User Role Editor vs Change Author (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, User Role Editor has a higher user rating (4.5/5 from 287 reviews) and leads in active installations (700K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. User Role Editor has accumulated 21M+ total downloads while Change Author has 39K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | User Role Editor | Change Author | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5/5 | ◄ | 4/5 |
| Total Reviews | 287 | ◄ | 12 |
| Active Installs | 700K+ | ◄ | 1.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 21M+ | ◄ | 39K+ |
| Support Resolution | 0% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 4 months ago | ◄ | 8 years ago |
| First Released | 2010 | 2014 | |
| Age | 16 years | 12 years | |
| WP Requires | 4.4+ | 3.0.1+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.3+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 4.64.6 | 1.3 |
Rating Breakdown
User Role Editor
Change Author
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, User Role Editor averaged approximately 2,187 daily downloads while Change Author averaged 25.
Recent Reviews
User Role Editor Reviews
Simple and works nicely
This plugin is working well. Thank you for the developer who put lot of time into it. Very nice, lightest and most simple.
Worked great for my site
I’m a DIY self learner, and had a great experience with URE. It has vast capabilities and is organized to make it easy to navigate and apply so many customizations. Very intuitive. On the one occasion
Wont save capabilities for custom role
I hate giving bad reviews as I know how much work goes into these plugins, often by one person. But we have wasted so much time and lost orders because of a known bug. I can see that others have rep
Change Author Reviews
Just awesome
Work as expected. Thank you so much.
Works great. Like it!
easy. useful. light.
No longer works…but here’s a fix:
This plugin attempts to override the default author meta box, but that doesn’t seem to work any more. However, it is possible to simply filter the options for the author dropdown list like this to get
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is User Role Editor or Change Author more popular?
Which has better ratings — User Role Editor or Change Author?
Are User Role Editor and Change Author free?
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.