Capabilities alternative

uiXpress vs PublishPress Capabilities

A role and capability editor with Pro controls for admin menus, editor features, and URL blocks.

About this comparison

If you are looking for a PublishPress Capabilities alternative, this page compares what Capabilities actually ships with what uiXpress includes. PublishPress Capabilities (plugin slug capability-manager-enhanced) is the access-control plugin from PublishPress, with 100,000+ installs. Free features include creating and copying roles, editing WordPress and plugin capabilities, editor-feature cleanup, admin/toolbar/dashboard hiding, frontend CSS hiding, profile-feature hiding, redirects, navigation-menu restrictions, user testing, and admin-notice control. Pro adds admin-menu editing, blocking admin pages by URL, deeper editor-feature removal, media and WooCommerce permissions, and taxonomy capabilities. Pro is sold as the yearly PublishPress plugin bundle from $129. It does not rebuild the rest of wp-admin.

Compared against features published on publishpress.com/capabilities and public pricing available in .

Feature comparison

Feature comparison of uiXpress and PublishPress Capabilities
Feature uiXpress Capabilities
Modern rebuilt admin UI
uiXpress: Vue admin shell that replaces default wp-admin screens, not a skin over core markupCapabilities: Not available in Capabilities
Built-in analytics dashboard
uiXpress: Privacy-first traffic, users, media, WooCommerce, and site-health cards with date rangesCapabilities: Not available in Capabilities
Admin dark mode
uiXpress: Dark Engine styles the full admin, including Gutenberg, classic screens, and third-party pluginsCapabilities: Not available in Capabilities
White label branding
uiXpress: Logos, favicon, text replacement, and plugin renaming across the adminCapabilities: Not available in Capabilities
Login page customization
uiXpress: Modern login layout, custom login URL, per-role redirects, and optional Cloudflare TurnstileCapabilities: Role-based redirects — not a login-page designer
Global command search
uiXpress: Keyboard-first search across posts, users, taxonomies, plugins, and admin menu itemsCapabilities: Not available in Capabilities
Admin menu editor
uiXpress: Menu Creator with drag-and-drop, role targeting, custom links, and import/exportCapabilities: Admin menu editing and restrictions are a Pro feature
Modern plugin manager
uiXpress: Split-panel plugin workspace with performance inspector, rollback, and fatal-error recoveryCapabilities: Not available in Capabilities
Modern media library
uiXpress: Rebuilt media workspace with grid/list views, unused-file filters, tags, and replaceCapabilities: Pro media-library permissions — not a rebuilt media workspace
Modern content tables
uiXpress: Rebuilt posts, pages, users, and comments tables with inline edit, filters, and batch actionsCapabilities: Not available in Capabilities
Activity audit log
uiXpress: Searchable on-site activity log with before-and-after diffs, auth events, and retention controlsCapabilities: Not available in Capabilities
Role and capability editor
uiXpress: Create and edit roles and grouped capabilities in a dedicated workspaceCapabilities: Full role and capability editor, including editor-feature restrictions
Database explorer
uiXpress: Browse tables, inspect schema, and run guarded read-only SQL from the adminCapabilities: Not available in Capabilities
Remote multi-site switcher
uiXpress: Connect remote WordPress sites with application passwords and switch without leaving adminCapabilities: Not available in Capabilities
One-time license
uiXpress: Lifetime plans from Solo, with yearly billing as an optionCapabilities: Capabilities Pro is sold in the yearly PublishPress bundle from $129

Included Limited Not available

The short version.

PublishPress Capabilities is the permissions specialist. uiXpress is the admin suite with a role editor — choose Capabilities for editorial access control, uiXpress when roles are one workspace among many.

Where Capabilities fits.

What it includes

  • Create, edit, and duplicate WordPress user roles
  • Control core and plugin capabilities
  • Editor Features: hide Gutenberg or Classic Editor UI by role
  • Admin Features: hide toolbar items, dashboard widgets, and admin UI
  • Frontend feature hiding via CSS
  • Profile-screen feature hiding and login redirects
  • Navigation menu restrictions by role or login state
  • User testing without resetting passwords
  • Pro: admin menu editing and per-role menu access
  • Pro: block admin pages by URL
  • Pro: media library and WooCommerce permissions

Strengths and limits

Strongest when

  • Deep permissions toolkit, including editor-screen cleanup
  • User testing is built in
  • Free version already covers role and capability editing

The boundary

  • Permissions specialist — not an admin theme
  • Admin menu editor is Pro
  • No analytics, activity diffs, or rebuilt media/plugin apps
  • Pro is a yearly PublishPress bundle, not a lifetime single plugin

Everything inside uiXpress.

Explore all features
Admin interface
  • Rebuilt Vue admin shell with sidebar, toolbar, and SPA navigation
  • Theme Designer with color presets, density, radius, and custom fonts
  • Dark Engine for native WordPress and third-party admin screens
  • Light, dark, system, or forced global theme
  • Custom logos, dark-mode logos, and admin favicon
  • Admin custom CSS and extra stylesheets
  • Frontend toolbar that matches the admin chrome
  • Disable uiXpress by role, user, or URL pattern
White label and login
  • Rename the plugin in the plugins list and settings menu
  • Find-and-replace text across menus, plugin headers, and Vue screens
  • Modern split-panel login page with optional side image
  • Custom login URL and per-role login redirects
  • Optional Cloudflare Turnstile on login
Dashboard and analytics
  • Custom dashboard with Overview, Analytics, and WooCommerce Store tabs
  • Per-user card layout: drag, resize, show, and hide
  • Built-in privacy-first analytics or Google Analytics 4
  • Page views, visitors, sessions, countries, referrers, devices, and campaigns
  • Real-time active visitors, conversions, and event tracking
  • Media analytics, user registrations, scheduled content, and server health
  • WooCommerce revenue, orders, products, customers, and coupons
Workspaces
  • Global command search with history, quick actions, and menu links
  • Menu Creator with role targeting, drafts, and import/export
  • Modern plugin manager with WordPress.org browse, ZIP upload, and bulk actions
  • Plugin performance profiler and update protector with rollback
  • Modern media library with unused-file filters, tags, SVG, and font uploads
  • Modern posts, pages, users, and comments tables with inline and batch edit
Admin tools
  • Activity logger with diffs, IP, user agent, and retention cleanup
  • Role editor with grouped capabilities and role cloning
  • Database explorer with schema view and SELECT-only SQL
  • Admin notices targeted by role or user
  • Remote site switcher with encrypted application passwords
  • Settings import/export and optional GitHub settings sync

Common questions.

Is uiXpress a good alternative to PublishPress Capabilities?
Yes. uiXpress is a PublishPress Capabilities alternative for teams that need a role editor as part of a rebuilt admin, not a standalone permissions suite. PublishPress Capabilities is the permissions specialist. uiXpress is the admin suite with a role editor — choose Capabilities for editorial access control, uiXpress when roles are one workspace among many.
Does uiXpress replace PublishPress Capabilities?
uiXpress includes a role and capability editor with grouping and cloning. Capabilities still goes further on editor-feature hiding, URL blocks, user testing, and WooCommerce/media permission extras.
Can PublishPress Capabilities restyle the WordPress admin?
It can hide menus, toolbar items, and editor UI. It does not rebuild the admin chrome. uiXpress does both branding and a role workspace.
Does PublishPress Capabilities include analytics?
No. uiXpress includes analytics and a role editor in one product.

Ready to try uiXpress instead of Capabilities?

Lifetime and yearly plans. 14-day money-back guarantee.