# Groups – Memberships and Access Control

> Groups has 10K+ active installs, a 4.8/5 rating from 382 reviews and 21.9K downloads in the last 30 days. Health score 93/100, keyword rankings, version adoption and the best alternatives.

**Verdict: Safe pick.** Yes — Groups is a safe, well-maintained plugin to use in 2026. It runs on 10K+ sites, is rated 4.8/5 and was last updated 2 days ago, and scores 93/100 on our health check.

**Turn your site into a powerful membership solution. Manage members, teams and access to content easily.**

## Key facts

- **Overall rank:** —
- **Active installs:** 10K+
- **Total downloads:** 1,053,850
- **Downloads (30 days):** 21,934 (+116.7% vs previous 30 days)
- **Rating:** 4.8/5 from 382 reviews
- **Health score:** 93/100 (Excellent)
- **Version:** 4.8.0
- **Last updated:** Sep 24, 2026
- **Tested up to:** WordPress 7.1.2
- **Requires:** WordPress 6.7+, PHP 7.4+
- **Support resolved:** 1 of 1 threads (last 2 months)
- **Developer:** itthinx (https://pageforge.pro/directory/authors/itthinx/)
- **WordPress.org:** https://wordpress.org/plugins/groups/

## Category rankings

| Category | Rank | Plugins |
|---|---|---|
| [access](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/access/) | #6 | 83 |
| [access-control](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/access-control/) | #4 | 116 |
| [groups](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/groups/) | #1 | 74 |
| [member](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/member/) | #5 | 67 |
| [membership](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/membership/) | #13 | 252 |

## WordPress.org search positions

| Keyword | Position | Results |
|---|---|---|
| access | #10 | 10,000 |
| access-control | #2 | 6,766 |
| groups | #1 | 5,860 |
| member | #31 | 3,470 |
| membership | #15 | 1,991 |

## Version adoption

- 4.7: 22.9%
- 4.8: 10.6%
- 4.5: 7.4%
- 4.3: 5.1%
- Other: 54%

## Alternatives

| # | Name | Active installs | Rating | Updated | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [Loginizer](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/loginizer/) | 1M+ | 4.8/5 (1,033) | Aug 19, 2026 | 89/100 |
| 2 | [User Role Editor](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/user-role-editor/) | 700K+ | 4.5/5 (288) | Sep 25, 2026 | 89/100 |
| 3 | [Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/members/) | 300K+ | 4.9/5 (1,277) | Aug 25, 2026 | 92/100 |
| 4 | [Remove Dashboard Access](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/remove-dashboard-access-for-non-admins/) | 30K+ | 4.6/5 (78) | May 22, 2026 | 74/100 |
| 5 | [User Access Manager](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/user-access-manager/) | 10K+ | 4.3/5 (113) | Sep 10, 2026 | 91/100 |
| 7 | [Controlled Admin Access](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/controlled-admin-access/) | 10K+ | 4.8/5 (45) | Aug 20, 2026 | 85/100 |
| 8 | [Simple Membership Form Shortcode](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/simple-membership-form-shortcode/) | 2K+ | 5/5 (2) | Aug 21, 2026 | 74/100 |
| 9 | [Authenticator](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/authenticator/) | 1K+ | 5/5 (8) | Jan 21, 2026 | 54/100 |
| 10 | [Groups 404 Redirect](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/groups-404-redirect/) | 1K+ | 4.6/5 (10) | Sep 25, 2026 | 80/100 |
| 11 | [Access Areas for WordPress](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/wp-access-areas/) | 400+ | 4.5/5 (17) | Dec 5, 2025 | 52/100 |

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Groups free?
Yes. Groups is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.

### Is Groups safe to use in 2026?
Yes — Groups is a safe, well-maintained plugin to use in 2026. It runs on 10K+ sites, is rated 4.8/5 and was last updated 2 days ago, and scores 93/100 on our health check.

### How many websites use Groups?
Groups is active on 10K+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 1,053,850 times since it launched in January 2012. It was downloaded 21,934 times in the last 30 days.

### Does Groups work with WordPress 7.1?
Yes. The developer has tested Groups up to WordPress 7.1.2, the latest release. It requires WordPress 6.7 or newer.

### What PHP version does Groups need?
Groups requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.

### When was Groups last updated?
The latest version, 4.8.0, was released on September 24, 2026 (2 days ago).

### Who makes Groups?
Groups is developed and maintained by itthinx.

### What are the best alternatives to Groups?
The most popular alternatives to Groups are Loginizer (1M+ installs), User Role Editor (700K+ installs) and Members (300K+ installs).


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Source: live WordPress.org data · HTML version: https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/groups/ · Generated 2026-09-26 14:43 UTC by PageForge