Social Share & Locker Pro WordPress Plugin is a CodeCanyon plugin that adds social sharing buttons and a content locking system to a WordPress site. It bundles two distinct tools: a share button builder with a large library of networks and display styles, and a “social locker” that hides chosen content until a visitor shares the page, follows a profile, or completes some other social action. It suits publishers, bloggers, and marketers who want to grow distribution through social channels and are willing to trade some user friction for it. The plugin is sold for $20 and has been downloaded 4,880 times, with a 4.23 out of 5 rating across 183 reviews, and it was last updated in June 2024.
What the Plugin Actually Does
The core of the product is a configurable sharing bar. Rather than a single fixed widget, the plugin offers a broad set of networks and lets the site owner decide how those buttons appear. The vendor lists around 60 share targets, covering the major Western platforms (Facebook, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit, Tumblr), regional networks (Vkontakte, Weibo, Xing, Odnoklassniki, Baidu, Douban), and less obvious options such as email clients, SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, and even a “Print Friendly” and “Comments” button. For sites with an international audience, that breadth matters: a visitor in Russia or Brazil is more likely to share on a network that is popular locally than on one that is not.
Display control is where the plugin earns its keep. There are ten predefined themes, all retina-ready and built with CSS3, and the buttons can be positioned horizontally or vertically. Network names can be shown in full or hidden so only icons appear, and share counters can be toggled on or off. The counters are pulled live from the networks rather than stored locally, and the vendor states that if a user shares a page and later deletes the post, the count drops accordingly. That is a meaningful detail: stale or inflated counts undermine trust, and the plugin avoids them.
The second half of the product is the social locker. Content such as a download link, a paragraph of text, a video, or an image gallery can be hidden behind a requirement to share the page on Facebook, X/Twitter, or LinkedIn. Several options make this more flexible than a blunt paywall-style gate. A delay time can be set before the locker appears, content can auto-unlock after a period, and the locker can reset so a visitor has to share again after a set interval. There is also a smart targeting layer: the locker can be shown or hidden based on whether a user is logged in, whether they have already commented, their WordPress user role, the referring source (Google, Yahoo, or a custom referrer), and whether the visitor is on a mobile device. That last option is practical, since social lockers tend to perform poorly and frustrate users on phones.
For visitors unwilling or unable to share publicly, an email sharing option opens a popup where a message can be sent to a friend. The default text in that popup is editable from the plugin dashboard. The plugin also includes a followers button, and the vendor states compatibility with WooCommerce, JigoShop, BuddyPress, bbPress, Elementor, Elementor Pro, and WPBakery Page Builder. Source files in JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and PHP are included.
Where This Plugin Fits, and Where It Does Not
The clearest fit is a content site that depends on social referral traffic: a blog, a news outlet, a recipe or DIY site, or a resource hub with downloadable assets. The locker is especially relevant for lead magnets. A site giving away a PDF checklist, a template, or a sample chapter can require a share before the download, which converts a passive reader into a distribution channel. Membership and community sites running BuddyPress or bbPress can also use the role-based targeting to hide the locker from paying members while showing it to guests.
WooCommerce store owners have a narrower use case. Sharing buttons on product pages are reasonable, but locking product information behind a share is usually counterproductive, since it interrupts the path to purchase. The plugin can be used for sharing only, with the locker disabled, but at that point a simpler sharing plugin may be sufficient.
This is the wrong choice for sites that need a lightweight, performance-first sharing widget. The plugin loads its own CSS and JavaScript, supports a long list of networks, and includes a locker module, so it is heavier than a minimal share bar. A site with strict Core Web Vitals targets, or one that only needs Facebook and X buttons, will get better results from a smaller tool. It is also a poor fit for sites that rely on the block editor for layout, because the vendor lists the plugin as not Gutenberg-optimized. Layout is handled through shortcodes and page builder integration rather than native blocks.
Strengths and Limitations
Strengths
- Unusually wide network coverage, including regional platforms that most sharing plugins ignore entirely.
- Granular display control: orientation, icon-only versus full name, counters on or off, and ten retina-ready themes.
