Meks Smart Author Widget

How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.

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

How often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.

Share of active installs on each version of this plugin · 99% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.

Refined from the date this plugin crossed into its current band.

No paid tier is visible, so we don't put a figure on revenue or sale value: that would be guessing. The install base is a real asset to an acquirer, just not one public data lets us price.

1. ★★★★★ naveenyouth

   2.9y ago

   My theme didn’t come with an author box; so, I’m using this plugin. This is an excellent plugin which works well on all devices!

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ JJNW

   6.6y ago

   This is an amazing plugin, period. Lots of widget options, from size of avatar to automatically detect author (by the posts they published – VERY COOL), from linking authors name to link showing all their posts in the author’s box! It’s a GREAT plugin. The ONLY thing I wish it had, that would have made it 6 stars (if that’s even possible LOL) would have been able to remove, else select NONE in “Choose author/user” drop down list. The Automatically Detect Author is too good, unto itself! 🙂 But just that one option, NONE in “Choose author/user” would have made this the most perfect of all author blocks out there. The reason why none, is I don’t want to show admin (me) on every page outside of actual posts (would rather not have it on pages, just actual posts). Great work, thank you for this awesome plugin! PS plugin IS RESPONSIVE (tested on multiple browsers, trust). This topic was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by JJNW. This topic was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by JJNW.

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3. ★★★★★ brandontyler024

   8.8y ago

   Simply not responsive out of the box.

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ jrcollins

   10.0y ago

   This was the best plugin I could find for displaying an author profile in the sidebar.

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ sublines

   10.1y ago

   Works well out of the box and is easily configurable. Looks good from the start.

   Read on wp.org ↗
6. ★★★★★ hugoprout

   10.2y ago

   I’ve made a big search with a lot of widgets breaking or simply not working. This widget worked fine and is also configurable.

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ helibertoarias

   11.9y ago

   This plugging work fine.

   Read on wp.org ↗
8. ★★★★★ helibertoarias

   11.9y ago

   This plugging work fine.

   Read on wp.org ↗

Recent releases and news for this plugin

1. — Version 1.1.5 WP 6.6 compatibility tested Patched a minor security issue 1.1.5
2. — Version 1.1.4 WP 6.3 compatibility tested Patched a minor security issue 1.1.4
3. — Version 1.1.3 Fixed: Compatibility with Widget editor in WP 5.8 1.1.3
4. — Version 1.1.2 Added: Notification for meks plugins 1.1.2
5. — Version 1.1.1 Fixed: Co-authors were being displayed on author archives (appeared in version 1.1) 1.1.1
6. — Version 1.1 Added: Option to limit characters in author description Added: Support to work with for Co-authors plus WordPress plugin (if “auto detect author” is checked) 1.1

2 disclosed vulnerabilities on record for this plugin, all fixed in the current version. Sites on older versions stay exposed until they update.

1. Medium · 6.4 Meks Smart Author Widget <= 1.1.4 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗
   2024-07-10 CVE-2024-37958 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') Affects <= 1.1.4 Patched in 1.1.5
2. Medium · 4.3 Meks Smart Social Widget <= 1.6 - Cross-Site Request Forgery via meks_remove_notification ↗
   2023-07-26 CVE-2023-25989 Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) Affects <= 1.1.3 Patched in 1.1.4

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.6

Translated into 56 languages, 1 at 90% or more · development strings

Plus 32 more locales with partial translations.

Growth timeline

Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow

1. 2025-06-20 20K+ → 10K+ down after 764 days in tier
2. 2023-05-18 30K+ → 20K+ 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).

• WP User Avatars 20K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags B
• Author Avatars List/Block 4K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags A
• Simple Local Avatars 100K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A
• Gravatar Enhanced – Avatars, Profiles, and Privacy 100K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B
• One User Avatar | User Profile Picture 100K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A
• Basic User Avatars 20K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags C

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Drop a live Pulse card for Meks Smart Author Widget into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

Meks Smart Author Widget: 10K+ active installs, 4.5★ (8 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-29. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/meks-smart-author-widget