PluginSift

User Switching vs Root Relative URLs (2026)

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

User Switching

User Switching

4.9(238)

200K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 month ago
View User Switching
VS
Root Relative URLs

Root Relative URLs

2.9(20)

6.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 8 years ago
View Root Relative URLs

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, User Switching has a higher user rating (4.9/5 from 238 reviews) and leads in active installations (200K+ vs 6.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. User Switching has accumulated 5.5M+ total downloads while Root Relative URLs has 77K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.9/5User Switching
◄
Root Relative URLs2.9/5
Total Reviews
238User Switching
◄
Root Relative URLs20
Active Installs
200K+User Switching
◄
Root Relative URLs6.0K+
Total Downloads
5.5M+User Switching
◄
Root Relative URLs77K+
Support Resolution
100%User Switching
Root Relative URLsN/A
Last Updated
1 month agoUser Switching
◄
Root Relative URLs8 years ago
First Released
2009User Switching
Root Relative URLs2011
Age
17 yearsUser Switching
Root Relative URLs15 years
WP Requires
6.1+User Switching
Root Relative URLs3.2.1+
PHP Requires
7.4+User Switching
Root Relative URLsfalse+
Business Model
FreeUser Switching
Root Relative URLsFree
Latest Version
1.11.2User Switching
Root Relative URLs2.3

Rating Breakdown

User Switching

4.9/5(238 reviews)
5
97%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
1%

Root Relative URLs

2.9/5(20 reviews)
5
40%
4
0%
3
10%
2
10%
1
40%

Recent Reviews

User Switching Reviews

by CJW

Wonderful!

What a great plug in! Made my life so much easier – thank you!

by readysite

Dont work front

Dont work front

by Zrenjaninac

Great timesaving plugin

A real timesaver that I install every time I need to test out different user type roles.

Root Relative URLs Reviews

by casper

Love the idea BUT

Unfortunately this is incompatible with Ninja Forms’ recaptcha; it breaks the Ajax call. I would personally love to see WordPress adopt a root-relative philosophy because I think absolute URLs are st

by Nurgiel

This is wrong…

You shouldn’t use this plugin, it will break everything. Enjoy the hell.

by nickkeenan

This is not a good strategy for site deployment

This is just not a good idea for the long term health of a site’s database. There’s a number of great database migration tools – including hosting tools – that should be used when transitioning a sit

Frequently Asked Questions

Is User Switching or Root Relative URLs more popular?
User Switching has 200K+ active installations while Root Relative URLs has 6.0K+. User Switching is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — User Switching or Root Relative URLs?
User Switching has a 4.9/5 rating from 238 reviews, while Root Relative URLs has a 2.9/5 rating from 20 reviews.
Are User Switching and Root Relative URLs free?
User Switching is free and Root Relative URLs is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — User Switching or Root Relative URLs?
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?
User Switching was last updated 1 month ago and Root Relative URLs was last updated 8 years ago.

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