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12 Best WordPress User Plugins in 2024: Get Enhanced Roles and Permissions Capabilities

Last Updated on February 21st, 2024

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WordPress is the leading CMS worldwide. Many bloggers, entrepreneurs, and businesses have built websites on this CMS. If you are also falling in this group, there is a high possibility that more than one user will be working on the website; hence, you need to manage users efficiently for security, accessibility, and overall site functionality.

WordPress is one such CMS that provides a built-in user management system through which you can control multiple users on the website. However, it has several limitations and doesn’t let you have complete control over the years. In order to combat that situation you can take the help of the user management plugin in WordPress.

With so many WordPress users plugins available in the market, it is daunting to choose the best one. Hence, in this blog, we have shortlisted some of the best WordPress user roles plugins in the market. 

But, before we look at them, let’s understand the reason behind having user management plugins on WordPress sites.

Why Do You Need a WordPress User Management Plugin?

As mentioned earlier, WordPress already includes a set of user roles with pre-defined permissions. However, as they stand, those roles and permissions cannot be customized, which is not ideal. For example, Contributors cannot upload media files, although you may want your guest writers to be able to do that.

However, there is a way of customizing the roles and permissions, and that is by using a third-party user management plugin in WordPress. These allow you to tailor the integrated WordPress roles and permissions to suit your needs better.

Here is the list of the top WordPress user management plugins.

  1. User Role Editor
  2. WPFront User Role Editor
  3. Remove Dashboard Access
  4. Members
  5. WP User Manager
  6. Simple History
  7. MemberPress
  8. PublishPress Capabilities
  9. PublishPress Permissions
  10. Advanced Access Manager
  11. Adminize
  12. LoginWP

Let’s look at them in detail.

Top 12 User Management Plugins for WordPress 

Here is the list of the most well-known user management plugins for WordPress that you can integrate into your website. 

1. User Role Editor

user role editor plugin for wordpress

User Role Editor is a freemium WordPress user roles plugin that allows you to change the default user roles and capabilities and add new ones, even in its free guise. That makes it a most suitable plugin for beginners, especially given how easy it is to set up and use.

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The Pro version, significantly expanding on the free version’s offerings, introduces a wider range of functionalities. It enables precise control over user permissions and roles, ensuring that site administrators can fine-tune access according to specific requirements. These include blocking selected widgets, meta boxes, navigation menus, and more with just a few clicks.

The pro version even allows you to export and import user roles, restrict access to single-site admins, etc. This type of flexibility is highly beneficial for any site with complex user management needs.

Pros

  • A role editor allows you to customize individual users.
  • The Pro version offers lots more functionality at a reasonable price.
  • The Pro version also comes with a 30-day moneyback guarantee, so trying it is risk-free.

Cons

  • The free version is basic, although it is still a good starting point

Price

  • User Role Editor Pro costs $29 annually for a single site license. The pricing scales up to $318 for a lifetime subscription covering unlimited domains, presenting a cost-effective solution for extensive WordPress site networks.
  • Integrating the User Role Editor plugin into your WordPress site lets you meticulously manage user access, enriching your site’s security and functionality. Whether managing a small blog or a large multisite network, the User Role Editor plugin offers the tools necessary for effective user role customization.

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2. WPFront User Role Editor

wpfront user role editor plugin for wordpress

WPFront User Role Editor is another freemium plugin for managing user roles. The free version is understandably basic, but it allows you to create and edit roles, manage capabilities, assign multiple roles, etc.

Upgrading to the Pro version adds plenty of extra features that allow you to display menu items based on user role, control precisely who can view menus inside the dashboard, import and export roles, content restriction shortcodes, media library permissions, and much more.

Pros

  • It offers an intuitive interface that simplifies role management.
  • It has the capability to clone and modify existing roles, allowing for easy customization.
  • The pro version significantly expands functionality, making it a robust tool for extensive user role management.
  • The plugin offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, ensuring satisfaction with the Pro version.

Cons

  • Not possible to edit the capabilities for specific users.
  • Multisite support is only included in the most expensive plan, which could be a limitation for large network sites.

Price

  • The WPFront User Role Editor costs $89 for a single site, $199 for 5 sites, and $179 for 50 sites, and this is for the Personal Pro. Apart from this, there is also a Business Pro plan, which costs $99 per single site, $129 for 5 sites, and $199 for 50 sites.

Get WPFront User Role Editor

3. Remove Dashboard Access

Remove Dashboard Access

Remove Dashboard Access is a handy plugin that gives you complete control over who can access the WordPress dashboard. For example, you can grant access to administrators only, editors and above, or administrators and above. Furthermore, it is possible to limit by specific capability, plus unauthorized users can be redirected to a particular URL or see a message on the login screen.

