PluginSift

User Role Editor vs Controlled Admin Access (2026)

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

User Role Editor

User Role Editor

4.5(287)

700K+ active installs

Free

Updated 4 months ago
View User Role Editor
VS
Controlled Admin Access

Controlled Admin Access

4.8(44)

10K+ active installs

Free

Updated 3 months ago
View Controlled Admin Access

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Controlled Admin Access has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 44 reviews) while User Role Editor leads in active installations (700K+ vs 10K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. User Role Editor has accumulated 21M+ total downloads while Controlled Admin Access has 218K+. Controlled Admin Access has a higher support resolution rate (0% vs 0%).

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.5/5User Role Editor
►
Controlled Admin Access4.8/5
Total Reviews
287User Role Editor
◄
Controlled Admin Access44
Active Installs
700K+User Role Editor
◄
Controlled Admin Access10K+
Total Downloads
21M+User Role Editor
◄
Controlled Admin Access218K+
Support Resolution
0%User Role Editor
Controlled Admin Access0%
Last Updated
4 months agoUser Role Editor
►
Controlled Admin Access3 months ago
First Released
2010User Role Editor
Controlled Admin Access2015
Age
16 yearsUser Role Editor
Controlled Admin Access11 years
WP Requires
4.4+User Role Editor
Controlled Admin Access4.0+
PHP Requires
7.3+User Role Editor
Controlled Admin Access7.0+
Business Model
FreeUser Role Editor
Controlled Admin AccessFree
Latest Version
4.64.6User Role Editor
Controlled Admin Access2.1.2

Rating Breakdown

User Role Editor

4.5/5(287 reviews)
5
85%
4
3%
3
2%
2
1%
1
8%

Controlled Admin Access

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

Recent Reviews

User Role Editor Reviews

by Pk Gibson

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.

by indivisible

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

by jen000

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

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Is User Role Editor or Controlled Admin Access more popular?
User Role Editor has 700K+ active installations while Controlled Admin Access has 10K+. User Role Editor is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — User Role Editor or Controlled Admin Access?
User Role Editor has a 4.5/5 rating from 287 reviews, while Controlled Admin Access has a 4.8/5 rating from 44 reviews.
Are User Role Editor and Controlled Admin Access free?
User Role Editor is free and Controlled Admin Access is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — User Role Editor or Controlled Admin Access?
As of April 2026, User Role Editor has a 0% support resolution rate while Controlled Admin Access has a 0% rate.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
User Role Editor was last updated 4 months ago and Controlled Admin Access was last updated 3 months ago.

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