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Slate Admin Theme vs Backend Designer (2026)

Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.

Slate Admin Theme

Slate Admin Theme

4.7(44)

6.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 4 years ago
View Slate Admin Theme
VS
Backend Designer

Backend Designer

5(4)

1.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 year ago
View Backend Designer

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Backend Designer has a higher user rating (5/5 from 4 reviews) while Slate Admin Theme leads in active installations (6.0K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Slate Admin Theme has accumulated 141K+ total downloads while Backend Designer has 13K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.7/5Slate Admin Theme
►
Backend Designer5/5
Total Reviews
44Slate Admin Theme
◄
Backend Designer4
Active Installs
6.0K+Slate Admin Theme
◄
Backend Designer1.0K+
Total Downloads
141K+Slate Admin Theme
◄
Backend Designer13K+
Support Resolution
N/ASlate Admin Theme
Backend DesignerN/A
Last Updated
4 years agoSlate Admin Theme
►
Backend Designer1 year ago
First Released
2014Slate Admin Theme
Backend Designer2015
Age
12 yearsSlate Admin Theme
Backend Designer11 years
WP Requires
4.0+Slate Admin Theme
Backend Designer3.0.1+
PHP Requires
false+Slate Admin Theme
Backend Designerfalse+
Business Model
FreeSlate Admin Theme
Backend DesignerFree
Latest Version
1.2.4Slate Admin Theme
Backend Designer1.4

Rating Breakdown

Slate Admin Theme

4.7/5(44 reviews)
5
82%
4
11%
3
2%
2
2%
1
2%

Backend Designer

5/5(4 reviews)
5
100%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
0%

Recent Reviews

Slate Admin Theme Reviews

by rob0m

It’s beautiful

Slate make wp=admin a pleasure to use.

by zaka888

Cant save customizer after installing this plugin

This plugin now pretty much destroys the customizer as well as UX builder. Do not download. Very buggy

by Li-An

Good

This admin theme is particularly well thought for High resolution screens so it’s better than default theme.

Backend Designer Reviews

by kenmundell

Great Simple Plugin

Really like how simple your plugin is to use and make changes. Is it possible to add a little more customization? Like adding more options that can be customized, links, backgrounds, etc. and possibly

by yannickburky

Love it

Clean and useful.

by hasi63

Genau das was ich gesucht habe

Hiermit kann das Backend ganz einfach in andere Farben getaucht werden. Sehr nützlich um ein Backend zwei Installationen zu Unterscheiden. Läuft bei mir unter 4.7.5 einwandfrei. This topic was

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Slate Admin Theme or Backend Designer more popular?
Slate Admin Theme has 6.0K+ active installations while Backend Designer has 1.0K+. Slate Admin Theme is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Slate Admin Theme or Backend Designer?
Slate Admin Theme has a 4.7/5 rating from 44 reviews, while Backend Designer has a 5/5 rating from 4 reviews.
Are Slate Admin Theme and Backend Designer free?
Slate Admin Theme is free and Backend Designer is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Slate Admin Theme or Backend Designer?
Support resolution data is not available for all plugins. Check each plugin's WordPress.org support forum for current response quality.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Slate Admin Theme was last updated 4 years ago and Backend Designer was last updated 1 year ago.

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.