Sometimes folks get confused which would be better to use on their WordPress website: Password protected vs. Private posts/pages.
Password protected posts/pages are easily defined – anyone can view them if they have the correct password. Simple! For example, if someone purchases a product from your site you can use a password to give them “special access” to an extra resources page only available to those who have purchased that product.
Private pages are different – they are hidden from the public completely, and only those with authorization (those who are logged in to your site with the proper level of authority) can see them. Even if a visitor were to guess the URL for the private page or post, they still couldn’t see it. Think of these pages as For Administrator’s Eyes Only.
Ah WordPress, so versatile!