Controlled Admin Access vs Access Areas for WordPress
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
Controlled Admin Access leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,767, ahead of Access Areas for WordPress at #9,942. Over the last 7 days Controlled Admin Access climbed 1 place and Access Areas for WordPress climbed 16 places. Controlled Admin Access has the largest install base, roughly 25× the next: 10K+ active installs against 400+ for Access Areas for WordPress. Downloads this week: Controlled Admin Access 354 and Access Areas for WordPress 34. Ratings: Controlled Admin Access 4.8★ from 45 and Access Areas for WordPress 4.5★ from 17 reviews.
| Metric | Controlled Admin Access | Access Areas for WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,767 ▲ 1 | #9,942 ▲ 16 |
| Active installs | 10K+ | 400+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 354 | 34 |
| Rating | 4.8★ (45) | 4.5★ (17) |
| Last updated | Aug 20, 2026 | Dec 5, 2025 |
| Current version | 2.1.3 | 1.5.22 |
| Best rank on record | #1,762 | #9,766 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Dec 2015 | Jul 2013 |
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
More comparisons
- Controlled Admin Access vs User Role Editor
- Controlled Admin Access vs User Access Manager
- Controlled Admin Access vs Username Changer
- Controlled Admin Access vs Groups – Memberships and Access Control
- Controlled Admin Access vs Loginizer
- Access Areas for WordPress vs User Role Editor
- Access Areas for WordPress vs Loginizer
- Access Areas for WordPress vs User Access Manager
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Controlled Admin Access or Access Areas for WordPress?
By active installs, Controlled Admin Access: 10K+ sites run it against 400+ for Access Areas for WordPress, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 19, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Controlled Admin Access or Access Areas for WordPress?
Controlled Admin Access, at #1,767 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Access Areas for WordPress at #9,942. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Controlled Admin Access or Access Areas for WordPress 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.