Pros

  • Great functionality for a freebie (no premium option)

Cons

  • None found

Price

  • Remove Dashboard Access is completely free, with no premium upgrade available.

Get Remove Dashboard Access

4. Members

Members - WordPress users plugin

Members is a WordPress users plugin that offers tons of great functionality for free.

Not only is Members easy to configure and use, but it also has extensive role and permission management features. As the name suggests, it is geared mainly towards membership sites, allowing you to set custom permissions to restrict content through a simple user interface.

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Pros

  • The plugin is completely free.
  • It offers a straightforward user interface that can clone existing roles and create custom permissions based on user roles.
  • It is possible to restrict access to your entire site only to specific groups.
  • The plugin lets you assign multiple roles to individual users.
  • The plugin offers a wide range of add-ons to manage users well on your website. These include block permissions, edit role levels, admin access, ACF (Advanced Custom Fields) plugin integration, EDD (Easy Digital Downloads) plugin integration, and more.

Cons

  • It is not possible to edit the capabilities for given users.

Price

  • Members plugin is completely free, with no premium upgrade available.

Get Members

5. WP User Manager

WP User Manager - wordpress user plugin

WP User Manager is a freemium user registration and profile builder plugin that offers excellent features, even in its free version. It is ideally suited to community-based websites with many subscribers and other roles to manage.

The core plugin includes things like custom user registration forms and customizable user profiles, a login form, password recovery features, etc. It even has an extension that subscribes new members to your newsletter.

Some of the most impressive features of the WP User Manager plugin are setting custom avatars, adding shortcodes, creating user directories, and creating a custom field editor. All of these are meant for different purposes. For instance, the custom avatar feature lets you upload an image and customize it according to your needs.

The plugin also has a premium version with advanced functionality. By upgrading to a premium plan, you can add much more flexibility and functionality, such as advanced custom fields, one-click content restrictions, integrations, social login and registration, and more.

Pros

  • Tailor the user experience to meet the unique needs of your community.
  • Keep your users engaged with personalized communication.
  • The plugins offer ease of use for developers with their adaptable nature.
  • It makes your site globally accessible.
  • It offers extensive documentation for developers to easily get started.
  • The premium version is backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, offering peace of mind.

Cons

  • Premium plans are a bit pricey in comparison to some of the competition

Price

Premium plans for WP User Manager start from $149, rising to $599 per year. Features and the number of domains covered vary with each plan, so check the plugin website to see which is most suited to your needs.

Get WP User Manager

6. Simple History

Simple History wordpress user plugin

Simple History isn’t just another plugin for managing user roles and permissions; it’s your WordPress site’s black box. As an auditing and tracking masterpiece, the plugin provides a panoramic view of your site’s small to big events, allowing you to identify errors and security breaches before they escalate swiftly.

The WordPress users plugin provides a detailed log of all the recent changes. Whether it’s an update to a post, a minor change in a page, any new attachment added, or a comment moderated, Simple History captures it all.

Besides this, the plugin abruptly flags when something amiss occurs, such as unauthorized deletions or edits, thus helping you trace back to the source.

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Beyond tracking content changes, Simple History is a guardian of your WordPress site’s gateway. It continuously tracks failed login attempts, successful entries, and even the digital footprints of potential intruders via their IP addresses. This level of surveillance is enough to protect your site against brute-force attacks and identify malicious actors.

Pros

  • The plugin closely monitors user activity, ensuring you’re always in the know.
  • It helps identify security issues such as brute force attacks.
  • It can help identify users who are maliciously interfering with things.
  • An RSS feed feature allows for instant notifications of changes, keeping you abreast of any developments as they happen.

Cons

  • Its robust functionality comes without apparent drawbacks, providing solid value.

Price

  • Simple History is available free of cost. It is an invaluable asset for WordPress site administrators seeking a detailed overview of their site’s activities without any financial commitment. 

Get Simple History

7. MemberPress

MemberPress - membership plugins for WordPress

MemberPress is one of the most popular all-in-one membership plugins for WordPress. The plugin is featured in leading WordPress publications, and used by thousands of small to big businesses worldwide.

As the name suggests, MemberPress is best-suited for building a membership, or an online course website. The plugin lets you sell courses on the site due to its integrated LMS option, making it a versatile tool for e-learning curriculum construction.

The plugin is designed to be user-friendly, allowing for quick setup and integration with a wide range of third-party services and software. For instance, you can easily integrate WooCommerce with MemberPress to create a members-only online store. 

