Catalog Visibility Options – WooCommerce Plugin Full Review

Not every WooCommerce store should behave like a traditional online shop. Some businesses want to showcase products without selling them online. Others need to restrict purchasing access based on user roles, location, or login status. Whether you’re running a wholesale store, a product catalog, or a members-only shop, Catalog Visibility Options plugin is the plugin that gives you the flexibility WooCommerce doesn’t offer out of the box.

In this review, we’ll dive into what the Catalog Visibility Options plugin does, why it’s useful, its core features, real-world applications, setup process, pros and cons, and who it’s best suited for. If you want to customize what customers see — and who can buy from your store — this plugin is the key to unlocking that control.

What Is Catalog Visibility Options?

Catalog Visibility Options plugin is a premium WooCommerce plugin developed by WooCommerce.com, designed to help store owners control how products and pricing appear to users based on customizable conditions.

With this plugin, you can:

Hide product prices unless users are logged in
Disable purchasing for specific product categories or entire store
Show custom messages instead of price or “Add to Cart”
Restrict catalog visibility by user role (e.g., wholesale, customer, guest)
Convert your store into a catalog-only display

It’s ideal for store owners who want granular control over what customers can see, browse, or buy — especially when operating B2B, wholesale, membership-based, or private product catalogs.

Why Use Catalog Visibility Options?

By default, WooCommerce shows every product, price, and “Add to Cart” button to all users — regardless of their role or login status. But for many businesses, this isn’t ideal.

Here are common scenarios where Catalog Visibility Options plugin is the perfect solution:

Wholesale Stores

Only logged-in, approved buyers should see pricing and purchase buttons.

Product Catalog Sites

You want to showcase your product range online without enabling direct sales.

Membership or VIP Access

Only members or VIP customers should see prices and place orders.

Regional Restrictions

You want to show different products (or hide them) based on user location.

Custom Order Stores

Your store is for custom quotes or bulk orders, not online transactions.

This plugin gives you the tools to transform WooCommerce from a default open-access store into a controlled, strategic shopping experience.

Core Features of Catalog Visibility Options

Let’s take a deep dive into the plugin’s features and how they work.

1. Hide Prices Based on User Role or Login

This feature allows you to:

Hide prices from guest visitors
Hide prices from specific user roles (e.g., subscribers, customers)
Show prices only to logged-in users
Replace prices with a custom message like:
“Login to see prices” or “Contact us for pricing”

You can apply this setting store-wide or on individual product levels.

Use Case: A wholesale distributor hides pricing for the public but shows it to verified wholesale accounts.

2. Disable Purchasing (Hide Add to Cart Buttons)

You can also:

Remove “Add to Cart” button from shop, category, and product pages
Apply restrictions per role (e.g., disable purchases for guests but not logged-in users)
Replace “Add to Cart” with a custom call-to-action, such as:
“Call to Order” or “Request a Quote”

This is helpful for stores that serve as catalogs, lead generators, or hybrid B2B/B2C platforms.

Use Case: A custom furniture store shows designs and specs but requires users to call or email for a quote — no direct purchases online.

3. Restrict Catalog Visibility by Role or Login

This feature lets you control what products are visible in your store. You can:

Hide entire categories from guest users
Make certain products visible only to specific user roles (e.g., wholesalers, VIP customers)
Create a multi-level catalog structure where each user sees a different product set

Use Case: A printing company has retail and reseller clients. Retail users see standard products; resellers see trade-only pricing and exclusive bundles.

4. Custom Messages for Hidden Products or Prices

When prices or buttons are hidden, you can add a:

Custom message in place of price or “Add to Cart”
Link to a login page, contact form, or membership signup
Multilingual message via WPML or Polylang

Use Case: A membership-only boutique shows: “Please log in to view pricing and place orders.”

5. Per-Product or Per-Category Control

Beyond global settings, you can fine-tune visibility for:

Individual products
Product categories
Tags or custom taxonomy
User-defined groups

Use Case: A store shows its general catalog to all users, but hides select seasonal items unless the visitor is a logged-in VIP customer.

