Letter Avatars
by Sibin Grasic · Uncategorized
Also makes 6 other plugins · 1.5K+ installs across the portfolio →
Sets custom avatars for users without gravatar. Avatars will be replaced by first letter of usename (or e-mail) on a colorful background
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 47/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
200+
≈260 estimated
Momentum
-2%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “avatars”, “comment” and “custom avatar” 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.
47 health vs 58 average across 25,755 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.0%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 20.3K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,772 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.
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 6+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 5.3.27, 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 2434 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.3.27; the current branch is 6.8
4.6★ over 9 reviews, smoothed to 4.18★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 2434 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| avatars your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| comment your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| custom avatar your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| gravatar your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| letter 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
- “avatars”, “comment” and “custom avatar” 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 259 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #11,300 to #12,900, alongside the other plugins at 200+ 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 1 Nov 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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
6.7y ago
latest release · v3.1 · 3 Mar 2020
4
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 “200+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 5 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 55% of the way through.
Install history since 1 Feb 2018
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Domingo Piñeiro6.4y ago
Doesn’t work on my site.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ skylinks6.9y ago
During Installation I Thought It,ll Not Work With Latest Version Of WordPress Because Plugin Is Not Updated For A While , But It Is Working Perfect With latest Version & Also Compatible With Elementor .. Most Of All Support Is Amazing Sibin Helped Me A Lot To Achieve A Custom Layout For Me.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Arno Welzel7.7y ago
Works great and with good support by the maintainer. Thanks for your work!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ shafterp7.7y ago
But I really miss an option to only use capital letters. An option to only use the Material colors (or other specific color palette) would be nice too.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ miguel18768.5y ago
This Plugin is exactly what we were looking for. Most people do not have Gravatar and the Mystery Person default avatar in wordpress is quite boring and unpleasant. This plugin offers a fantastic way to enhance comments in much nicer way. And on top of it, it is backed by very professional and extremely fast support. We had a compatibility issue with a Reviews Plugin and the Author fixed that issue immediately and added support for the Reviews Plugin. We could not be happier. A strong 5 stars! Cheers
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Michaela Vranková8.7y ago
Letter Avatar plugin works simply and without any problems. It does exactly what I need. In addition, it is small, works on css basis. And that’s great. When I had a problem, the author responded and removed the problem. I love this plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Josh Stauffer8.7y ago
I chose this plugin over another similar plugin which had more installs and reviews because this plugin offers a solution as simply as possible. No images or scripts needed, just plain old CSS for the win. Kudos to the developer.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ nathaningram10.7y ago
Nice work! Much better than “Mystery Man” for unknown users.
Read on wp.org ↗
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 6 languages, 6 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
5 of 8 pass · checked 31 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 7 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 7 of 7 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 WooCommerce, BuddyPress.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,178 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "comment" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-05-22 300+ → 200+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-05-21 200+ → 300+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-05-19 300+ → 200+ down after 350 days in tier
- 2025-06-03 400+ → 300+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-06-02 300+ → 400+ up after 14 days in tier
- 2025-05-19 400+ → 300+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2025-05-17 300+ → 400+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-05-16 400+ → 300+ down after 286 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).
-
Avatar Manager 5K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags D -
WP First Letter Avatar 2K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags D - W WP Custom Avatar 400+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Custom Profile Picture – Replace Gravatar with Your Own Images 300+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags B - E Easy Gravatars 100+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D
-
BuddyPress First Letter Avatar 100+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Letter Avatars into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/letter-avatars" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Letter Avatars — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Letter Avatars: 200+ active installs, 4.6★ (9 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/letter-avatars
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