- Live share counts that reflect deletions, which keeps the numbers honest.
- A locker with real targeting logic, not just a blanket gate: login status, comment history, user role, referrer, and device type can all change what a visitor sees.
- Email sharing as a fallback for visitors who will not post publicly.
- Broad compatibility list spanning WooCommerce, BuddyPress, bbPress, Elementor, and WPBakery.
- Long track record: 4,880 sales and a 4.23 rating from 183 reviews is a substantial body of user feedback for a $20 plugin.
Limitations
- No Gutenberg block support. Sites built around the block editor will need shortcodes or a page builder to place buttons and lockers.
- The 4.23 rating is solid but not outstanding. Across 183 reviews that average implies a meaningful minority of buyers hit problems, and the vendor does not publish a breakdown of what those were.
- Social lockers carry a real risk of driving visitors away. The plugin provides tools to soften the effect, but the underlying trade-off between reach and bounce rate is the site owner’s to manage.
- Compatibility is declared for WordPress 4.9 through 6.6, but the vendor does not state how the plugin behaves on versions released after the June 2024 update.
- Network APIs change frequently. Share counts and sharing endpoints depend on platforms the vendor does not control, so individual networks can break between updates.
- The plugin covers a lot of ground, which means more settings to configure than a single-purpose sharing bar.
How It Compares to the Wider Category
Sharing plugins generally fall into three groups. The first is minimal share bars: a handful of networks, a few style options, low overhead. The second is social growth suites that add follow buttons, floating bars, and sometimes analytics. The third is content locking tools, which are usually sold separately and focus only on gating content.
This plugin competes by combining the second and third groups in one package. On network breadth it is at the high end of the category; most competitors cover ten to twenty networks, and very few include Baidu, Douban, Vkontakte, and Odnoklassniki alongside the standard Western platforms. On display customization it is competitive but not unique. Where it stands apart is the locker’s conditional targeting, which is more developed than what most sharing plugins offer and comparable to dedicated locker tools.
The trade-off is focus. A dedicated locker plugin will usually offer more sophisticated unlock flows, and a dedicated sharing plugin will usually be faster. Buyers who need both functions and want to avoid running two plugins are the ones this product is built for. Buyers who need only one should weigh whether the extra weight is worth it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Social Share & Locker Pro work with the WordPress block editor?
No. The vendor lists the plugin as not Gutenberg-optimized, so it does not ship native blocks. Sharing buttons and lockers are placed using shortcodes or through page builder modules. Sites built with Elementor, Elementor Pro, or WPBakery Page Builder are supported, and the shortcode approach works with the classic editor as well.
Are the social share counts accurate or cached?
They are fetched live from the social networks rather than stored in the database. The plugin refreshes counts on each page load and updates them when a visitor shares. The vendor also states that if a user shares a page and later deletes that post, the count is reduced accordingly, so the numbers stay realistic rather than only growing.
Can the social locker be hidden from paying members or logged-in users?
Yes. The locker includes targeting rules that check whether a visitor is logged in, whether they have already commented, and what their WordPress user role is. The locker can also be hidden for visitors arriving from specific referrers or from mobile devices, and a delay or auto-unlock timer can be applied.
Which social networks are supported for sharing and locking?
The vendor lists around 60 share targets, including Facebook, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit, Tumblr, Vkontakte, Weibo, Xing, Baidu, Douban, WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS, and email. The content locker itself is limited to Facebook, X/Twitter, and LinkedIn, which is the standard set for this type of gating.
Verdict
Social Share & Locker Pro is a sensible purchase for publishers and marketers who want sharing buttons and a content locker in a single $20 plugin, particularly those with international audiences who need networks beyond the usual Western platforms. The locker’s targeting rules and the live share counts are the strongest arguments in its favour, and the sales volume and review count suggest a stable, well-tested product. It is not the right pick for block-editor-first sites, since there is no Gutenberg support, nor for anyone who needs only a lightweight share bar. Sites with strict performance budgets should also weigh the added CSS and JavaScript against the benefit. For the specific combination of broad sharing plus conditional content locking, it is a reasonable and inexpensive option.
