User Role Editor
by Vladimir Garagulya · Security
Also makes 1 other plugin · 710K+ installs across the portfolio →
User Role Editor WordPress plugin makes user roles and capabilities changing easy. Edit/add/delete WordPress user roles and capabilities.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
A 90/100
no flags
Active installs
700K+
≈780K estimated
Momentum
-7%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “access” for “edit”. “access” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “edit” sits at #21 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
90 health vs 66 average across 1,791 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.0%
of downloads still active
At least 700K of 23.3M lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,061 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Security 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 7 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
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 31 reviews to 2026-07-24Older reviews praise it as simple and reliable, but the newest half averages lower, with recent reports of custom roles that stopped working, multisite permissions that don't apply and roles changing unexpectedly.
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
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated today
Tested up to WordPress 7.2, the current branch or newer
4.5★ over 288 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.4★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
1 of 2 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
Get the full rank-higher report →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.
41
Momentum
Mixed: one swing, the rest drifting
+0.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
23%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
+0.2
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| role editor | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| user role editor | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| user role | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| role your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| wordpress user roles | #2 | #3 | 0 |
| roles and capabilities | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| user roles | #2 | #3 | down 1 |
| manage user access | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| user access management | #1 | #1 | — |
| user roles management | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| role access | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| new role | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| editor role options | #1 | #1 | — |
| user capabilities | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| user role plugin | #1 | #1 | up 1 |
| change user role | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| edit user | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| user delete | #1 | #1 | — |
| create custom user role | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| editor your tag | #3 | #4 | up 1 |
| access your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
373 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 316 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “access” for “edit”. “access” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “edit” sits at #21 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,492 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 591.7K · 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
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
7
releases in the last 12 months
today
latest release · v4.67 · 4 Nov 2026
191
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 “700K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 5.7 years ago; the previous band took 17 months to cross, which places it about 80% of the way through.
Install history since 1 Dec 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Pk Gibson1.4y ago
This plugin is working well. Thank you for the developer who put lot of time into it. Very nice, lightest and most simple.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ indivisible1.5y ago
I’m a DIY self learner, and had a great experience with URE. It has vast capabilities and is organized to make it easy to navigate and apply so many customizations. Very intuitive. On the one occasion I needed guidance, the tech support was quick, personal and a success. Highly recommend.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jen0001.6y ago
I hate giving bad reviews as I know how much work goes into these plugins, often by one person. But we have wasted so much time and lost orders because of a known bug. I can see that others have reported this bug from at least 4 months ago. So I want to warn others. The whole point of us using this plugin was to create a custom role and to assign specific capabilities to that role. For a short while it worked so we launched the site. And then it stopped working and caused chaos. We have spent FOREVER trying to figure this out. We will be moving to a different plugin asap.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ shirax1.6y ago
Didn’t break my site, it just doesn’t work. On multisite, trying to give user permissions to install plugins–as it indicated in settings that it could do that. Appears to uninstall cleanly, at least.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ LambrosHatzini2.0y ago
I’ve tried two other plugins to no avail. This one works great!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ cicavizio2.1y ago
its set several user role randomly, and sadly the uninstall didnt fix
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ R2Dee2.1y ago
Congratulations on this plugin. This destroyed my entire WP Multisite, so that the registration process could no longer assign the created websites to any user. There was no way to fix this error. Really great. Maybe you should think about how you can better a) save changes and b) restore them BEFORE you make any changes at all. A plugin like this should almost be banned!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Skylabb2.1y ago
I like the simplicity of the UI making it easy to edit user roles.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 4.65 Update: Marked as compatible with WordPress 7.0 Update: Pages markup are modified to correspond WordPress 7.0 CSS changes. Update: “defined(‘ABSPATH’)” guard was added to all PHP files to exclude PHP files direct executi 4.65
- — Version 4.64.6 Update: Marked as compatible with WordPress 6.9 Update: Minor code enhancements according to the “Plugin Check” tool recommendations. Update: “Users->Grant Roles” HTML code download optimization to exclude cases when URE 4.64.6
- — Version 4.66 Update: Marked as compatible with WordPress 7.1 Required PHP version increased up to 7.4 Required WordPress version increased up to 4.6 Update: Plugin loading code is enhanced. Update: Plugin does not use self-defined PH 4.66
- — Version 4.66.1 Fix: URE_Assign_Role::$lib property was changed to protected. Fix: URE_Uninstall::delete_options() private function changed to protected. Fix: URE_Uninstall::init_options_list() referenced ‘ure_task_queue’, which never m 4.66.1
- — Version 4.66.2 Security Fix: administrator-role protection (URE_Protect_Admin::exclude_admin_role()) only excluded the “administrator” role from the assignable-roles list on the classic user edit screens, not on the plugin’s own admin- 4.66.2
- — Version 4.66.3 Update: Marked as compatible with WordPress version 7.2 Update: Required PHP version increased up to 8.2 Fix: Multisite: only the first 100 sites of a network were processed when a role change was applied to all sites of 4.66.3
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 2 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (4.67). Sites still on an older version should update.
- 2016-04-04 Improper Authorization Affects < 4.25 Patched in 4.25
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 80 languages, 18 at 90% or more
Plus 56 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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
4 of 8 pass · checked 2 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "User Role Editor WordPress plugin makes user roles and capabilities changing easy. Edit/add/delete WordPres..."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Gravity Forms, Multisite.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,439 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "security" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2021-03-02 600K+ → 700K+ up after 512 days in tier
- 2019-10-07 500K+ → 600K+ up after 554 days in tier
- 2018-04-01 400K+ → 500K+ up after 513 days in tier
- 2016-11-04 300K+ → 400K+ up after 461 days in tier
- 2015-08-01 200K+ → 300K+ up
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).
-
Controlled Admin Access 10K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags A -
Loginizer 1M+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Hide This 2K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags D -
Simple Client Dashboard 2K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A -
Role Based Redirect 2K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags C -
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for User Role Editor into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/user-role-editor" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="User Role Editor — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> User Role Editor: 700K+ active installs, 4.5★ (288 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-04. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/user-role-editor
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