10 Best Maintenance Plugins To Show Your Website Is Under Maintenance

“Maintenance in 5 minutes,” we told ourselves, right before a plugin update turned our homepage into a white screen and our coffee went cold. If you have ever had to patch a WordPress site fast, you already know the real job is not the update. The real job is keeping customers calm, orders safe, and Google happy while you work.

Quick answer: the best maintenance plugins show a clean, on-brand message, keep admins and trusted users logged in, and protect SEO by sending the right status codes. Pick the plugin that matches how you build pages (SeedProd, Elementor, Divi, Brizy) and how you run the business (WooCommerce, memberships, teams).

What A Maintenance Plugin Should Do (And What It Should Never Do)

A maintenance plugin has one job: stop public traffic from seeing a broken site while you work. Everything else is support.

A good plugin should do this:

• Flip on and off fast: you need a single switch, not a scavenger hunt.
• Show a mobile-friendly page: most visitors arrive on phones.
• Let you control who gets in: admins, editors, and support staff still need access.
• Support a countdown or “back soon” message: expectations lower support tickets.
• Capture leads (optional): email signup keeps marketing from going dark.
• Protect SEO: it should send the right response so search engines do not treat downtime like a permanent move.

A plugin should never do this:

• Lock you out of wp-admin.
• Break your theme or editor.
• Serve the maintenance page to logged-in admins (unless you ask for it).
• Return the wrong HTTP status for days and tank indexing.
• Cache the maintenance page forever so the site stays “down” after you turn it off.

Must-Have Features For Real-World Business Sites

Most “coming soon” pages look fine. Business sites need a little more than fine.

Here is what we look for when the site takes payments, collects form leads, or supports clients:

• Role-based access: Entity “User role” -> affects -> “who can bypass maintenance.”
• Bypass link or secret key: Entity “bypass URL” -> affects -> “support speed during incidents.”
• Scheduling: you set a window, then the site returns on time.
• Template control: logo, brand colors, and a short FAQ lower panic.
• Contact path: email, phone, or live chat link so buyers can reach you.

If you run maintenance weekly, the plugin is only part of the story. Your process matters too. We cover the bigger picture in our guide on how busy owners can run WordPress upkeep without guesswork.

Safety Checklist: Caching, SEO, And Data Handling

This is the part that saves you from “we fixed it” texts while customers still see the maintenance page.

• Caching: Entity “page cache” -> affects -> “what visitors see after you disable maintenance.” Clear cache at the plugin, host, and CDN.
• Status codes: for maintenance, you usually want HTTP 503 plus a Retry-After header. That tells crawlers, “come back later.”
• Index control: do not slap a sitewide “noindex” on a production site unless you fully understand the blast radius.
• Data handling: never paste sensitive customer data into a third-party page builder or external form tool. Keep checkout, health info, and legal docs human-reviewed and system-controlled.

If you care about rich results and clean SERP listings, keep your structured data steady during downtime. A schema plugin can help, but it must stay consistent. Our notes on choosing schema tools without breaking search snippets can keep you out of trouble.

How We Evaluate Maintenance Plugins For WordPress And WooCommerce

We evaluate these plugins the same way we evaluate any production change: visitor impact first, then operator control, then edge cases.

Visitor Experience And Brand Control

When the site goes down, your visitors fill in the blanks. Your maintenance screen needs to write the story for them.

We check:

• Speed: Entity “maintenance page weight” -> affects -> “bounce rate.”
• Clarity: tell people what is happening, when you expect to return, and how to reach you.
• Brand match: logo, colors, and voice. If your store looks premium, your downtime page should not look like a 2009 blog.
• Lead capture: a simple email field can save a launch. Use it only if you can follow up.

Operational Needs: Scheduling, Bypass Links, And Role-Based Access

Teams need safe access during maintenance. Clients need a path to urgent support.

We test:

• Scheduling and automation: can the plugin turn itself on at 1:55 AM and off at 2:10 AM?
• Bypass rules: Entity “bypass cookie” -> affects -> “who sees the real site.”
• WooCommerce handling: carts, checkout, and account pages behave differently than blog pages.
• Multisite support if you run a network.

If you do not want to manage this in-house, a service plan often costs less than one bad outage. We broke down options in our list of maintenance services that cover security, backups, and updates.

