Jetpack vs User Role Editor
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | Jetpack v16.3.1 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 3.7/5 Visit Details | User Role Editor v4.66.2 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.5/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 3M+ | 700,000+ |
| Last updated | October 12, 2026 | September 25, 2026 |
| Editions | Jetpack · Jetpack paid plans ($) | User Role Editor · User Role Editor Pro ($) |
| Pros | Many modules in one plugin, each switched on separately; Brute-force protection and an image CDN without extra services; Contact form with Akismet spam checks and entries kept in admin | Edit roles and capabilities with checkboxes; Create roles from scratch or copy an existing role; Assign several roles to one user, including multisite |
| Cons | Needs a WordPress.com connection to work fully; Usage tracking runs once the site is connected, with no separate toggle found; Paid plans gate some features, such as multi-step forms | Admin menu and widget blocking are only in the paid Pro version; Changing roles wrongly can lock administrators out, so care is needed |
| Mentioned in our posts | 7 | 1 |
| Features (Security plugins checklist) | ||
| Firewall | Yes | — |
| Malware scan | Yes | — |
| Login protection | Yes | — |
| Two-factor login | Yes | — |
| Activity log | Yes | — |
| Free version | Yes | — |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Site stats dashboard, Brute force login protection, Photon image CDN, Social sharing buttons, Related posts, Newsletter and blog subscriptions, XML sitemaps, VideoPress video hosting ($), Secure sign-on through WordPress.com | Edit role capabilities with checkboxes, Add and remove capabilities, Assign roles to users, Multiple roles per user, Let non-admin users grant selected roles, Per-user capability assignment, Pro-only options such as admin menu blocking and role export ($) |
| Integrations | ||
| Payment | PayPal ($) | — |
| MailPoet | — | |
| E-commerce | WooCommerce | WooCommerce |
| Plugins | — | bbPress, Polylang |
| Other | Akismet, WordPress.com | — |
| Requires WordPress | 7.0 | 4.7 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | 7.4 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1.2 |
| Phones home | Yes | No |
| External services | jetpack.wordpress.com, api.bruteprotect.com, public-api.wordpress.com, www.sandbox.paypal.com, www.paypal.com, api-m.sandbox.paypal.com, api.paypal.com, v0.wordpress.com, videopress.com, widgets.wp.com, pixel.wp.com, subscribe.wordpress.com | — |
| Blocks | 60 | — |
| Shortcodes | 60 | — |
| Custom tables | 1 | — |