If your WordPress-published content or products are for adults only, or if you want to conduct surveys where your participants must be grouped by age, you will have to ask your users about their age. The best way to do this is to use a WordPress age verification plugin that does the heavy lifting for you.
In this article, we will go through the best age verification systems and plugins, their cost, and the features they offer.
So, without further ado…
When to use age verification
There are many reasons why you might want to know how old your customers or site visitors are. In some cases, you have to do it to comply with legal requirements (for example, to protect children from legal, but age-inappropriate content). Other times, you need to look into an age verification system to make sure that only adults can access your age-restricted products (such as tobacco, vape, or medicines). Or you might simply want to know how old a visitor is to understand your audience demographics better.
Whatever your specific use case is, having a good WordPress age verification plugin or age checker as part of your WordPress site can help you restrict access to certain content. It can also give you excellent customization options to make sure you’re following the law and selling or displaying information only to a particular age group.
Best WordPress age verification plugins
WordPress has several excellent age verification plugins you can choose from and use on registration forms or for restricting access. Let’s go through each of them and explain what they offer.
Age Gate
Age Gate is a WordPress plugin that asks users to verify their age as soon as a page loads. This age verification plugin is frequently updated and has tens of thousands of active installations. Unlike other solutions, Age Gate also allows you to add your own branding. You can also pick a background color or use an image for your background. If the WordPress age verification fails, the plugin will automatically redirect users to a URL of your choice. In addition, Age Gate is compatible with multilingual plugins.
Age Gate features ⚙️
- Bots and crawlers are not restricted by the age gate, so it won’t harm SEO.
- Includes a shortcode to add WordPress age verification to any content type.
- Age-restrict the entire site or individual posts or pages.
- Includes three input options: Fields, dropdowns, and a yes/no button.
- Customize the date format based on your region.
- Insert a “remember me” box for returning users.
- Add additional fields on the standard form if you need to.
Pricing 💳
The Age Gate plugin is 100% free.
WooCommerce Age Verification Popup
Age Verification Popup is a WooCommerce extension that allows you to restrict certain products or posts, so they are only visible to users of a predetermined age. The extension shows a pop-up that can be used globally on the entire WordPress site or on specific categories, pages, carts, checkout funnels, etc.
Age Verification Popup features ⚙️
- Customize the appearance of the pop-up, including colors, text, and other properties.
- Includes cookie tracking so that returning visitors won’t have to re-verify their age.
- Offers different verification methods, such as inputs, DOB select, and checkboxes.
- Supports a custom redirection link for users that cancel the verification.
- Works with guest users and logged-in users.
- Has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Pricing 💳
Age Verification Popup costs $29.99 and is billed annually.
Age Verification
The appropriately-titled Age Verification plugin, is a WordPress age verification plugin that uses a pop-up window to ask users for their ages before it allows them to access a site’s content. With this simple age gate plugin, you will be able to show a box containing fields for minimum age, a background image, your own logo, a title text, a message text, and a Yes/No button.
Age Verification features ⚙️
- Includes a cookie that gets saved for 30 days so returning visitors won’t have to verify their age upon every visit.
- In addition to English, the plugin supports Afrikaans, Czech, German, Spanish, Finnish, French, and Italian.
- Add your own images, logos, and texts.
- Customize the buttons to your liking.
Pricing 💳
Age verification has a free version that offers good functionality and a Pro version that adds cookie-saving time settings, debug mode, and additional customization options.
WPForms
WPForms is a drag-and-drop form builder designed for WordPress. This solution also includes a Form Locker add-on that allows you to add an age verification screen on your forms. It will let you define an age limit and prompt users to enter their date of birth before they can complete forms on your site. For example, you can use the Form Locker add-on to add an age verification message and fields to a registration form.
WPForms Form Locker features ⚙️
- Support for password-protected and age-restricted forms.
- Option to require a user to input a specific birth date before the form can be used.
- You can schedule when you want to stop accepting forms.
- Restrict forms to logged-in users or members only.
- Limit the number of form entries by total submissions, IP address, or email address.
Pricing 💳
You can buy WPForms starting at $49.50 per year.
WordPress age verification FAQ 🙋
How does age verification work?
Online age verification typically involves a process that verifies the age of individuals accessing or engaging in age-restricted content or services on the internet. The specific methods and requirements may vary depending on the platform (e.g., Wix vs WordPress), website (e.g., alcohol vs gambling), and local laws (e.g., GDPR).
In practice, the majority of websites that require age verification rely on age gates. These require users to confirm their age by inputting their date of birth or clicking on a button indicating that they are of legal age before accessing certain content.
Some higher level methods that might be used by government agencies or organizations dealing with highly sensitive material might incorporate more stringent methods like third-party verification or even more advanced techniques like biometric verification.
How do I add age verification to my WordPress site?
The simplest, fastest, and cheapest way to add age verification to WordPress is by using a plugin. There are several options to choose from. One of the most popular – with tens of thousands of downloads and a really high approval rating – is Age Gate. It’s also 100% free. Other options include the WooCommerce Age Verification Popup and the aptly named Age Verification plugin.
Is there a free age checker for WordPress?
Yes, you have at least two free age checker plugins for WordPress. The first is Age Gate, which is 100% free. It comes with a shortcode that you can insert to any page or post on your WordPress site. You can also choose to age-restrict your entire website or just individual posts or pages.
Your other free option for adding a free age checker is to use the Age Verification plugin. This particular plugin also has a pro version that unlocks additional features, but the free version is solid enough to get the job done.
Final thoughts on WordPress age verification 🔞
If you need to incorporate WordPress age verification features into your site, we’ve covered a few excellent plugins that can make the job easier.
Whether you need to use this technology to offer age-restricted products, abide by laws regarding harmful content, or you simply want to know how old your visitors are, age verification plugins can easily handle the process for you.
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