PluginSift

Controlled Admin Access vs Announce from the Dashboard (2026)

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

Controlled Admin Access

Controlled Admin Access

4.8(44)

10K+ active installs

Free

Updated 3 months ago
View Controlled Admin Access
VS
Announce from the Dashboard

Announce from the Dashboard

4.3(6)

7.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 2 years ago
View Announce from the Dashboard

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Controlled Admin Access has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 44 reviews) and leads in active installations (10K+ vs 7.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Controlled Admin Access has accumulated 218K+ total downloads while Announce from the Dashboard has 24K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.8/5Controlled Admin Access
◄
Announce from the Dashboard4.3/5
Total Reviews
44Controlled Admin Access
◄
Announce from the Dashboard6
Active Installs
10K+Controlled Admin Access
◄
Announce from the Dashboard7.0K+
Total Downloads
218K+Controlled Admin Access
◄
Announce from the Dashboard24K+
Support Resolution
0%Controlled Admin Access
Announce from the DashboardN/A
Last Updated
3 months agoControlled Admin Access
◄
Announce from the Dashboard2 years ago
First Released
2015Controlled Admin Access
Announce from the Dashboard2012
Age
11 yearsControlled Admin Access
Announce from the Dashboard14 years
WP Requires
4.0+Controlled Admin Access
Announce from the Dashboard3.8+
PHP Requires
7.0+Controlled Admin Access
Announce from the Dashboardfalse+
Business Model
FreeControlled Admin Access
Announce from the DashboardFree
Latest Version
2.1.2Controlled Admin Access
Announce from the Dashboard1.5.3

Rating Breakdown

Controlled Admin Access

4.8/5(44 reviews)
5
91%
4
5%
3
2%
2
0%
1
2%

Announce from the Dashboard

4.3/5(6 reviews)
5
83%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
17%

Recent Reviews

Controlled Admin Access Reviews

by bogeyman2007

Great Plugin

It’s a very great plugin. Thank you.

by pixluser

Perfect software

The software works perfectly. Something than can maybe be added is a way to log page view, of the admins we create. (Real time, or simply log events & display them onto a page), maybe with an email no

by jmsil

Excellent!

This is an extremely useful little plugin that not only makes it easier to provide admin access to outsiders but also to understand what actions they are taking and ensuring they don’t have access to

Announce from the Dashboard Reviews

by woodypad

Simple, fast, intuitive.

Hello Your plugin is simple, fast, intuitive. I thought the plugin does not work, because I have turned off alerts for users. Rather to my surprise I saw appear the message done with your plugin. Fant

by bgtbbox

GREAT ! – BON !

Good plugin! But too simple. Suggestion: Add more options for the message text editing mode. FR : Bon plugin ! Mais trop simple. Suggestion : Ajouter plus d’options pour le mode édition de texte messa

by John

Simple and straight forward

Very nice plugin, works as described. I run it along the other plugin of same author “WP Admin UI Customize” and works very nicely for Subscribers roles. Thanks for your work!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Controlled Admin Access or Announce from the Dashboard more popular?
Controlled Admin Access has 10K+ active installations while Announce from the Dashboard has 7.0K+. Controlled Admin Access is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Controlled Admin Access or Announce from the Dashboard?
Controlled Admin Access has a 4.8/5 rating from 44 reviews, while Announce from the Dashboard has a 4.3/5 rating from 6 reviews.
Are Controlled Admin Access and Announce from the Dashboard free?
Controlled Admin Access is free and Announce from the Dashboard is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Controlled Admin Access or Announce from the Dashboard?
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?
Controlled Admin Access was last updated 3 months ago and Announce from the Dashboard was last updated 2 years ago.

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