Co-Authors Plus
by Automattic · Login & Users
Also makes 78 other plugins · 18.1M+ installs across the portfolio →
Assign multiple bylines to posts, pages, and custom post types with a search-as-you-type input box.
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 82/100
no flags
Active installs
20K+
≈25K estimated
Momentum
+49%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “users” for “plus”. “users” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “plus” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
82 health vs 61 average across 2,204 Login & Users plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.2%
of downloads still active
At least 20K of 1.6M lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Login & Users plugin keeps 0.7%, across 1,477 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.
This plugin shipped 8 releases 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.
Excellent listing optimization
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 2 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
3.5★ over 77 reviews, smoothed to 3.74★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
1 of 2 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
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.
34
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.8
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
9%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
+0.1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| co authors your tag | #2 | #3 | down 1 |
| multi authors | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| authors your tag | #3 | #4 | down 1 |
| multiple authors your tag | #3 | #4 | down 1 |
| multi author your tag | #3 | #4 | up 1 |
| plus | #4 | #6 | down 1 |
| post co authors | #2 | #3 | 0 |
| multiple post authors | #3 | #6 | 0 |
| guest author | #8 | #13 | 0 |
| assign | #16 | #18 | down 1 |
| author profile | #13 | #12 | down 3 |
| author | #14 | #12 | down 3 |
| author box | #16 | #16 | up 1 |
| input | #24 | #19 | 0 |
| author by | #18 | #15 | up 1 |
| author search | #20 | #19 | — |
| author plugin | #23 | #19 | down 5 |
| users your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
76 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 17 listed. 59 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “users” for “plus”. “users” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “plus” sits at #4 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 57K · 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
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
8
releases in the last 12 months
2d ago
latest release · v4.2.0 · 30 Oct 2026
32
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. 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 17 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 1 Jun 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ jroselarsen2.4y ago
Would be a 5 star.But since reporting an error for more than a month ago, nothing has happened.Have to keep previous version to avoid errors.(Not possible for co-authors to edit posts without error)Would be sorry to find another plugin, since this seems to be the best.BR Johnny
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ audunmb2.5y ago
The latest update with new blocks adds much functionality, but unfortunately the plugin has some bugs and seems to be poorly supported. It’s a volunteer effort mostly, and there doesn’t seem to be an active maintainer. Currently nearly all support questions in the forums are unanswered and lots of issues on GitHub are open as well. I wish there was an active maintainer. Still I prefer this plugin over the alternatives which are a too bloated. With bug-fixes and active support this would be great.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ vytecolombia2.8y ago
Simplemente si quieres agregar varios autores a una entrada o simplemente cambiarlos, este plugin lo soluciona de una manera excelente, intuitiva y sin tanto complique. Muchas gracias a los desarrolladores, me ha servido bastante. Los quiero mucho.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ IdeFixx3.1y ago
Plugin also works with Twenty Twenty-Three theme with shortcodes, check “Shortcode breaks HTML” in the Support section.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ivan23433.2y ago
After removing this plugin all my posts were broken and I had to recover site from a backup. Also the newly registered taxonomy here is not public, which leads to not being able to view other posts of a particular author. The plugin needs improvement.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ncaross3.9y ago
Plug-ins are supposed to plug-in and work. This one requires you to be a web developer to make it work. Even if you’re a bit familiar with adding code to places with good instructions, this just has information for devs on how to install code – there’s no list of instructions to follow. If this changes because there’s nothing else out there, I’ll come back and revise this review, but I’ve wasted way too long on this now.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Marcus Anthony Cyganiak4.4y ago
This plugin simply does not work anymore. No matter which author is chosen, whether singularity or co-habiting of a post, the admin user is always displayed, and no other author. It’s a shame because this plugin was the best solution for administrating co-authors of posts, if you needed the option.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ smerriman4.5y ago
I rarely ever give 1 star reviews, but developers who take over a plugin – making a breaking change that took a while to resolve – and then refuse to follow standard practice by providing a changelog (despite requests) for future updates, cannot be trusted. Avoid at all costs.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 4.1.2 Security: Tighten permission checks when changing a post’s co-authors. Thanks to Faisal Ahammad for responsibly disclosing the issue. 4.1.2
- — Version 4.1.3 Changed: Co-authors now get the rights the post’s author would have under the co-author’s own role. A Subscriber credited on a post can no longer edit it, and co-authors can trash posts they are credited on when their ro 4.1.3
- — Version 4.2.0 Changed: RSS feeds credit each item’s co-authors on every site. To keep the old feed bylines, return false from the coauthors_filter_feed_authors filter. Changed: Creating, listing and editing guest authors needs the gue 4.2.0
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (4.2.0). Sites still on an older version should update.
- 2022-06-07 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects 3.5 - 3.5.1 Patched in 3.5.2
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 72 languages, 2 at 90% or more
Plus 48 more locales with partial translations.
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
5 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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 6 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 6 of 6 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Block editor, REST API, Multisite.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,148 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "multi author", "users" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-06-20 30K+ → 20K+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2025-06-16 20K+ → 30K+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2025-06-13 30K+ → 20K+ down after 100 days in tier
- 2025-03-05 20K+ → 30K+ up after 73 days in tier
- 2024-12-22 30K+ → 20K+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2024-12-18 20K+ → 30K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-12-17 30K+ → 20K+ down after 6 days in tier
- 2024-12-11 20K+ → 30K+ up after 2 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).
- B Byline 200+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags D
-
Co-Authors, Multiple Authors and Guest Authors in an Author Box with PublishPress Authors 20K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Molongui Authorship – Author Boxes, Guest Authors & Co-Authors for WordPress 10K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Starbox – the Author Box for Humans 10K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags C -
ThemeRuby Multi Authors – Assign Multiple Writers to Posts 2K+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags - A Authors Widget 1K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Co-Authors Plus into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/co-authors-plus" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Co-Authors Plus — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Co-Authors Plus: 20K+ active installs, 3.5★ (77 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/co-authors-plus
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