6. Compatibility with Popular Themes and Plugins

Catalog Visibility Options plugin works with:

All official WooCommerce themes (Storefront, Astra, Flatsome, etc.)
Page builders like Elementor and WPBakery
Membership plugins like WooCommerce Memberships
Multilingual plugins (WPML, Loco Translate, etc.)

Note: It’s designed to be lightweight and avoid conflict with third-party tools.

7. Developer Hooks and Filters

For advanced users, the plugin offers:

WordPress filters to programmatically define visibility rules
Conditional logic for dynamic catalog behavior
Custom template overrides for frontend control

This makes it extensible for custom projects.

Real-World Use Cases

Let’s explore how different types of businesses use Catalog Visibility Options plugin to improve customer experience and align with business logic.

1. Wholesale Storefront

Problem: Public shouldn’t see wholesale pricing or place orders
Solution: Hide prices and cart buttons from guests. Display only to users with the “Wholesale” role.
Result: Streamlined B2B access, reduced pricing confusion, improved quote-to-order flow.

2. Product Catalog Website

Problem: A manufacturing company doesn’t sell online but wants to showcase products
Solution: Remove all cart buttons, hide prices, display specs and images
Result: Professional catalog experience with calls-to-action like “Request a Quote” or “Contact Sales”

3. Hybrid B2B/B2C Store

Problem: Different pricing and products for retail vs. trade customers
Solution: Use user role-based visibility and pricing. Assign wholesale users to see exclusive products.
Result: Personalized catalog experiences based on login status.

4. Membership-Only Store

Problem: A fitness gear shop only sells to club members
Solution: Hide prices and purchase buttons from non-members. Encourage sign-ups.
Result: Increased exclusivity and membership registrations.

5. Quote-Based Store

Problem: Store sells complex B2B items requiring custom quotes
Solution: Replace “Add to Cart” with “Request Quote” button. Hide prices.
Result: Users initiate direct conversations. Better lead qualification.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

Simple setup and intuitive UI
Role-based control over product visibility and purchasing
Custom messaging for hidden elements
Ideal for wholesale, catalog, and membership-based stores
Works with any theme or builder
Lightweight and performance-friendly
Granular product- and category-level control
Easy to scale across user roles and catalog sizes

Cons:

Doesn’t include bulk role management (needs another plugin for user roles)
No built-in quote form (you can use plugins like “Request a Quote for WooCommerce”)
Not suitable for stores that require dynamic pricing tiers — that needs a separate plugin
Requires WooCommerce (not standalone)

For most stores needing catalog control, these are minor trade-offs compared to the functionality gained.

Pricing

Catalog Visibility Options plugin is available via the official WooCommerce marketplace.

$79/year for a single site license
Includes:
- 1 year of support and updates
- 30-day money-back guarantee

Multi-site and enterprise licenses are also available for agencies and larger businesses.

Compared to building custom catalog logic, this plugin is cost-effective and reliable.

How to Set Up Catalog Visibility Options

Install and activate the plugin from WooCommerce.com
Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Catalog Visibility
Choose:
- Hide prices for guests or roles
- Disable cart buttons based on rules
- Set custom messages
Configure per-category or per-product overrides if needed
Test logged-in vs. guest behavior
Save and launch!

You can also integrate login redirects, membership tiers, or quote buttons as needed using complementary plugins.

Final Verdict

Catalog Visibility Options pluginis the perfect solution for WooCommerce stores that need to control what customers see and buy. Whether you’re a wholesaler, catalog-only brand, B2B supplier, or membership-based business, this plugin gives you precision control over catalog access and user experience.

Instead of showing everything to everyone, you can tailor product visibility and purchase options to align with your business logic — without coding or complex workarounds.

If your goal is to:

Hide prices or products from guests
Offer exclusive catalogs to logged-in users
Remove purchasing options and showcase products only
Customize messages and access by user role

—then Catalog Visibility Options plugin is a must-have addition to your WooCommerce toolkit. Click here to buy now!

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