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If Widget – Visibility control for Widgets

By Andrei

Site Administration & Utilities / URL Redirects & 301 Management

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

If Widget – Visibility control for Widgets Review - In-Depth Analysis

Control what widgets your site’s visitors see with custom visibility rules. Show or hide widgets based on user roles, device types, and more.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.5/10

User Rating

4.4/5 (based on 9+ reviews)

Active Installations

1,000+

Update Frequency

Below Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

If Widget allows you to manage the visibility of widgets on your site. You can set custom rules to determine when and where widgets are displayed without needing any technical knowledge.

The plugin is user-friendly, providing an option for each widget labeled 'Show widget only if'. This feature lets you select various visibility rules, which can be combined using AND/OR logic for more tailored visibility options.

Examples of visibility rules include displaying a widget only if the user is logged in, hiding widgets on mobile devices, or showing specific widgets only to admins and editors. The plugin also supports various conditions like user roles, post types, and visitor locations.

Comparing to Alternatives

If Widget – Visibility control for Widgets stands out among several alternatives that offer widget visibility control with conditional logic.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Simple and lightweight interface
Supports user role and login status conditions
Allows targeting by URL
Highly rated for ease of use and effectiveness
Intuitive and straightforward setup

Weaknesses

Limited advanced condition options like post ID or category ID
Some users report it no longer works in certain environments
Lacks some features found in more comprehensive plugins
Smaller user base compared to some alternatives

User Sentiment Analysis

With a strong majority of 5-star reviews and only one negative review, users generally appreciate the plugin's functionality and ease of use.

Positive highlights

Lightweight and easy to use (aptharsia)
Perfect solution compared to other widget control plugins (frostyjpn)
Comprehensive for restricting widgets by user role (fahmineo)
Allows targeting by URL effectively (rsurfer)
Simple and intuitive interface praised (rsurfer)

Common complaints

Plugin no longer works or shows options in the widget area (katypical)

Weaknesses

Limited conditional options beyond user roles and URLs
Occasional compatibility or functionality issues reported
Missing advanced targeting features requested by users

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users seeking a straightforward, lightweight plugin to control widget visibility based on user roles, login status, or URL conditions will find this plugin very effective.

Not ideal for

Those needing advanced conditional logic like post or category ID targeting or users who require guaranteed compatibility with all themes and environments might find this plugin limiting.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers essential widget visibility controls based on user roles and URLs, suitable for most basic needs.

Pro version

Offers additional advanced conditional visibility options and enhanced support, expanding the plugin's flexibility beyond the free features.

Final Verdict

If Widget – Visibility control for Widgets is a well-regarded plugin that excels in simplicity and core functionality, making it a great choice for users needing basic widget visibility controls. Its strong positive user feedback highlights its effectiveness and ease of use compared to alternatives.

While it lacks some advanced features and has minor reports of functionality issues, it remains a solid option, especially with a pro version that extends capabilities. Its low security risk and active development make it a reliable tool for most WordPress users.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free If Widget – Visibility control for Widgets plugin.

widget visibility

custom visibility rules

user roles

Screenshots

FAQ

On Widgets editing page, each widget will have a section for controlling visibility. Enable the option “Show widget only if” to reveal and configure visibility rules (Example in screenshots).

New rules can be added by code in any other plugin or theme.

Example of adding a new custom rule for displaying/hiding a widget when current page is a custom-post-type.

// theme's functions.php or plugin file add_filter('if_visibility_rules', 'my_new_visibility_rule');  function my_new_visibility_rule(array $rules) {    $rules['single-my-custom-post-type'] = array(     'name'      =>  __('Single my-CPT', 'i18n-domain'),     // name of the condition     'callback'  =>  function() {                            // callback - must return Boolean       return is_singular('my-custom-post-type');     }   );    return $rules; }