Protected Video

75 Quality Score

Active Installs

14/30

At roughly 1,000 active installs, this is a small, niche plugin with limited but real adoption compared to alternatives in the 40,000 to 100,000 install range.

Update Freshness

25/25

Last updated April 2026 and tested against WordPress 6.9.4, with a PHP 7.2 minimum, shows the developer is actively keeping it current with the latest core releases.

User Rating

14/15

A 94 out of 100 average from 15 ratings is excellent, though the small sample size means the score can shift quickly with a handful of new reviews.

Support Health

8/15

Zero support threads opened and zero resolved is neutral rather than negative, suggesting either few users encounter problems or few bother to ask, leaving the support picture unclear.

WP Compatibility

15/15

Full marks for compatibility, confirmed by recent testing against WordPress 6.9.4 and a PHP 7.2 baseline that fits most current hosting environments.

Scores higher than 39% of indexed plugins

About

YouTube/Vimeo player that prevents easy sharing of the video.

Active Installs 1k+

Rating ★★★★½ 4.7/5

Last Updated 2026-04-18 6:47pm GMT

Requires WordPress 6.6+

Tested Up To 6.9.7

Requires PHP 7.2+

✓ No known vulnerabilities

What It Does

Protected Video embeds YouTube and Vimeo players with restrictions designed to stop casual sharing, such as disabling right-click and obscuring the source URL. It serves video through a locked-down wrapper so that copying the direct link or downloading the file requires more effort than a standard embed. It is not a full DRM or access-control system, but a deterrent for casual visitors.

Who It's For

This plugin suits creators selling or gating video content where casual link sharing is the main concern, including online course instructors, membership site owners, and corporate training coordinators. It works best as a layer on top of an existing access-control setup rather than as a standalone security solution. Sites with 50 to a few thousand learners who watch embedded YouTube or Vimeo clips will see the most realistic benefit.

Who Should Skip It

Anyone needing true content protection against determined pirates should skip this plugin, since any browser-based video stream can ultimately be recorded or downloaded with off-the-shelf tools. If your priority is legitimate playback analytics, adaptive bitrate, or self-hosted video, look at a dedicated player like Presto Player instead.

The Bottom Line

Protected Video is a focused, well-maintained plugin that does one job, light deterrence against casual sharing of YouTube and Vimeo embeds, and it scores a solid 75 out of 100 on PluginCheck. It is a reasonable pick for course and membership creators who want a simple deterrent layer, but anyone needing serious content protection or advanced player features will outgrow it quickly. Treat it as a useful friction-builder rather than a security product.

Pick this instead if your main goal is showcasing a YouTube channel or playlist on your site rather than restricting access to individual videos.

Presto Player 84/100

Choose this when you need self-hosted video, adaptive streaming, chapter markers, and deeper LMS integration for serious course platforms.

Embed Plus for YouTube Gallery, Livestream and Lazy Loading with Facades 84/100

Go with this if you want feature-rich YouTube galleries, lazy loading for performance, and live stream embeds rather than access restriction.

Featured Image from URL (FIFU) 83/100

Select this when you primarily need external video thumbnails for posts and custom post types rather than a protected player experience.

Interactive Content – H5P 83/100

Use this if your real need is interactive video with quizzes and branching, not just restricted playback of standard YouTube or Vimeo clips.