User Access Manager 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
User Access Manager leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,486, ahead of Access Areas for WordPress at #9,943. Over the last 7 days User Access Manager climbed 1 place and Access Areas for WordPress climbed 20 places. User Access Manager has the largest install base, roughly 25× the next: 10K+ active installs against 400+ for Access Areas for WordPress. Downloads this week: User Access Manager 781 and Access Areas for WordPress 38. Ratings: User Access Manager 4.4★ from 112 and Access Areas for WordPress 4.5★ from 17 reviews.
| Metric | User Access Manager | Access Areas for WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,486 ▲ 1 | #9,943 ▲ 20 |
| Active installs | 10K+ | 400+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 781 | 38 |
| Rating | 4.4★ (112) | 4.5★ (17) |
| Last updated | Sep 10, 2026 | Dec 5, 2025 |
| Current version | 2.3.20 | 1.5.22 |
| Best rank on record | #1,486 | #9,766 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Dec 2008 | Jul 2013 |
| 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
More comparisons
- User Access Manager vs New User Approve
- User Access Manager vs Controlled Admin Access
- User Access Manager vs Groups – Memberships and Access Control
- User Access Manager vs Loginizer
- User Access Manager vs Members
- Access Areas for WordPress vs Controlled Admin Access
- Access Areas for WordPress vs User Role Editor
- Access Areas for WordPress vs Loginizer
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, User Access Manager or Access Areas for WordPress?
By active installs, User Access Manager: 10K+ sites run it against 400+ for Access Areas for WordPress, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 20, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, User Access Manager or Access Areas for WordPress?
User Access Manager, at #1,486 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Access Areas for WordPress at #9,943. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are User Access Manager 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.