Members – Membership & 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.
Members – Membership & User Role Editor…
300K+ active installs
Free
Controlled Admin Access
10K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Members – Membership & User Role Editor… has a higher user rating (4.9/5 from 1,245 reviews) and leads in active installations (300K+ vs 10K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Members – Membership & User Role Editor… has accumulated 6.8M+ total downloads while Controlled Admin Access has 218K+. Members – Membership & User Role Editor… has a higher support resolution rate (90% vs 0%).
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Members – Membership & User Role Editor… | Controlled Admin Access | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.9/5 | ◄ | 4.8/5 |
| Total Reviews | 1,245 | ◄ | 44 |
| Active Installs | 300K+ | ◄ | 10K+ |
| Total Downloads | 6.8M+ | ◄ | 218K+ |
| Support Resolution | 90% | ◄ | 0% |
| Last Updated | 1 month ago | ◄ | 3 months ago |
| First Released | 2009 | 2015 | |
| Age | 17 years | 11 years | |
| WP Requires | 6.0+ | 4.0+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.4+ | 7.0+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 3.2.19 | 2.1.2 |
Rating Breakdown
Members – Membership & User Role Editor…
Controlled Admin Access
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Members – Membership & User Role Editor… averaged approximately 2,439 daily downloads while Controlled Admin Access averaged 42.
Recent Reviews
Members – Membership & User Role Editor… Reviews
Works great, easy to use…
The Members plugin has been a reliable part of my workflow. It keeps role and permission management clean, predictable, and free of unnecessary complexity. Everything integrates smoothly, and the inte
Works Great
Simple to use
Very Good
Worked perfectly for my use case
Controlled Admin Access Reviews
Great Plugin
It’s a very great plugin. Thank you.
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
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
More Access Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as Members – Membership & User Role Editor… and Controlled Admin Access
User Role Editor WordPress plugin makes user roles and capabilities changing easy. Edit/add/delete WordPress user roles and capabilities.
Disable Dashboard access for users of a specific role or capability. Disallowed users are redirected to a chosen URL. Get set up in seconds.
The permissions plugin for posts, pages, categories, tags and more. You can control permissions for roles, individual users, and even custom groups.
With the "User Access Manager"-plugin you can manage the access to your posts, pages and files.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Members – Membership & User Role Editor… or Controlled Admin Access more popular?
Which has better ratings — Members – Membership & User Role Editor… or Controlled Admin Access?
Are Members – Membership & User Role Editor… and Controlled Admin Access free?
Which plugin has better support — Members – Membership & User Role Editor… or Controlled Admin Access?
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.