Newspack’s Access Control system lets you restrict content on your site and define how readers qualify to view it. You can create registration walls, paywalls, metered access, or any combination, all from a single interface.

Access Control replaces the previous WooCommerce Memberships-based approach with a simpler, more flexible system built natively into Newspack.

Key Concepts

A Content Gate is the central building block of Access Control. Each gate has three components:

  • Content rules: which content is restricted (categories, tags, post types, specific posts, or newsletters)
  • Access rules: what a reader must do to gain access (register, subscribe, or meet other conditions)
  • Layout: what readers see when they encounter restricted content (the gate prompt with your CTA)

You can create multiple gates with different rules for different content. For example, one gate for premium investigative content (subscription required) and another for general content (registration required).

Getting Started

Navigate to Audience -> Access Control in the WordPress admin. If you haven’t created any gates yet, you’ll see a welcome screen with two options to get started:

  • Restrict all posts: all posts on your site will require access.
  • Choose specific content: select which content to restrict using custom rules.

Clicking either option takes you to the gate creation screen.

If you have existing gates, you’ll see a button to “Add new content gate”.

Creating a Content Gate

The gate creation screen walks you through three questions:

1. What should we call this gate?

Choose a name to help you identify this gate later (e.g., “Premium Articles” or “Registration Wall”). This name is for your reference only; it won’t be shown to readers.

2. What would you like to restrict?

Choose what content this gate applies to:

Restrict all posts: every post on your site will require access. This is the simplest setup for sites with a single gating strategy.

Choose specific content: opens a panel with granular controls:

  • Post types: toggle on and select which types to include (Posts, Pages, Products, Newsletters). Use the Include / Exclude tabs to switch between restricting specific types or restricting everything except certain types.
  • Categories: toggle on to restrict content within specific categories.
  • Tags: toggle on to restrict content labeled with certain tags.

You can combine these. For example, you could restrict all Posts in the “Opinion” category while leaving Pages and other categories unrestricted.

How combining categories and tags works: Within each type, selections use OR logic – selecting categories “Sports” and “News” will restrict posts in either category. But when you combine different types (e.g., a category and a tag), a post must match both. For example, setting category “Sports” and tag “breaking” would only restrict posts that are in the Sports category and tagged breaking – a Sports post without that tag wouldn’t be affected.

If you want to gate posts matching category “Sports” or posts tagged “breaking” (regardless of category), create two separate gates with the same access rules but different content rules.

3. What’s required to access this content?

Toggle on one or both access layers:

  • Registered access: readers must log in to view this content.
  • Paid access: set conditions like active subscriptions, domain, and more.

You can enable both to create a gate that requires registration and a paid subscription (AND logic), or configure them with OR logic so that either condition is sufficient. See the Access Rules section below for details.

Click Save when you’re done. You can keep the gate in Draft while configuring, it won’t affect your site until published.

Post-level exemptions

If a post belongs to a gated category or post type, you can exempt it.

In the post editor, on the right-hand side, find the toggle under “Access control settings.” Select “Disable access control restrictions for this post” to make it accessible regardless of any gate that would otherwise apply.

Access Rules

Access rules define what a reader must do to get past the gate. These correspond to the two toggles on the gate creation screen.

Registered access

When enabled, readers must create an account (or log in to an existing one) to view restricted content. When a returning reader enters their email, Newspack automatically triggers an OTP (one-time password) login flow.

If you enable email verification, readers who register must verify their email address before gaining access. Unverified readers will see a clear message about their verification status.

When enabled, you can set conditions like subscriptions, domain matching, and more. Readers must hold an active subscription to a specific WooCommerce Subscription product. If their subscription expires or is cancelled, access is automatically revoked and they’ll see the gate again on their next visit.

Metering (limited access)

Allow readers to view a set number of articles before the gate activates. This is configured per gate and lets readers sample your content before converting. See the Metering section below for details.

Combining rules with AND / OR logic

You can combine access rules to create more nuanced gates:

  • AND: the reader must satisfy all conditions (e.g., must be registered AND have an active subscription)
  • OR: the reader must satisfy any one condition (e.g., registered OR subscribed)

This flexibility lets you create gates that match your revenue strategy precisely.

Metering

Metering gives readers a limited number of free articles before the gate activates. This is a common strategy for letting readers sample your content and build the habit of visiting your site before asking them to register or subscribe.

Configuring metering

When creating a gate, you can enable metering and set:

  • Article limit: how many free articles a reader can view (e.g., 5 per month)
  • Reset period: how often the meter resets (e.g., monthly)

Metering is tracked via browser storage for anonymous readers. Subscribers bypass the meter entirely and always see full content.

