Students who can access your entire course on day one will binge it. By week three they are stuck, overwhelmed, or gone \u2014 and asking for refunds. You built the course as a week-by-week journey, but your delivery system does not enforce that pace.<\/p>\n\n
Content Time Lock lets you drip feed course content without a membership plugin \u2014 and without the $179 per year one costs. Choose between two unlock modes: unlock content by date, so one fixed calendar date applies to everyone, or release content after registration, so every student gets their own personal drip schedule counted from the day they signed up. Until the content unlocks, students see a message you write. When the time arrives, the content unlocks automatically \u2014 no manual steps, no developer help required.<\/p>\n\n
What you can do with it:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n What this plugin does not do:<\/strong> Content Time Lock has no payment processing, no email opt-in gates, and no membership tiers \u2014 it locks and unlocks content by date or registration offset and user role, nothing else.<\/p>\n\n\n Nothing, unless you opt in. On activation you are asked once whether to share usage data. If you skip that screen, or never answer it, the plugin sends nothing at all and every feature works exactly the same \u2014 none of it is gated on opting in.<\/p>\n\n If you do opt in, the following is shared with WPMake through Freemius:<\/p>\n\n The last three groups are optional and can be switched off individually on the opt-in screen before you accept. If you deactivate the plugin you are offered a short form asking why \u2014 answering it is optional, and you can close it and deactivate without saying anything.<\/p>\n\n You can withdraw consent at any time by deactivating the plugin. To switch the whole integration off in code, so no opt-in is ever shown:<\/p>\n\n The notice appears once the plugin has been active for a week, on the Dashboard and the plugin's own settings screen only, and only for administrators who have actually created a lock. \"Don't ask again\" removes it for good, and each administrator answers for themselves. To switch it off in code for everyone \u2014 useful on client sites \u2014 drop this in a plugin or your theme's functions.php:<\/p>\n\n Yes, for most setups. The plugin restricts content by user role \u2014 so to keep lessons away from everyone except paying students, those students need a WordPress user account with the right role. You can create accounts manually, let students register themselves, or connect any plugin that assigns roles on signup or purchase (WooCommerce + User Role Editor, for example). Guest lockout is also available if you want to block unregistered visitors entirely.<\/p><\/dd>\n Almost certainly yes. The plugin hooks into Yes. Set the lock mode to \"Unlock X days after user registers\" and enter the number of days. Each logged-in user's unlock time is calculated from their individual account creation date \u2014 so a student who registers today and one who registered last month each get their own personal schedule. Guest visitors always see the locked state when this mode is active since they have no registration date.<\/p><\/dd>\n Unlock on specific date<\/strong> \u2014 one fixed calendar date and time applies to all visitors equally. Use this for cohort-based courses where everyone starts together (e.g. a live workshop launching on 1 June).<\/p>\n\n Unlock X days after user registers<\/strong> \u2014 each user gets a personal unlock time calculated as their registration date plus however many days you set. Use this for self-paced courses where students can enrol at any time and still follow the same relative schedule.<\/p><\/dd>\n Yes, indirectly. Content Time Lock does not connect to WooCommerce orders or subscriptions directly \u2014 it does not know when someone purchased. What it does do is restrict content by WordPress user role. If you use WooCommerce with a role-assigning plugin (like WooCommerce Memberships or the free User Role Editor), customers who buy get a specific role, and you can lock your lessons to that role. Use the fixed-date mode for cohort launches or the days-after-registration mode for self-paced access. WooCommerce decides who has access; this plugin decides when they get it.<\/p><\/dd>\n\n<\/dl>\n\n\n\n
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content-time-lock<\/code> folder to \/wp-content\/plugins\/<\/code> or install through Plugins \u2192 Add New<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n
What data does the plugin collect?<\/h3><\/dt>\n
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add_filter( 'tcl_enable_freemius', '__return_false' );\n<\/code><\/pre><\/dd>\nHow do I turn off the review request notice?<\/h3><\/dt>\n
add_filter( 'tcl_show_review_notice', '__return_false' );\n<\/code><\/pre><\/dd>\nDo my students need an account?<\/h3><\/dt>\n
Will this work with my theme?<\/h3><\/dt>\n
the_content<\/code> filter \u2014 the standard WordPress mechanism that every well-built theme uses to output post content. It also has specific compatibility handling for Elementor, Beaver Builder, and SiteOrigin Page Builder. If you hit an issue with a particular theme or builder, open a support thread with the theme name and we will take a look.<\/p><\/dd>\nCan I drip content based on when someone registers?<\/h3><\/dt>\n
What is the difference between the two lock modes?<\/h3><\/dt>\n
Does this work with WooCommerce?<\/h3><\/dt>\n
1.3.0 - 06\/09\/2026<\/h4>\n\n
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1.2.0 \u2013 03\/06\/2026<\/h4>\n\n
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1.1.2 \u2013 19\/05\/2026<\/h4>\n\n
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1.1.1 \u2013 21\/04\/2024<\/h4>\n\n
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1.1.0 \u2013 21\/04\/2024<\/h4>\n\n
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1.0.0 - 07\/14\/2025<\/h4>\n\n
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