Pros

  • It offers robust access control rules to manage user access effectively.
  • Features such as content dripping and email reminders are included, facilitating content management and member engagement.
  • The plugin supports many payment gateways, such as Apple Pay, Google Wallet, credit cards, international currencies, cash apps, etc., to accept payments.
  • It lets you create custom coupons, which you can include in your to sell more and ensure users keep coming back to your site.
  • They have an excellent support team, which helps you with everything down the road.

Cons

  • One notable downside is the absence of a lifetime purchase option, requiring ongoing subscription payments.

Price

MemberPress offers three pricing tiers to accommodate different needs and scales of operation. The basic plan costs $179.50 per year, offering essential features needed for starting a membership site. The plus plan costs $299.50 annually and includes additional features like forums, quizzes, and certificates, catering to small businesses and entrepreneurs. 

Lastly, the pro plan costs $399.50 per year, and is tailored for selling to businesses and organizations with features like bulk membership purchases and integrations with marketing tools.

Each plan is designed to support facilities such as subscription billing, payment integration, customizable checkout, content protection, and much more, making MemberPress a comprehensive solution for managing membership sites.

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8. PublishPress Capabilities

Publish Press Capabilities wordpress user plugin

PublishPress Capabilities is a freemium WordPress user plugin for controlling all the capabilities and permissions on your WordPress website.

The plugin is feature-rich, and even in its free form, it allows you to customize all user roles, and maintain precise control over permissions. One particularly cool feature is the ability to remove features from the WordPress toolbar, dashboard, and post-editing screen, so users get access only to the parts they need, and nothing else!

The plugin allows you to hide any feature on the Gutenberg or Classic Editor screens. 

The Pro version of the plugin restricts users from accessing the admin menu link, frontend menu links, and navigation menus.

Apart from this, the Pro version of the plugin comes with additional features that let you control roles, content, taxonomy, backup, and more.

Pros

  • The free version has some convenient features, particularly the ability to block certain WordPress features from non-authorized users.
  • The plugin has the ability to clone existing roles.
  • The plugin automatically makes a backup whenever permissions are changed, allowing for recovery if something goes wrong.
  • You can control access to WooCommerce products, orders, coupons, etc. also

Cons

  • Not possible to edit the capabilities for specific users
  • No lifetime subscriptions are available

Price

  • PublishPress Capabilities costs $69 per year for one site, $129 for five, and $199 for unlimited domains.

Get PublishPress Capabilities

9. PublishPress Permissions

PublishPress Permissions wordpress user plugin

PublishPress Permissions – in common with its sibling, PublishPress Capabilities – is a freemium plugin. However, rather than controlling permissions, this one allows you to manage user access to posts, pages, categories, and tags on your WordPress site. Even the free version allows you to police who can and cannot view or edit your site’s content.

The plugin lets you choose who can access images and files from the WordPress media library. For instance, you can ensure that any logged-out user can’t access the files.

Upgrading to PublishPress Permissions Pro extends functionality further, including teaser previews of restricted content, customized permission for every user, set content creation permissions, synchronizing the content, removing PublishPress ads, and a lot more.

Pros

  • The plugin is highly responsive and allows you to manage the posts efficiently.
  • The Pro version adds some nice extras, including additional restrictions, teaser previews, etc.

Cons

  • Some people find it a little complicated to use.
  • No lifetime subscriptions are available.

Price

PublishPress Permissions costs $69 per year for one site, $129 for five, and $199 for unlimited domains.

Get PublishPress Permissions

10. Advanced Access Manager

advanced access manager wordpress users plugin

Adding a versatile plugin like Advanced Access Manager (ACM) to a WordPress website can improve its security and simplify the process of assigning roles. 

This plugin is an excellent fit for sites managed by large teams because it allows the admin to specify the level of access each team member can have. 

Moreover, ACM lets users create access and security policies that state the conditions under which a certain role can gain access to the site content. The plugin also offers the option to deny access to the site’s backend for all roles or use the JWT authentication. 

Besides allowing users to manage roles, the plugin also lets them control how and when website visitors can access posts, media files, or entire content categories. In addition, you can use the ACM plugin to create temporary user accounts or add secure login widgets to different pages. 

The WordPress access manager plugin offers a premium add-on with advanced features, such as prioritized support, access to the WordPress admin area, tools to restrict content, IP & Geolocation access controls, and more.