The 10 Best Maintenance Plugins To Show Your Website Is Under Maintenance

Below are the maintenance plugins we see most often on serious WordPress and WooCommerce sites. “Best” depends on your stack, your editor, and how much control you want.

SeedProd

SeedProd is the pick when you want a polished maintenance or coming soon page without fighting CSS. It gives you a drag-and-drop builder, templates, and email marketing connections.

Use it when:

• marketing wants the page to look like a landing page
• you need lead capture during a redesign
• you want quick brand control without custom code

Watch for:

• page builder weight if you stack too many elements

WP Maintenance Mode

WP Maintenance Mode is a classic. It works well for simple maintenance pages with countdown timers and basic access rules.

Use it when:

• you want a straightforward screen with minimal setup
• you run a Multisite network and need compatibility

Watch for:

• cache conflicts on hosts with aggressive page caching

Maintenance

“Maintenance” (the plugin name) is a lightweight option that aims for simplicity. It usually fits sites that want a clean page and a quick toggle.

Use it when:

• you want fewer settings and fewer surprises
• you do not need heavy design features

Watch for:

• limited styling if you need strict brand control

Coming Soon Page, Maintenance Mode & Landing Pages By WebFactory

WebFactory’s plugin gives you templates and a practical set of switches. We like it when clients want options but still want to move fast.

Use it when:

• you want a blend of templates and utility
• you may reuse it for future launches

Watch for:

• over-customizing instead of shipping the fix

Slim Maintenance Mode

Slim Maintenance Mode keeps things minimal. That is often a feature, not a bug.

Use it when:

• you want a fast-loading maintenance page
• you care about reducing plugin footprint

Watch for:

• fewer extras like forms and fancy timers

CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin

CMP is popular because it offers “premium-ish” features in a free package. It can work well for small business sites that need a decent-looking page fast.

Use it when:

• you need templates, icons, and basic subscription capture
• you want quick setup without a builder ecosystem

Watch for:

• making the page too busy on mobile

Elementor Maintenance Mode (Built-In)

If your site already runs on Elementor, use the built-in maintenance mode. It keeps your workflow in one place.

Use it when:

• your team builds pages in Elementor already
• you want full design control with existing widgets

Watch for:

• ensuring your maintenance template does not rely on broken assets during updates

Divi Builder Maintenance Mode (Built-In)

Divi includes built-in maintenance and coming soon options. Divi users should usually start here before adding another plugin.

Use it when:

• you run Divi across the site
• designers want pixel-level control

Watch for:

• caching layers that keep the maintenance page visible after disable

Brizy Maintenance Mode (Built-In)

Brizy also supports maintenance mode. It is a good fit if Brizy is already your page-building system.

Use it when:

• you want a branded downtime page and you already pay for Brizy features

Watch for:

• testing the page on mobile after theme or plugin updates

Under Construction By WebFactory

Under Construction by WebFactory is common for quick “site is being worked on” screens. It is simple and it works.

Use it when:

• you need a no-drama maintenance page today
• you want templates and a quick switch

Watch for:

• making sure the plugin sends a 503 when you need SEO-friendly behavior

If your maintenance page needs a way for customers to reach you right now, consider adding chat. We compared options in our guides to free live chat plugins that work well for small businesses and live chat tools for professionals who need lead capture.

Setup In 10 Minutes: The Safe Way To Turn On Maintenance Mode

If you want the safest path, do not start by clicking “Enable.” Start by mapping what must keep working.

Trigger / Input / Job / Output / Guardrails For Maintenance Mode

Here is the simple workflow map we use:

• Trigger: you plan updates, a redesign, a migration, or a hotfix.
• Input: list of pages that must stay accessible (wp-admin, checkout, account, support).
• Job: maintenance plugin shows a controlled page to public visitors.
• Output: visitors see a branded message, team members see the real site.
• Guardrails: caching cleared, 503 status set, bypass tested, rollback ready.

Do this in order:

1. Pick the plugin that matches your builder (Elementor, Divi, Brizy) or pick a standalone option.
2. Create a short page: headline, one sentence of context, expected return time, contact method.
3. Set access rules: allow admins and editors. Add a bypass link if the plugin supports it.
4. Test in a private window: Entity “logged-out session” -> affects -> “what real visitors see.”
5. Clear caches: plugin cache, host cache, CDN cache.

WooCommerce And Membership Exceptions: Let The Right Users In

Stores and membership sites need special care.

