When a WordPress site is not ready for the public—or you need a short maintenance window—you want a clear coming soon or maintenance page, not a half-broken theme. The plugins below are still alive on WordPress.org (or their vendor site) as of September 2026. Dead tools from older roundups, including Easy Coming Soon, are gone.
We ranked these for real maintenance and launch pages: whitelist/bypass for logged-in users, SEO controls, email capture, and how painful they are to configure. For forms on the live site later, see our contact form plugins comparison. If you are rebuilding the whole front end, read Gutenberg vs Elementor before you pick a builder.
Quick picks
- Best overall / landing pages: SeedProd
- Best free maintenance mode: LightStart (Maintenance)
- Best design templates on a budget: CMP by NiteoThemes
- Simplest under-construction toggle: Under Construction
1. SeedProd
SeedProd (wordpress.org slug coming-soon) is the heavyweight: coming soon, maintenance mode, landing pages, and a theme builder in the paid tiers. Free covers a solid coming soon / maintenance page; Pro unlocks blocks, templates, and WooCommerce-related landing pages.
- Drag-and-drop page builder aimed at non-developers
- Separate coming soon vs maintenance modes
- Email opt-in blocks and spam controls on higher plans
- Large active install base and frequent updates (tested with current WordPress)
Screenshot pending: SeedProd free coming soon screen after install on demo.wparena.com.
Use SeedProd when the “coming soon” page is also a marketing page. If you only need a temporary lock, a lighter plugin is enough. Related reading: WordPress backup plugins before you flip maintenance mode on a production site.
2. CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance (NiteoThemes)
CMP focuses on polished coming soon and maintenance screens with a large free template set. It is a strong middle ground when SeedProd Pro feels like overkill.
- Many free themes plus paid packs
- Subscriber / CTA options without forcing a full page builder
- Bypass for logged-in users and secret preview links
- Actively maintained (200k+ installs)
Screenshot pending: CMP theme picker after install on demo.wparena.com.
3. Under Construction
Under Construction (WebFactory) is the classic one-toggle under-construction plugin. Huge install count, simple admin, and enough templates for a clean holding page.
- Fast to enable/disable
- Role and IP whitelists so the team can still work
- Basic design options without a steep learning curve
Screenshot pending: Under Construction settings on demo.wparena.com.
Good default for agencies that just need “site closed” while they build. Pair with a real host staging workflow when you can—see our staging guide once published, and managed WordPress hosting options if your host includes one-click staging.
4. LightStart (Maintenance)
LightStart ships on WordPress.org under the maintenance slug. It is one of the most installed maintenance-mode plugins and is enough for a clean “we’ll be back” page with logo, message, and basic styling.
- Maintenance mode without a full landing-page suite
- Lightweight footprint for short outages
- Million-scale installs; still updated for current WordPress
Screenshot pending: LightStart maintenance screen on demo.wparena.com.
5. WP Maintenance
WP Maintenance is a smaller but still maintained option if you want a dedicated maintenance screen with countdown and social links. Check the “last updated” and “tested up to” fields on WordPress.org before you rely on it for a long campaign—our check in September 2026 showed it active, but with a thinner update cadence than SeedProd/CMP.
What we dropped
- Easy Coming Soon — WordPress.org listing gone; do not install from old mirrors.
- Snap Creek Coming Soon Page Elite — not treated as a current default; prefer SeedProd or CMP.
How to choose
- Hours-long maintenance: LightStart or Under Construction.
- Pre-launch page with email capture: CMP or SeedProd.
- Full landing-page / theme builder needs: SeedProd Pro.
Before you enable any of these on a live site, take a backup and confirm admins can bypass the screen. For contact forms behind the launch, use a current form plugin rather than whatever shipped with a 2018 theme—start with how to add a contact form.
Conclusion
For most WordPress sites in 2026, SeedProd or CMP cover coming soon and launch pages; LightStart or Under Construction cover short maintenance windows. Install one, whitelist your team, and keep the public page honest about status—then remove the plugin (or disable the mode) the day you go live.
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