Controlled Admin Access vs Custom roles for author (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
Custom roles for author

Custom roles for author

0(0)

30 active installs

Free

Updated 14 years ago
View Custom roles for author

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 30). Both are free WordPress plugins. Controlled Admin Access has accumulated 218K+ total downloads while Custom roles for author has 4.8K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.8/5Controlled Admin Access
Custom roles for authorN/A
Total Reviews
44Controlled Admin Access
Custom roles for author0
Active Installs
10K+Controlled Admin Access
Custom roles for author30
Total Downloads
218K+Controlled Admin Access
Custom roles for author4.8K+
Support Resolution
0%Controlled Admin Access
Custom roles for authorN/A
Last Updated
3 months agoControlled Admin Access
Custom roles for author14 years ago
First Released
2015Controlled Admin Access
Custom roles for author2012
Age
11 yearsControlled Admin Access
Custom roles for author14 years
WP Requires
4.0+Controlled Admin Access
Custom roles for author3.1.+
PHP Requires
7.0+Controlled Admin Access
Custom roles for authorfalse+
Business Model
FreeControlled Admin Access
Custom roles for authorFree
Latest Version
2.1.2Controlled Admin Access
Custom roles for author1.0

Rating Breakdown

Controlled Admin Access

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

Custom roles for author

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

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

Custom roles for author Reviews

No reviews yet

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Controlled Admin Access or Custom roles for author more popular?
Controlled Admin Access has 10K+ active installations while Custom roles for author has 30. Controlled Admin Access is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Controlled Admin Access or Custom roles for author?
Controlled Admin Access has a 4.8/5 rating from 44 reviews, while Custom roles for author has a 0/5 rating from 0 reviews.
Are Controlled Admin Access and Custom roles for author free?
Controlled Admin Access is free and Custom roles for author is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Controlled Admin Access or Custom roles for author?
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 Custom roles for author was last updated 14 years ago.

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