Controlled Admin Access vs User Role Widget Areas (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
User Role Widget Areas

User Role Widget Areas

3.7(3)

20 active installs

Free

Updated 10 years ago
View User Role Widget Areas

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 20). Both are free WordPress plugins. Controlled Admin Access has accumulated 218K+ total downloads while User Role Widget Areas has 4.8K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.8/5Controlled Admin Access
User Role Widget Areas3.7/5
Total Reviews
44Controlled Admin Access
User Role Widget Areas3
Active Installs
10K+Controlled Admin Access
User Role Widget Areas20
Total Downloads
218K+Controlled Admin Access
User Role Widget Areas4.8K+
Support Resolution
0%Controlled Admin Access
User Role Widget AreasN/A
Last Updated
3 months agoControlled Admin Access
User Role Widget Areas10 years ago
First Released
2015Controlled Admin Access
User Role Widget Areas2015
Age
11 yearsControlled Admin Access
User Role Widget Areas11 years
WP Requires
4.0+Controlled Admin Access
User Role Widget Areas3.9+
PHP Requires
7.0+Controlled Admin Access
User Role Widget Areasfalse+
Business Model
FreeControlled Admin Access
User Role Widget AreasFree
Latest Version
2.1.2Controlled Admin Access
User Role Widget Areas1.4

Rating Breakdown

Controlled Admin Access

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

User Role Widget Areas

3.7/5(3 reviews)
5
67%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
33%

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

User Role Widget Areas Reviews

No reviews yet

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Controlled Admin Access or User Role Widget Areas more popular?
Controlled Admin Access has 10K+ active installations while User Role Widget Areas has 20. Controlled Admin Access is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Controlled Admin Access or User Role Widget Areas?
Controlled Admin Access has a 4.8/5 rating from 44 reviews, while User Role Widget Areas has a 3.7/5 rating from 3 reviews.
Are Controlled Admin Access and User Role Widget Areas free?
Controlled Admin Access is free and User Role Widget Areas is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Controlled Admin Access or User Role Widget Areas?
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 User Role Widget Areas was last updated 10 years ago.

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