New User Approve vs Ultimate Member (September 2026)
Updated September 7, 2026 · Data from WordPress.org, refreshed daily · How this works
Both rank in the WordPress.org User Profile Plugins top 10: New User Approve at #9 and Ultimate Member at #1. Ultimate Member leads on all 5 measures we track. Every number below comes straight from WordPress.org and is refreshed every day.
New User Approve
WordPress user approval plugin to moderate registrations. Approve or deny real users and prevent fake signups to control who registers on site.
Ultimate Member
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin
Membership & community plugin with user profiles, registration & login, member directories, content restriction, user roles and much more.
Who leads on what
Ultimate Member leads on all 5 measures we track.
Ultimate Member ranks higher on WordPress.org: #1 against #9 in User Profile Plugins.
Ultimate Member has more users: 200,000+ active installs against 20,000+.
Ultimate Member is rated higher: 4.4 out of 5 from 1,445 reviews, against 4.3 from 130 reviews.
Ultimate Member has more reviews behind its score: 1,445 against 130.
Ultimate Member was updated more recently, on August 24, 2026; New User Approve on August 19, 2026.
Which one to pick
Each plugin is the better answer for the measure it actually leads on. Nothing here is a recommendation we invented.
New User Approve
New User Approve does not lead on any measure we track, so pick it only for something these numbers cannot show, such as a feature you need.
Ultimate Member
Pick Ultimate Member if you go by where WordPress.org itself puts them, you want the plugin more sites already run, the review score matters most to you, you want the score backed by more reviews or you want the one shipping releases most recently.
New User Approve vs Ultimate Member side by side
| New User Approve | Ultimate Member | |
|---|---|---|
| User Profile Plugins ranking | #9 | #1 |
| Rating | 4.3 | 4.4 |
| Reviews | 130 | 1,445 |
| Active installs | 20,000+ | 200,000+ |
| Total downloads | 916,183 | 13,493,202 |
| Downloads, last 30 days | – | – |
| Last updated | Aug 19, 2026 | Aug 24, 2026 |
| First published | Oct 30, 2008 | Jan 21, 2015 |
| Tested up to WordPress | 7.0.4 | 7.1 |
| Requires PHP | – | 7.0 |
| Pricing | Free + paid version | Free + paid version |
30-day download figures appear after both plugins have 30 days of tracking.
New User Approve ratings
Ultimate Member ratings
How we compare these two
Every figure here is pulled from the WordPress.org plugin API every day at 03:00 UTC, for both plugins in the same run, so the two are always read on the same day. We compare only what the directory reports: active installs, the rating and how many reviews stand behind it, the last release date and, once we have a month of history, downloads over the last 30 days. Ratings are only called a win above 50 reviews each, because a handful of five-star reviews is not evidence. Nothing is weighted into an overall score, no measure is worth more than another, and neither New User Approve nor Ultimate Member can pay to appear here: the pair exists only because both plugins reached the User Profile Plugins top 10. Full methodology.
New User Approve vs Ultimate Member: common questions
Is New User Approve better than Ultimate Member?
Ultimate Member leads on all 5 measures we track. Neither is better at everything, and the answer depends on which measure you weigh. Ultimate Member ranks higher on WordPress.org: #1 against #9 in User Profile Plugins.
Which has more users, New User Approve or Ultimate Member?
Ultimate Member ranks higher on WordPress.org: #1 against #9 in User Profile Plugins.
Which is rated higher, New User Approve or Ultimate Member?
Ultimate Member has more users: 200,000+ active installs against 20,000+.
Are New User Approve and Ultimate Member free?
Both are free to install from WordPress.org. New User Approve is listed as commercial, so a paid version or add-ons exist. Ultimate Member is listed as commercial, so a paid version or add-ons exist.
Alternatives to New User Approve and Ultimate Member
Plugins that score close to both in the same WordPress.org rankings and tags.
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