The strongest Password Protected alternative for most sites is Passster, which locks individual pages, sections, or shortcodes rather than only the whole site as Password Protected does. If you need multiple passwords or per-post protection, Password Protect WordPress is purpose-built for it, while WP Private Content Plus adds role-based restrictions. We ranked these from our index of 55,000+ WordPress plugins.

Why people switch from Password Protected

• Password Protected locks the entire site, so people who want to protect single pages or partial content move to Passster or Password Protect WordPress.
• Those needing several passwords or per-user access move to Password Protect WordPress.
• Sites wanting to restrict content by user role move to WP Private Content Plus.
• Users after a quick single-page lock move to Page Password Protect.

Passster – Protecting specific content

Passster is Passster, a flexible tool that can password-protect whole pages, specific sections, or content wrapped in a shortcode. Against Password Protected, it is far more granular, letting you lock just part of a page rather than the entire site. What it does not do: features like CAPTCHA options, multiple passwords, and advanced protection areas are reserved for the paid version.

Choose Passster if you want to protect individual pages or partial content, not the whole site.

password-protect-wordpress – Multiple passwords

Password Protect WordPress is built specifically to protect individual pages and posts, with support for multiple passwords and access controls. Against Password Protected, it targets per-page and per-post locking rather than a single site-wide gate. What it does not do: quite a lot of its capability, including whole categories, partial content, and user-role rules, lives in the pro edition, leaving the free plugin more limited.

Choose password-protect-wordpress if you need several passwords or per-page and per-post protection.

page-password-protect – Quick single-page lock

Page Password Protect is a lightweight plugin for putting a simple password gate in front of a page. Against Password Protected, it is more focused on locking specific pages quickly rather than the whole site. What it does not do: it is fairly basic and not always actively updated, so it lacks the granular sections, multiple passwords, and refinements of the more developed tools.

Choose page-password-protect if you want a quick, simple lock on a single page.

wp-private-content-plus – Role-based restrictions

WP Private Content Plus restricts content based on user roles, login state, and membership rather than passwords alone. Against Password Protected, it is better suited to sites where access should depend on who a user is, not just a shared password. What it does not do: its interface is dated and some capabilities require the pro add-ons, so setup can feel less polished than newer plugins.

Choose wp-private-content-plus if you want to restrict content by user role or login status.

When to stay on Password Protected

Stay on Password Protected if your only need is to hide an entire site behind a single shared password, such as a staging or coming-soon site. It does that one job simply and reliably with almost no configuration. If you do not need per-page locking, multiple passwords, or role-based rules, a more advanced plugin just adds options you will never touch.

How we ranked these

Every plugin here is scored by the WPS Score, a single 0 to 10 rating built from 21 signals covering maintenance, support responsiveness, compatibility, performance, and ratings quality across our index of 55,000+ plugins. Rankings are derived from that data, not editorial preference, and no plugin author can pay to change a score. How the WPS Score works.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free alternative to Password Protected?

Passster is a strong free alternative because it can protect individual pages, sections, or shortcode-wrapped content rather than only the whole site. Password Protect WordPress and Page Password Protect are also free options focused on per-page locking, so the right one depends on how granular you need to be.

How do I password protect just one page instead of the whole site?

Password Protected locks the entire site, so for a single page use a plugin like Passster or Password Protect WordPress. Both are designed to protect specific pages or posts, and Passster can even lock just a section of a page using a shortcode.

Can I restrict content by user role instead of a password?

Yes. WP Private Content Plus restricts content based on user roles, login status, and membership rather than a shared password. That suits membership-style sites better than Password Protected, which is designed around a single site-wide password gate.

The verdict

The best all-round replacement is Passster for protecting specific pages and partial content, with Password Protect WordPress the pick for multiple passwords and WP Private Content Plus for role-based access. If you only need a single site-wide password, staying on Password Protected is a perfectly reasonable choice.