and maintained by nutttaro.

### What are the best alternatives to WP Basic Authentication?
The most popular alternatives to WP Basic Authentication are Limit Login Attempts (300K+ installs), WPS Limit Login (100K+ installs) and Two Factor (100K+ installs).


---
Source: live WordPress.org data · HTML version: https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/wp-basic-authentication/ · Generated 2026-09-26 15:22 UTC by PageForge