Nav Menu Roles
by HelgaTheViking · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 5 other plugins · 98.1K+ installs across the portfolio →
Hide custom menu items based on user roles.
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Health
A 91/100
no flags
Active installs
70K+
≈75K estimated
Momentum
-1%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Add “free menu”, “role” and “bottom menu” to your wp.org tags. You rank #4, #4 and #5 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 4 listed these are the slots worth spending.
91 health vs 56 average across 5,896 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.8%
of downloads still active
At least 70K of 1.8M lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,187 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Admin & Utilities plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 3 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Excellent listing optimization
Well tuned across the board
Updated 1 day ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.0, the current branch or newer
4.9★ over 219 reviews, smoothed to 4.75★
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
1 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
64
Momentum
Gaining ground
+2.9
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
57%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
+2.6
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| nav menus your tag | #1 | #1 | up 1 |
| nav menu your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| nav menu roles | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| nav | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| custom nav | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| wp nav menu | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| nav item | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| roles | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| custom menu | #2 | #2 | up 8 |
| post nav | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| wp nav menus | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| custom nav menu | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| menu by roles | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| nav menu items edit | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| child menu items | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| role based menu | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| nav menu items | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| custom walker nav menu | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| customize menu | #2 | #2 | up 1 |
| menu items | #3 | #3 | up 3 |
220 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 140 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Add “free menu”, “role” and “bottom menu” to your wp.org tags. You rank #4, #4 and #5 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 4 listed these are the slots worth spending.
- One page off on “menus”. #16 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 44.2K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
3
releases in the last 12 months
5d ago
latest release · v3.0.0 · 26 Oct 2026
34
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “70K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 12 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 22 Jul 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ marcusvernon1.4y ago
So easy to install, open my menu’s to find the hide button – one click and DONE!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ artvueuk1.4y ago
The best plugins are sleek, discreet design, and do the job perfectly, just like this one.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ rapidasia1.7y ago
this is a good plugin
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Topher2.2y ago
I tried a few other plugins before getting to this one. Before starting I had an idea of the UI I wanted, and none had it until this one. This plugin has exactly the right about of UI to do what I need.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Constantin Boiangiu3.1y ago
This plugin is great, does exactly what it is supposed to do. Great job, thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ A Z3.3y ago
Amazing plugin and works very well.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ oldcreakyknees3.8y ago
Have used this on a few sites and it just works. It’s intuitive and, when there’s a question, the support is spot on. Free plugin; does what it says; just works; great support. What more do you want?
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ V.4.1y ago
A useful plugin that, in cooperation with a well-designed menu, solves a lot of worries.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.1.3 Requires: PHP 7.4 and WordPress 6.3 Fix: RTL layout style. 2.1.3
- — Version 2.1.2 Fix: Typos. 2.1.2
- — Version 2.1.1 Fix: Top-level display of hidden child menu items of hidden parent menu items. 2.1.1
- — Version 2.1.0 New: Add support for “hiding” a menu item by role. 2.1.0
- — Version 2.0.2 Fix: PHP Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Call to undefined method WP_Customize_Manager::settings_previewed(). settings_previewed() does not exist until WordPress 3.9.0+. 2.0.2
- — Version 2.0.1 Tweak: Alphabetically sort role names. 2.0.1
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 103 languages, 17 at 90% or more
Plus 79 more locales with partial translations.
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
6 of 8 pass · checked 25 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Hide custom menu items based on user roles."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 6 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 6 of 6 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you have"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ✓ Headings and lists 3 headings and 1 list.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,957 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 4 tags appear in the text; "nav menus" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-11-13 80K+ → 70K+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2025-11-10 70K+ → 80K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-11-09 80K+ → 70K+ down after 344 days in tier
- 2024-11-30 90K+ → 80K+ down after 336 days in tier
- 2023-12-30 100K+ → 90K+ down after 2463 days in tier
- 2017-04-02 90K+ → 100K+ up after 119 days in tier
- 2016-12-04 70K+ → 90K+ up after 244 days in tier
- 2016-04-04 60K+ → 70K+ up after 88 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Privilege Menu 1K+ installs · 4.3★ · 4 shared tags D -
sTRASHo 200+ installs · 4.1★ · 4 shared tags D -
User Menus – Nav Menu Visibility 80K+ installs · 4.9★ · 3 shared tags A -
LuckyWP ACF Menu Field 5K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags C -
Bop Search Box Item Type For Nav Menus 1K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags D -
Menu Image, Icons made easy 100K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Nav Menu Roles into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/nav-menu-roles" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Nav Menu Roles — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Nav Menu Roles: 70K+ active installs, 4.9★ (219 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/nav-menu-roles
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