• Allow logged-in customers to access accounts when possible. Order history and invoices reduce support load.
• Pause checkout during risky updates. Entity “plugin update” -> affects -> “payment flow.” A broken checkout burns trust fast.
• Whitelist IPs or roles for staff if you have a support team.
• Add a support link for urgent issues. If you run ads, include a message that answers “Is my order safe?”

If you must take the whole site offline, consider putting a simple form on the maintenance page that routes to your help desk inbox. Just keep it minimal and secure.

Common Pitfalls (And How To Avoid A Costly Outage)

Most maintenance mode disasters come from two places: access control and caching.

What To Do If You Get Locked Out

If the plugin blocks you from wp-admin, stay calm. You usually have options.

Try this sequence:

1. Use a different browser or private window. A cached cookie can trick you.
2. Disable the plugin via FTP or host file manager: rename the plugin folder in /wp-content/plugins/. Entity “plugin folder rename” -> affects -> “WordPress load order.”
3. Use hosting recovery tools if your host offers a safe mode.
4. Restore from a backup if updates also broke the site.

If this happens more than once, move to a simpler plugin or move maintenance toggles into a controlled checklist that your team follows every time.

How To Keep Search Visibility And Ads From Breaking

Search engines and ad bots do not “feel bad” about downtime. They just read signals.

Do this:

• Use 503 for temporary maintenance. Google recommends a 503 for planned downtime, so crawlers know the change is temporary. Entity “HTTP 503” -> affects -> “crawl behavior.”
• Avoid sitewide noindex unless you know you will remove it fast.
• Keep key URLs stable. Do not redirect everything to the homepage.
• Pause or reduce ads during long windows. Broken landing pages waste spend and poison campaign data.

If you have a long rebuild, consider a staged rollout. You can run the new site on staging, test checkout, then switch during a short maintenance window.

Sources

• Search Console Help: Do you have planned site downtime?, Google, (accessed 2026), https://support.google.com/webmasters/
• HTTP Status Code 503 Service Unavailable, IETF RFC 9110 (HTTP Semantics), IETF, 2022, https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9110

Conclusion

Maintenance mode should feel boring. Boring means controlled, tested, and reversible.

If we had to pick one rule that saves the most pain, it is this: treat maintenance mode like a tiny product launch. You plan the message, you control access, and you verify cache and status codes before you touch real traffic.

If you want a second set of eyes on your setup, or you want us to run maintenance windows with backups, staging, and monitoring, we can help. Start small, prove the flow, then scale it when you trust it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best maintenance plugins to show your website is under maintenance in WordPress?

The best maintenance plugins to show your website is under maintenance are the ones that flip on fast, display a mobile-friendly branded page, allow role-based access, and protect SEO with the right HTTP status. Popular options include SeedProd, WP Maintenance Mode, CMP, and Under Construction by WebFactory.

How do maintenance plugins protect SEO during downtime?

To protect SEO, a maintenance plugin should return an HTTP 503 (Service Unavailable) and ideally include a Retry-After header. That signals to search engines the outage is temporary, so indexing isn’t harmed. Avoid sitewide “noindex” unless you fully understand the risk and can remove it quickly.

Which maintenance plugin should I pick if I use Elementor, Divi, or Brizy?

If you already build with a page builder, start with its built-in maintenance mode: Elementor Maintenance Mode, Divi Builder Maintenance Mode, or Brizy Maintenance Mode. You keep the same workflow and design control without adding another plugin. Just test the template on mobile and watch for caching issues.

How do I safely enable maintenance mode without locking myself out of wp-admin?

Set the maintenance page first, then configure access rules to allow admins/editors and add a bypass link if available. Test in a private (logged-out) window before going live. If you do get locked out, disable the plugin via FTP/file manager by renaming its folder in /wp-content/plugins/.

Why does my site still show the maintenance page after I turn maintenance mode off?

This is usually a caching problem, not the plugin “stuck” on. Clear all layers of cache: the plugin’s cache (if any), your host’s page cache, and any CDN cache. Also test in an incognito window to avoid old cookies or a cached version of the maintenance page.

What should a WooCommerce maintenance mode page include to avoid lost orders?

For WooCommerce, set clear expectations: what’s happening, when you’ll be back, and a contact path for urgent help. Consider allowing logged-in customers to access account pages (orders, invoices) while pausing checkout during risky updates. Include a short “Is my order safe?” reassurance message.