User Role Editor vs Wordfence Security
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | User Role Editor v4.66.2 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.5/5 Visit Details | Wordfence Security v9.0.2 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.7/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 700,000+ | 5M+ |
| Last updated | September 25, 2026 | September 30, 2026 |
| Editions | User Role Editor · User Role Editor Pro ($) | Wordfence Security · Wordfence Premium ($) |
| Pros | Edit roles and capabilities with checkboxes; Create roles from scratch or copy an existing role; Assign several roles to one user, including multisite | Firewall, malware scanner, 2FA and passkey login in the free version; Scanner checks core, theme and plugin files against WordPress.org; Dashboard for scan results, blocking and login settings |
| Cons | Admin menu and widget blocking are only in the paid Pro version; Changing roles wrongly can lock administrators out, so care is needed | Free version receives firewall and malware signature updates 30 days late; Audit log and real-time threat updates need Premium; Scans and firewall add work on the server |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | 3 |
| Features (Security plugins checklist) | ||
| Firewall | — | Yes |
| Malware scan | — | Yes |
| Login protection | — | Yes |
| Two-factor login | — | Yes |
| Activity log | — | Paid |
| Free version | — | Yes |
| More features | ||
| Other features | 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 ($) | Real-time malware signature and scan frequency options ($), Passkey sign-in, Security audit log ($), WooCommerce customer registration filter |
| Integrations | ||
| E-commerce | WooCommerce | WooCommerce |
| Plugins | bbPress, Polylang | — |
| Requires WordPress | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | 7.0 |
| Tested up to | 7.1.2 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | No |
| External services | — | noc1.wordfence.com, noc3.wordfence.com, www.wordfence.com, noc4.wordfence.com |