User Switching vs. Separate Identities: When a Plugin Isn't Enough

What does the User Switching plugin do?

It lets an admin become any other user on a WordPress site in one click, then switch back. If you’ve ever needed to see a WordPress site as someone else, you’ve probably met the User Switching plugin. It’s on more than 200,000 sites, and for good reason. Its own description says it all: “Instant switching between user accounts in WordPress and WooCommerce.”

From the Users screen, you click Switch To next to any user and you’re that person. A Switch back link in the toolbar returns you to your admin account. No passwords, no test-account spreadsheet. Its plugin page says it’s compatible with most membership and user management plugins.

For a quick “what does this member see?” check, it’s hard to beat. The trouble starts when the question is bigger than one member.

What can’t User Switching do?

It shows you one user at a time, skips the real login, and works only on the site it’s installed on. Here’s where that matters.

You’re still one person at a time. The plugin’s page is clear about it: “You’ll be instantly logged out and logged in as your desired user.” To compare a Gold member with a Silver member, you switch, look, switch back, switch again, and hold the first view in your head. You never see two roles side by side.

Switch, look, switch back, switch again. You never see two roles side by side.

Your admin tab goes away. While you’re switched, you’re not the admin. Change a setting, and you have to switch back, edit, and switch out again to see the result. On a busy day that loop is most of the job.

It isn’t a real login. Switching skips the login form, so you never see what a member sees when they sign in: the redirect after login, a “welcome back” message, a two-factor step, a login-protected landing page. Those are often where membership bugs live.

Switching skips the login form, and the login form is often where membership bugs live.

Logged-out visitors are a separate step. The plugin’s “Switch off” logs you out with a way back in, which is handy, but that’s still one view at a time.

It lives on the site. You install it on every site you want to test, and by default only users who can edit other users can switch. That’s the right security choice for the plugin, but it means a client’s editor or a QA tester without admin rights can’t use it out of the box, and some teams prefer not to add plugins to production.

It doesn’t cross sites. Switching works inside one WordPress install. Testing a membership site alongside its payment dashboard, email tool or support desk means logging in to those separately.

What’s the alternative to a user-switching plugin?

Sign each user in to their own Identity in Ghost Browser. Instead of changing who you are on the site, Ghost Browser gives each tab an Identity with its own cookies. Each Identity signs in normally, as a real member, and stays signed in next to the others.

Need the logged-out view too? Right-click a tab and choose Duplicate into new Temporary Identity. You get the same page with fresh cookies, while your admin tab stays signed in. Save the whole set as a Workspace, and reopen it for the next release instead of signing everyone in again.

	User Switching plugin	Separate Identities in Ghost Browser
Roles visible at once	One	As many as you open
Admin stays signed in while testing	No, you switch back	Yes, in its own tab
Uses the real login flow	No, skips the login form	Yes
Logged-out view	Switch off, one view at a time	A Temporary Identity, next to the others
Installs on the site	Yes, on every site	No, nothing changes on the site
Who can use it	By default, users who can edit other users	Anyone with test logins
Works across other sites (payments, email, support)	No	Yes, any site with logins
Needs passwords for test users	No	Yes, one set of test accounts
Cost	Free	Free for up to three Identities

The one place the plugin clearly wins is passwords. It can become any real user without knowing their password, which helps when you’re chasing a support issue for a specific customer. Identities need test accounts you can log in to.

Should I use User Switching or separate Identities?

Use User Switching for a quick look as one specific customer, and Identities when you’re testing a change across every role.

• One quick look as a specific customer: use User Switching. It’s built for that.
• Testing a change across every membership level: use Identities, so admin and every level sit side by side and you see the change land everywhere at once.
• Testing sign-up, login and checkout: use Identities, so you go through the real login flow, and a Temporary Identity gives you a brand-new visitor every time. To start a saved Identity fresh, clear its browsing data.
• Testing on a site you can’t add plugins to: use Identities. Nothing changes on the site.

Can I use both?

Yes, and you don’t have to pick. Plenty of developers keep User Switching for one-off support checks and run their release testing in Identities. Keep your admin in one Identity with the plugin, and your test members in their own Identities next to it. When a customer reports something odd, switch to them from the admin tab, while your test members stay signed in for comparison.

Keep User Switching for one-off support checks. Run your release testing in Identities.

The full setup, with a checklist of what to test as each role, is in our guide: How to Test Every User Role on a WordPress Membership Site at Once. Before every release or update, run through the pre-release checklist to see your site as every customer.

Frequently asked questions

Can I switch users in WordPress without a plugin?

No. WordPress doesn’t have a built-in way to switch users. Without a plugin you log out and back in, use a private window, or sign each user in to their own Identity.

Does User Switching work with WooCommerce?

Yes. Its plugin page says you can switch users from WooCommerce admin screens while logged in as a Shop Manager or an administrator.

Can someone who isn’t an admin use User Switching?

Not by default. Switching needs the ability to edit other users, which on a single site means Administrators. Its plugin page says the switch_users capability can be granted to other users or roles.

Does User Switching show me a user’s password?

No. Its plugin page says passwords are not, and cannot be, revealed.

Will my Chrome extensions still work in Ghost Browser?

Yes. Ghost Browser is built on Chromium, so DevTools and Chrome extensions work as they do in Chrome.

Does Ghost Browser run on Mac, Windows and Linux?

Yes. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Can I see what a member in another country sees?

Yes, on the Pro plan. Proxy Manager can put a proxy on an Identity, so one tab sees your site from another region while the others stay local.

How do I get started?

Download Ghost Browser free. The free plan includes three Identities: enough for your admin, one member and a logged-out visitor, side by side.

Download Ghost Browser · Read the full guide · See how developers and QA teams use Ghost Browser.