At a glance
User Role Editor
User Role Editor WordPress plugin makes user roles and capabilities changing easy. Edit/add/delete WordPress user roles and capabilities.
ShopBuilder – WooCommerce Builder For Elementor
WooCommerce builder for Elementor includes 80+ widgets, WooCommerce templates, quick view, compare, wishlist, shop & archive page builder and more.
Full Comparison
Technical Specs
| Metric | User Role Editor | ShopBuilder |
|---|---|---|
| Requires WP | 4.4+ | 5.5+ |
| Requires PHP | 7.3+ | 7.4+ |
| Tested up to WP | 7.0 | 7.0.1 |
| Plugin age | 16 yrs | 4 yrs |
Quick Verdict
ShopBuilder is the recommended plugin for most WordPress sites. Its 88% five-star rating from user reviews signals strong satisfaction among Elementor and WooCommerce users. While User Role Editor has 700K+ installs, ShopBuilder delivers a focused feature set for building WooCommerce product pages, archives, and shop layouts. If you manage user permissions exclusively, User Role Editor works. For anyone building an online store with Elementor, ShopBuilder is the data-driven choice.
Feature Comparison: User Role Editor vs ShopBuilder
| Feature | User Role Editor | ShopBuilder |
|---|---|---|
| Primary function | Edit, add, and delete user roles and capabilities | Build WooCommerce pages with Elementor widgets |
| WooCommerce integration | Can manage WooCommerce-specific user capabilities | Dedicated WooCommerce builder with 80+ widgets |
| WooCommerce templates | Not applicable | Includes templates for product pages, archives, and shops |
| Quick view feature | Not applicable | Built-in quick view functionality |
| Wishlist functionality | Not applicable | Built-in wishlist feature |
| Product compare tool | Not applicable | Built-in product comparison |
| User capability management | Full control over roles and permissions | Not applicable |
| Custom role creation | Create new roles from scratch or clone existing ones | Not applicable |
Who Should Use User Role Editor
- Sites with multiple user types like authors, editors, and subscribers where you need to restrict access to specific admin screens. User Role Editor is trusted by 700K+ installs for this exact reason.
- Developers or site managers who must add custom user role WordPress functionality for membership sites or client portals. The plugin gives you granular control over each capability.
- Anyone who values community trust, 85% of its 287 reviews are five stars, showing consistent reliability for a tool that handles sensitive permission settings.
Who Should Use ShopBuilder
- Elementor users building a WooCommerce store who want to build WooCommerce product page in Elementor without coding. ShopBuilder includes 80+ widgets for product layouts, archives, and checkout pages.
- Store owners who need an Elementor WooCommerce wishlist plugin and quick view functionality bundled into one tool. Both features ship with the plugin, saving you from installing separate extensions.
- Sites that rely on visual design flexibility, 88% of reviewers gave it five stars, and 0% gave it one star, indicating very few negative experiences with its template system.
Community & Support
User Role Editor has 85% five-star reviews and 8% one-star reviews from 287 total ratings. The support data for this plugin is too limited to draw conclusions.
ShopBuilder holds 88% five-star reviews with 0% one-star reviews from its 17 ratings. The support sample for this plugin is also too small to analyze meaningfully.
Verdict: User Role Editor or ShopBuilder for WordPress sites?
Pick User Role Editor if you need to edit user roles in WordPress for access control. It handles permission changes, custom role creation, and capability editing for 700K+ sites. It's the right tool when your primary problem is who can do what on your dashboard.
Pick ShopBuilder if you run a WooCommerce store with Elementor. It delivers 80+ widgets, product templates, quick view, wishlist, and compare features out of the box. With 88% five-star ratings and zero one-star ratings, it's the data-backed winner for store builders. For most WordPress users combining roles with store design, ShopBuilder solves the bigger pain point.
This comparison is AI-generated from live WordPress.org data. Install counts, ratings, versions and support statistics sync weekly, so the numbers on this page stay current. Content passes automated quality checks before publishing, and pages below our quality threshold are held for human review.
Read our full methodologyFrequently Asked Questions
Q How many people use User Role Editor compared to ShopBuilder?
User Role Editor has 700K+ active installs while ShopBuilder has 10K+, meaning User Role Editor is used on more sites.
Q Which has better user ratings — User Role Editor or ShopBuilder?
ShopBuilder averages 4.7/5 from 17 reviews, while User Role Editor averages 4.5/5 from 287 reviews — ShopBuilder has the higher average rating.
Q Which is more actively maintained — User Role Editor or ShopBuilder?
ShopBuilder was last updated on Jun 16, 2026 and User Role Editor on May 21, 2026, so ShopBuilder received the more recent update.
Q Are User Role Editor and ShopBuilder both free?
Yes — both User Role Editor and ShopBuilder are free to install from the official WordPress.org plugin directory. Some features may require a paid upgrade offered by the plugin author.
Q Is User Role Editor or ShopBuilder better for WordPress sites?
User Role Editor is better if you need to control who can do what on your site, like restricting access to specific pages or capabilities. ShopBuilder is better if you run a WooCommerce store and want to design custom product pages with Elementor. They solve completely different problems, so the right choice depends on whether you need user permissions or storefront design.
Q Which is easier to set up for a WordPress beginner — User Role Editor or ShopBuilder?
User Role Editor is easier for a beginner because it works right out of the box with a simple list of checkboxes for each user role. ShopBuilder requires you to have Elementor installed and understand how to build custom WooCommerce templates, which adds extra steps. Most beginners will find User Role Editor more straightforward.
Q What is the biggest feature difference between User Role Editor and ShopBuilder?
User Role Editor focuses entirely on managing user permissions and roles, letting you add, edit, or delete capabilities for any user. ShopBuilder is a WooCommerce builder for Elementor that lets you design product pages, checkout, and cart layouts. One controls access, the other controls store appearance.
Q Can you switch from User Role Editor to ShopBuilder (or the other way) without losing data?
You can switch between them without losing data because they handle completely separate parts of WordPress. User Role Editor stores its role settings in the WordPress database, and ShopBuilder stores its template designs, so deactivating one does not affect the other's saved data. Just keep in mind that any custom roles you created with User Role Editor will remain active even if you stop using the plugin.
Q Which type of site should choose User Role Editor, and which should choose ShopBuilder?
Choose User Role Editor for any membership site, multi-author blog, or business site where you need to limit what editors, subscribers, or custom roles can see or do. Choose ShopBuilder if you run a WooCommerce store and want to design custom product pages and shop layouts using Elementor. If you need both, you can install them together since they do not conflict.
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