BP Local Avatars
by shanebp · Uncategorized
Also makes 8 other plugins · 1.7K+ installs across the portfolio →
A BuddyPress plugin that creates Gravatar avatars for any user or group without one, and stores them locally.
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
B 78/100
Few reviews
Active installs
100+
≈150 estimated
Momentum
+38%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Add “bp”, “avatar” and “change avatar” to your wp.org tags. You rank #14, #24 and #24 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 0 listed these are the slots worth spending.
78 health vs 58 average across 25,752 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.9%
of downloads still active
At least 100 of 11.2K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,773 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 1 release in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
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: Listing tuning
Updated 198 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.8.12, the current branch or newer
4.1★ over 7 reviews, smoothed to 4.10★ and held back under 25 reviews
0 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Only 0 tags — use the full 5 relevant tags so search matches more queries.
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.
35
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.5
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
8%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
+0.7
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 | #12 | #22 | down 2 |
| change avatar | #24 | #23 | 0 |
| avatar | #24 | #23 | down 6 |
| new avatars | #15 | #21 | 0 |
| avatars plugin | #18 | #23 | down 3 |
12 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 5 listed. 7 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Add “bp”, “avatar” and “change avatar” to your wp.org tags. You rank #14, #24 and #24 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 0 listed these are the slots worth spending.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 124 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #13,300 to #16,400, alongside the other plugins at 100+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 21 Oct 2026.
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
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
1
releases in the last 12 months
7mo ago
latest release · v3.0 · 17 Apr 2026
13
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 “100+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 23 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 10 Mar 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Anonymous8.5y ago
Hi, After generating local save for all gravatars, the main gravatar has gone. Only smaller gravatars are still there but the main and biggest photo (150 x 150px) has changed to the grey buddypress person. Users who did not used gravater had no issue. What a pitty!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ tamarama9.9y ago
Like all products from Shane and the Philopress team, the plugin works great, and thanks to their friendly support they are a pleasure to work with. 5/5. I rely on several of Philopress’ products to run my Buddypress-powered community site.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ joshuajao10.7y ago
Tried a lot local avatar for buddypress, this is the only one works for me. Really good plugin and solved my problem. Since Gravatar is blocked from my country, My site can’t running avatar without this plugin.Huge thanks again. The only thing I wish you can improve is the avatar on post comment for people who are not logged in. Currently it is not working. Is it possible to make this working?
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Henry Wright11.4y ago
If you use the Gravatar service, this plugin will help speed up your website by storing the Gravatar-generated images locally. No need to make external calls.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wallee11.4y ago
Do not use until updated
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ solhuebner11.6y ago
Great idea!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Slava Abakumov11.7y ago
That is said
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.4
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
3 of 8 pass · checked 1 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "A BuddyPress plugin that creates Gravatar avatars for any user or group without one, and stores them locally."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 2 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions BuddyPress.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,212 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text No tags set.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-12-02 200+ → 100+ down after 30 days in tier
- 2024-11-02 100+ → 200+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-11-01 200+ → 100+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2024-10-29 100+ → 200+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2024-10-27 200+ → 100+ down after 7 days in tier
- 2024-10-20 100+ → 200+ up after 8 days in tier
- 2024-10-12 200+ → 100+ down after 122 days in tier
- 2024-06-12 100+ → 200+ up after 7 days in tier
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for BP Local Avatars into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/bp-local-avatars" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="BP Local Avatars — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> BP Local Avatars: 100+ active installs, 4.1★ (7 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/bp-local-avatars
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