Basic User Avatars
by Jared Atchison · Login & Users
Also makes 7 other plugins · 23.1K+ installs across the portfolio →
Add an avatar upload field on frontend pages and Edit Profile screen so users can add a custom profile picture.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
C 59/100
Stale
Active installs
20K+
≈29K estimated
Momentum
+21%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “avatar”, “gravatar” and “profile” for “local avatar”, “avatar upload” and “basic”. “avatar” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “local avatar” sits at #15 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “gravatar” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “avatar upload” sits at #22 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “profile” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “basic” sits at #24 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
59 health vs 61 average across 2,203 Login & Users plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →9.7%
of downloads still active
At least 20K of 206.2K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Login & Users plugin keeps 0.7%, across 1,476 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Login & Users plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 715 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.7.11; the current branch is 6.8
4.7★ over 42 reviews, smoothed to 4.37★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 715 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
33
Momentum
Losing ground
-1.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
11%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
-0.3
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| avatars | #15 | #16 | down 3 |
| basic | #24 | #16 | down 5 |
| local avatar | #15 | #13 | 0 |
| avatar upload | #22 | #16 | up 1 |
| user avatar | #24 | #20 | down 3 |
| new avatars | #18 | #16 | down 1 |
| avatars plugin | #21 | #17 | down 3 |
| avatar your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| gravatar your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| profile your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| user profile your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| users your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
9 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 7 listed. 2 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “avatar”, “gravatar” and “profile” for “local avatar”, “avatar upload” and “basic”. “avatar” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “local avatar” sits at #15 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “gravatar” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “avatar upload” sits at #22 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “profile” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “basic” sits at #24 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 13.1K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
2.0y ago
latest release · v1.0.9 · 15 Nov 2024
7
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “20K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2.1 years ago; the previous band took 22 months to cross, which places it about 90% of the way through.
Install history since 9 Dec 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Verity Cantare4mo ago
I didn’t need a huge member management plugin. Just something to let my users add avatar pics without signing up for yet another service (Gravatar). This is simple and perfect. Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mikefury1.8y ago
Great plugin. Thank you
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Thiago Pacheco2.1y ago
Simple, objective and clean. Effective for users to upload their profile picture on the frontend. Congratulations!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Eder Ribeiro2.6y ago
Simple, light, secure and easy to customize. Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Soprano3.5y ago
Works really well to host local avatars, hoping they add a bit more options and integrations in the future
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jacksonbatnerd3.8y ago
Does what is says it does, perfect if you want a front-end option for users to upload and editing their profile picture.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ arslank73.9y ago
Thank you so much… <3
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kdelsimone5.3y ago
Just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to the developers for this plugin. The ol’ switcheroo of WP User Avatar to Profile Press left me frustrated and looking for an alternative. This plugin meets my needs for a simple, basic solution. It’s also easy to customize and works seamlessly with Paid Memberships Pro. Thanks again, and cheers!
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- 2024-11-13 Version 1.0.9 ENHANCEMENT: Update tested up to WordPress 6.7. 1.0.9
- 2024-01-23 Version 1.0.8 ENHANCEMENT: Added filter ‘basic_user_avatars_default_size’ to allow changing the default size of the avatar. (Thanks @jarrydlong) ENHANCEMENT: Improved functionality on how we load the text domain of the plugin for tran 1.0.8
- 2021-05-19 Version 1.0.5 ENHANCEMENT: Now pulling avatar from WP User Avatar if we don’t have one yet 1.0.5
- 2020-01-12 Version 1.0.4 BUG FIX: Fixed typos on readme.txt – Thanks @fred-pedro ENHANCEMENT: Added translation for Spanish – Thanks @ricardpriet ENHANCEMENT: Added translation for Brazilian Portuguese – Thanks @allysonsouza ENHANCEMENT: Added t 1.0.4
- 2015-08-05 Version 1.0.3 ENHANCEMENT: Added Swedish and Finnish translations – Thanks @dmaester 1.0.3
- 2015-04-17 Version 1.0.2 ENHANCEMENT: Added POT file for translation 1.0.2
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.7
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 9 languages, 4 at 90% or more
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
4 of 8 pass · checked 26 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Add an avatar upload field on frontend pages and Edit Profile screen so users can add a custom profile pict..."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("use this"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WooCommerce, bbPress.
- ! Headings and lists 2 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,636 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "gravatar" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-09-26 10K+ → 20K+ up after 670 days in tier
- 2022-11-26 9K+ → 10K+ up after 55 days in tier
- 2022-10-02 8K+ → 9K+ up after 89 days in tier
- 2022-07-05 7K+ → 8K+ up after 287 days in tier
- 2021-09-21 6K+ → 7K+ up after 398 days in tier
- 2020-08-19 7K+ → 6K+ down after 56 days in tier
- 2020-06-24 8K+ → 7K+ down after 198 days in tier
- 2019-12-09 9K+ → 8K+ down after 221 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Simple Local Avatars 100K+ installs · 4.5★ · 4 shared tags A -
One User Avatar | User Profile Picture 100K+ installs · 4.5★ · 4 shared tags A -
User Profile Picture 40K+ installs · 4.5★ · 4 shared tags A -
Easy Author Avatar Image 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 4 shared tags B -
Avatar Manager 5K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags D -
User Avatar – Reloaded 800+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Basic User Avatars into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/basic-user-avatars" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Basic User Avatars — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Basic User Avatars: 20K+ active installs, 4.7★ (42 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/basic-user-avatars
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