Countdown banner

When metering is active, you can enable a Countdown Banner that shows readers how many free articles they have remaining (e.g., “3 articles remaining this month”). The banner disappears once the meter is exhausted and the gate activates.

Gate Layouts

The gate layout is what readers see when they encounter restricted content. Newspack provides default layouts and full customization via the block editor.

Display modes

  • Overlay: the gate appears as a modal overlay on top of the content
  • Inline: the gate appears inline after a configured number of teaser paragraphs

Teaser content

You can configure how many paragraphs of each restricted post are visible before the gate appears. This gives readers a preview of the content to encourage them to take the next step.

Customizing layouts with the block editor

Gate layouts are fully editable in the block editor. You can customize the CTA text, button labels, styling, images, and any other blocks. Newspack includes default block patterns for common layouts:

  • Registration layout: a simple prompt to register or log in
  • Paid access layout: a prompt to subscribe with a link to the product
    • Note: If your checkout button is not displaying, make sure the Checkout Button block has a product selected.
  • Combined layout: adapts based on the reader’s state: shows registration CTA to anonymous readers, paywall CTA to registered non-subscribers, and full content to subscribers

Adaptive CTAs

If your gate has both a registration layer and a subscription layer, the layout automatically adapts to the reader’s state:

  • Anonymous reader → sees the registration CTA
  • Registered reader without subscription → sees the paywall CTA (not the registration prompt)
  • Active subscriber → sees full content with no gate

Multiple Gates and Priority

You can create as many gates as you need. Each gate operates independently with its own content rules, access rules, and layout.

Example setup

GateContentAccess Rule
Premium PaywallCategory: “Investigative”Subscription to Premium Annual
Registration WallAll posts except “News”Registration required
Free Newsletter GateNewsletter: Weekly DigestRegistration required

Gate priority

When content falls under multiple gates (e.g., a post that’s both in “Investigative” and matches the “all posts” rule), the more specific gate takes precedence. You can also reorder gates in the admin list view to explicitly set priority.

Deactivating a gate

Setting a gate to Deactivate removes its restrictions immediately. You can reactivate a gate the same way.

Group Subscriptions

Group subscriptions let one reader (the group manager) purchase a subscription and share access with other readers.

How it works

  1. A reader purchases a subscription product that has group subscription rules enabled.
  2. They become the group manager and can invite others up to the number of allowed spots.
  3. Group members can be invited by email or by sharing an invite link.
  4. Invited members register (or log in) and are added to the group.
  5. Group members can then access any content gated by the subscription product the group holds.

Managing groups

  • Group managers can view their group members, send invitations, and remove members from the group through their My Account page.
  • Group members can view limited subscription details (who the group owner is) but cannot modify the subscription itself.
  • When a group manager removes a member, that member’s access to the gated content is revoked.

Global Settings

Global settings for Access Control are found under Audience > Access Control. These include:

  • Content Gates list: manage all your gates from a single view showing name, rule types, content scope, and status
  • Metered Countdown Banner: enable and configure the metered content countdown banner
  • Content Gifting: settings for article gifting
  • Gate priority: manage which gates take precedence
  • Institutions: manage group access for businesses, schools, etc.

Diagnosing Access Issues

If a reader reports they can’t access content (or can access content they shouldn’t), Newspack provides tools to help you investigate:

  • User profiles in WP Admin show which content gates each reader qualifies for and which subscriptions/registrations they hold.
  • The gate list view shows the content scope and rules for each gate, so you can quickly identify which gate is affecting a given piece of content.
  • The post editor indicates when a post is subject to an active gate, with enough detail to identify which gate applies.

This means your team can answer the key question: “Why does this reader have (or not have) access?”

Comments on Restricted Posts

Comment behavior is aligned with access level:

  • Readers with access can view and post comments on restricted posts.
  • Readers without access cannot see the comments section — it’s hidden behind the gate along with the content.
  • Metered posts within the free article threshold show comments in read-only mode. Readers cannot post comments unless they have full access.
  • Admins, editors, and authors can always see comments on restricted posts regardless of gate configuration.

Notes for Site Admins

  • Admins and editors always bypass all content gates on the front end. You’ll see full content on every post, regardless of gate configuration. To test the reader experience, use a separate, logged-out browser or incognito window.
  • Draft gates have no effect on the front end. Use Draft status while configuring a new gate, and publish when ready.
  • Access is evaluated dynamically. If a reader’s subscription expires or is cancelled, they’ll see the gate on their next page load. There’s no manual step required to revoke access.
  • Misconfiguration warnings. The system will warn you if you try to publish a gate with no access rules or no content rules, helping prevent silent misconfigurations.
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