Content Control vs Simple Membership
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
These aren’t all alternatives to each other — they do different jobs — so this page compares popularity only, not features.
At a glance
Simple Membership leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #877, ahead of Content Control at #878. Over the last 7 days Simple Membership held its place and Content Control slipped 26 places. Content Control has the largest install base: 40K+ active installs against 40K+ for Simple Membership. Downloads this week: Simple Membership 22,084 and Content Control 15,938. Ratings: Content Control 4.9★ from 576 and Simple Membership 4.6★ from 475 reviews.
| Metric | Content Control | Simple Membership |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #878 ▼ 26 | #877 ▬ |
| Active installs | 40K+ | 40K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 15,938 | 22,084 |
| Rating | 4.9★ (576) | 4.6★ (475) |
| Last updated | Sep 29, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.7.4 | 4.8.5 |
| Best rank on record | #846 | #861 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Sep 2016 | May 2014 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 1 | 0 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
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- Simple Membership vs Ultimate Member
- Simple Membership vs Members
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Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Content Control or Simple Membership?
By active installs, Content Control: 40K+ sites run it against 40K+ for Simple Membership, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 16, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Content Control or Simple Membership?
Simple Membership, at #877 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Content Control at #878. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Content Control or Simple Membership alternatives to each other?
Not all of them. Some of these plugins do different jobs and many sites run more than one. This page compares their popularity, not their features.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each plugin’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the plugins have moved over time rather than a single day.