Admin Menu Editor vs Controlled Admin Access
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| Feature | Admin Menu Editor v1.15.2 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.6/5 Visit Details | Controlled Admin Access v2.1.3 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.8/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 300,000+ | 10,000+ |
| Last updated | August 19, 2026 | August 20, 2026 |
| Editions | Admin Menu Editor · Admin Menu Editor Pro ($) | Controlled Admin Access · Controlled Admin Access Pro ($) |
| Pros | Reorder, rename and hide any admin menu item; Add custom menu entries that point to any dashboard page or external URL | Hides and blocks chosen admin menu pages, including direct URL access; Automatic expiry for temporary accounts; Accounts can be disabled and re-enabled without losing their settings |
| Cons | Per-role and per-user controls need the Pro version; The free editor shows Pro upgrade prompts | Restrictions cover only the core admin menus in the free version; Plugin-internal pages, activity logging and remote logout are Pro only |
| Mentioned in our posts | 2 | 1 |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Shortcodes for admin URL, home URL and user info, Network-wide (multisite) mu-plugin module, Access editor for per-role menu permissions ($), Hide plugins from other users on the Plugins page ($) | Hide chosen admin menu pages, Block restricted pages reached by direct URL, Automatic account expiry, Disable and re-enable account, Hide admin bar for the restricted account, Settings and user management screen, Password-free login link (Pro) ($), Activity log of restricted admin actions (Pro) ($), Remote logout of restricted admins (Pro) ($) |
| Integrations | ||
| E-commerce | WooCommerce | — |
| Plugins | WPML, bbPress | — |
| Requires WordPress | 5.9 | 4.0 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | 7.0 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | No |
| Shortcodes | 3 | — |