Pros 

  • Restrict access to unlimited pages, ensuring tailored user experiences.
  • Innovative login with a URL, simplifying access without compromising security.
  • Customizable 404 and access denied responses, guiding users effectively.
  • The plugin can filter meta boxes, streamlining content management.

Cons

  • The plugin is free. The premium add-on costs $99 for a single site, and $149 for 3 sites.

Price

The plugin is free. The Complete Package add-on is available for $99. 

Get Advanced Access Manager

11. Adminize

adminize wordpress users plugin

This clean and lightweight plugin enables you to define the level of access each member of your team can have to your website’s backend. Put simply, Adminize gives you control over what editors, authors, contributors, and other roles can see. 

You can use the plugin to restrict access to regular or custom post types and declutter the site’s backend by removing items you don’t need. Hence, the admin can decide which options will be displayed for each role. In addition, you can customize the plugin’s options with the ‘Your Own’ feature. 

The developer tests and updates the plugin regularly, so there’s no need to worry about compatibility. 

Adminize works with WordPress 4.0 or more recent versions of the CMS. It currently has over 200,000 active installations and a respectable user rating in the WordPress plugin repository.

Pros

  • Adminize is available in eleven languages.
  • It helps users delete unused menu links and meta boxes.
  • The plugin allows admins to control what site contributors can see.
  • It doesn’t contain unnecessary code.

Cons

  • Novice admins might experience a steep learning curve when they start using this plugin.

Price

Adminize doesn’t have a Premium version.

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12. LoginWP

LoginWP was earlier known as Peter’s Login Redirect. It is a free WordPress users plugin that redirects users to a specific URL as soon as they have logged in. Here, you can redirect users depending on their username, user roles, specific capabilities, and more. 

The plugin even allows you to set a URL post-registration. For instance, you can redirect users to the tailored welcome or the thank you page. Moreover, it is simple yet straightforward to redirect users to a specific page on the website.

A Pro version of this plugin is available, through which you can direct users to the current page they logged in or the previous page, using dynamic placeholders.

The Pro version even enables you to manage the rules and redirects from a single location. In addition, you can assign the condition depending on their specific role or user.

Pros

  • The Pro version offers extensive integration with popular plugins, such as WooCommerce, WPForms, Tutor LMS, LearnPress, and more.
  • It allows you to redirect users considering certain roles, users, or sets of conditions.

Cons

  • The plugin doesn’t enable you to collect user details from the membership site. It only allows you to redirect users to a specific membership page.

Price

The pro version costs $49 for a single site per year. Further, the agency plan is priced at $99 per year for unlimited sites.

Get LoginWP

Choosing the Best User Management WordPress Plugin

Don’t focus too much on the features a plugin offers; try to determine which user management options your website needs instead. 

Installing a user management plugin for WordPress that lets you restrict content access might be unnecessary if you don’t have thousands of subscribers or a large content team. 

User Role Editor is a reliable option for webmasters that work with multiple authors and editors because the plugin lets them assign roles in a few clicks. 

On the other hand, WP User Manager might be the best solution for you if you’re managing a large community website and need tools that enable you to create forms or user profiles and assign roles. 

Frequently Asked Questions about User Management WordPress Plugins

What are the User Roles in the WordPress Plugin?

Your WordPress website has six user roles by default. Super Admin, Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, and Subscriber are the basic user roles in WordPress. 

User management plugins add additional roles to the CMS, so website owners can assign roles like SEO manager or Shop Manager to the members of their team. 

Each role has its field, so an author doesn’t need access to the tools an accountant is using to calculate an eStore’s monthly tax. Hence, these plugins restrict access to the tools different members of the team don’t need to do their part of the job. 

Does WordPress Have User Management?

Yes, it does. You don’t need a plugin to create a role for a content editor or subscriber, as you can do this from your site’s dashboard.

The Users menu lets you add as many new users to a site as you want. You can specify a role for each one and choose which segments of your site they can access. 

Editors can edit, delete, or publish pages and posts, while authors only have permission to perform these actions on posts. 

Contributors and subscribers cannot have permission to publish a post. However, an admin can allow a contributor to edit or delete a post.

Which Plugins are Best for Managing User Roles?

User Role Editor, WP User Manager, and Advanced Access Manager have thousands of active installations. These plugins are stacked with features that make assigning and managing user roles easier. 

However, you should consider installing the Members plugin if you’re running a membership website with a hierarchical role structure. Most importantly, none of these plugins are bulky, so it’s unlikely they’ll slow down your website. 

However, free versions of these plugins may not be powerful enough to manage a website with thousands of roles.

A team of WordPress experts that love to test out new WordPress related software, WordPress plugins and WordPress themes.