Other workarounds people try

Allow Multiple Accounts isn’t the only approach people use to work around WordPress’s one-email-per-user restriction. Here are the most common alternatives and where they fall short.

Manual email aliases (plus addressing)

The most common DIY method. A parent registers with [email protected], then creates a second account with [email protected]. Gmail delivers both to the same inbox, and WordPress sees them as different users.

The problem: each account still needs its own login and password. The parent has to log out and back in to switch between accounts. Password reset emails all land in the same inbox with no clear way to tell which account they belong to. And you’re relying on your users to know that plus addressing exists and to set it up correctly themselves — most won’t.

Creating separate accounts with different emails

Some site owners just ask each family member to register separately. This works for adult users who each have their own email, but it breaks down completely for families with children. Kids under 13 typically don’t have email addresses, and parents don’t want to create throwaway emails for each child.

Even when everyone does have an email, there’s no connection between the accounts. The parent can’t see their children’s course progress, manage their memberships, or control their access. Each person is a completely independent user as far as WordPress is concerned.

Sharing one login for the whole family

The path of least resistance. The whole family uses one account with one set of credentials. This avoids the multi-login hassle but creates worse problems: course progress, quiz scores, order history, and membership data all get mixed together. If two siblings are taking the same course, their completions overwrite each other. There’s no way to track individual progress or generate per-person reports.

Group or corporate account plugins

Plugins like PMPro Group Accounts, LearnDash Groups, or MemberPress Corporate Accounts let one person purchase access for a group. But these were designed for organizations, not families. They typically still require every sub-user to have their own email address and login credentials. They solve the “one person pays for many” problem, but they don’t solve the “one login for the family” problem.

The modern approach: one login, multiple profiles

Instead of hacking around WordPress’s email restriction, ProfileSwitch takes a fundamentally different approach.

One account. One login. Multiple profiles.

After logging in, users see a full-screen profile picker — similar to how streaming services let you choose who’s using the account — and select which profile to use. Each profile is a real WordPress user with its own data, progress, memberships, and activity, all completely separate.

The email problem is solved automatically: ProfileSwitch generates unique emails for each profile using plus addressing (e.g., [email protected], [email protected]). Everything routes back to one inbox, but WordPress sees each profile as a distinct user. No duplicate email hacks needed.

Customize it to match your site

The profile switcher is fully customizable from the WordPress admin. Choose a color scheme, upload a background image, set a custom heading, and upload preset avatars — with a live preview so you can see every change before saving.

Allow Multiple Accounts vs. ProfileSwitch

Frequently asked questions

Can I use ProfileSwitch and Allow Multiple Accounts at the same time?

You can, but there’s no reason to. ProfileSwitch handles the email uniqueness problem automatically through plus addressing — there’s no need to remove WordPress’s duplicate email restriction. If you’ve been using Allow Multiple Accounts, you can safely deactivate it after installing ProfileSwitch.

How many profiles can one account have?

You set the maximum number of profiles per account in the ProfileSwitch settings. If you use Paid Memberships Pro, you can even set different limits per membership level — for example, a “Family” plan might allow 5 profiles while an “Individual” plan allows none.

What happens to email notifications?

All emails go to the parent’s inbox. ProfileSwitch generates unique email addresses for sub-profiles using plus addressing (e.g. [email protected]), which means every notification — course completions, order confirmations, membership updates — is delivered to the parent automatically. No extra inboxes needed.

Does ProfileSwitch work with my LMS or membership plugin?

ProfileSwitch works at the WordPress user level, so it’s compatible with any plugin that uses standard WordPress users. It has specific built-in integrations with Paid Memberships Pro, WooCommerce, LearnDash, LifterLMS, BuddyPress, and BuddyBoss. Other plugins like MemberPress, Tutor LMS, and Restrict Content Pro work out of the box because each profile is a real WordPress user.

Is ProfileSwitch actively maintained?

Yes. ProfileSwitch is actively developed with regular updates, security patches, and new features. It’s tested against the latest versions of WordPress and PHP. The last Allow Multiple Accounts update was in 2018.