Disable User Gravatar
by Marcus (aka @msykes) · Uncategorized
Also makes 13 other plugins · 153.9K+ installs across the portfolio →
Stops WordPress from grabbing a user avatar using their registrated email from gravatar.com.
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 49/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
2K+
≈2.9K estimated
Momentum
+25%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “activity stream”, “avatar” and “gravatar” 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.
49 health vs 58 average across 25,738 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.7%
of downloads still active
At least 2K of 42.5K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,771 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.
Removal-risk signals
53/100Maintenance 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 3+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Falling behind WordPress. Tested up to WordPress 6.1.16.
Details
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 10 reviews to 2022-12-03Reviewers call it a must-have for privacy, and several say it also cut the load time from Gravatar requests.
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.
Room to improve
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 1460 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.1.16; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 10 reviews, smoothed to 4.25★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 1460 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| activity stream your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| avatar your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| gravatar your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| wordpress mu your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| wpmu your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
2 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 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
- “activity stream”, “avatar” and “gravatar” 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 467 · 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.
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
4.0y ago
latest release · v3.1 · 1 Nov 2022
4
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 95% 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 “2K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 51 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 3K.
Install history since 7 Nov 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ fawp3.9y ago
I can’t believe this plugin has only 4k installations. This should be a standard option for WP core. It’s great not to have to worry about privacy issues caused by Gravatar, as well as the fact that it eliminates the gravatar.com loading time, which sometimes can be a real drag. All thanks to this plugin. Thank you very much!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Scott Tyrus Washburn4.8y ago
This is an essential plugin for privacy of sites containing forums or other login for users. This should be a basic, default feature of WordPress. Thanks for the awesome plugin!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ No3x8.4y ago
The plugin is a must-have for each WordPress installation. One can’t process the email of the user (personal information) to create a hash and sent it to a remote server without consent of the user.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mazana8.5y ago
BIG Thank You! I agree with BubbaLovesTV and okonno. Hope it really doesn’t send e-mail addresses to gravatar or anywhere else. (Why I can’t just give 5*? Why I must leave a review?)
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ narinder9128.5y ago
This plugin is really needed. Hope the author keeps updating it to keep it compatible with new versions of WordPress.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ okonno8.6y ago
it just kind of ‘clicked’ for me how insidious Gravatar is and how no one should have it installed. Any site allowing user signup is sending data to WordPress (Auttomatic) for them to sell. Gravatar is very confusing for users (creates 2 profiles for every site basically) and seems to exist only for Auttomatic to make $$$ …
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ BubbaLovesWP9.5y ago
Nice little plugin that does the trick. Thanks.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mtran0039.8y ago
Works just fine with my installation of 4.7.1. I use the Avatar feature from my Profile Builder Pro Plugin so I used this to disable Gravatar.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 3.1 fixed BuddyPress compatability issue 3.1
- — Version 3.0 added options to disable gravatar connection completely and use default image instead fixed avatar display issues when BuddyPress is enabled added further BuddyPress support to use default image or use BP’s gravatar disa 3.0
- — Version 2.2 added filter for BuddyPress fallback on Gravatar (kudos to @baptx) 2.2
- — Version 2.1 changed object structure to static and updated to be PHP 7 compatible fixed bp_core_fetch_avatar showing original avatar when only requesting the URL fixed avatars for post author not taken into account in certain situat 2.1
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.4.8 · WP 5.6
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 29 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 No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you have"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions BuddyPress.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,219 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("Activity Stream", "wordpress MU", "wpmu" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-09-10 3K+ → 2K+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2026-09-07 2K+ → 3K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-06 3K+ → 2K+ down after 1168 days in tier
- 2023-06-26 4K+ → 3K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2023-06-25 3K+ → 4K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2023-06-24 4K+ → 3K+ down after 243 days in tier
- 2022-10-24 3K+ → 4K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2022-10-23 4K+ → 3K+ down 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).
-
Simple Local Avatars 100K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
One User Avatar | User Profile Picture 100K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
User Profile Picture 40K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
Basic User Avatars 20K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags C -
Simple User Avatar 20K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A -
Easy Author Avatar Image 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Disable User Gravatar into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/disable-user-gravatar" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Disable User Gravatar — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Disable User Gravatar: 2K+ active installs, 5.0★ (10 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/disable-user-gravatar
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