Change Author
by Martin Teley · Login & Users
Also makes 1 other plugin · 1K+ installs across the portfolio →
This plugin lets you assign non-authors as post author.
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
D 44/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
1K+
≈1.5K estimated
Momentum
+6%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “any user author”, “author” and “custom author” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
44 health vs 61 average across 2,203 Login & Users plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.4%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 41.2K 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.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 8+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.8.34, well behind 6.8.
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.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 3259 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.8.34; the current branch is 6.8
4.0★ over 12 reviews, smoothed to 4.08★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3259 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.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| any user author your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| author your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| custom author your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| custom post author your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| user your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “any user author”, “author” and “custom author” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 1.7K · 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
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.
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 97% 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 “1K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 15 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 Dec 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ vnkjoshi7.8y ago
Work as expected. Thank you so much.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ romanbitca8.2y ago
easy. useful. light.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Alex Mansfield8.3y ago
This plugin attempts to override the default author meta box, but that doesn’t seem to work any more. However, it is possible to simply filter the options for the author dropdown list like this to get the same result: function add_subscribers_to_dropdown( $query_args, $r ) { $query_args['who'] = ''; return $query_args; } add_filter( 'wp_dropdown_users_args', 'add_subscribers_to_dropdown', 10, 2 ); More details in the user contributed notes for the wp_dropdown_users_args filter. This topic was modified 8 years ago by Alex Mansfield.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ clicksimply8.5y ago
This plugin doesn’t work on the newest versions of WordPress. Hopefully the author updates soon!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ agsrescue8.9y ago
With the addon installed, nothing changed or allowed me to change the name of the author on my multisite.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Rik03999.0y ago
Drove me crazy what should have been a WP default! So I had to add yet another plugin to fix the issue! Well done to the developer!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ God Aliens9.1y ago
The plugin is user friendly and works perfectly. Thanks to the developer.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ScottKursk9.2y ago
A _MUCH_ needed addition to the functionality of WordPress. Posting multiple authors to our site, the plugin adds some seriously needed time saving functionality to WordPress. Can’t speak highly enough of it.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
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
2 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "This plugin lets you assign non-authors as post author."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 7 questions in the FAQ.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 3 of 7 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Installation Instructions").
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 603 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("any user author", "custom author", "custom post author" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-08-20 2K+ → 1K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-08-19 1K+ → 2K+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2025-08-15 2K+ → 1K+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2025-08-13 1K+ → 2K+ up after 9 days in tier
- 2025-08-04 2K+ → 1K+ down after 654 days in tier
- 2023-10-20 3K+ → 2K+ down after 381 days in tier
- 2022-10-04 4K+ → 3K+ down after 541 days in tier
- 2021-04-11 5K+ → 4K+ down
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).
-
Meks Smart Author Widget 10K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags C - C Custom Author Byline 500+ installs · 3.5★ · 2 shared tags D
- H HTML in Author Bio 100+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags
- J Juiz User Custom Meta 20+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D
- W Wp Subcribe Author 10+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags D
-
User Role Editor 700K+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Change Author into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/change-author" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Change Author — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Change Author: 1K+ active installs, 4.0★ (12 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/change-author
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