Simple Author Box
by WebFactory · Login & Users
Also makes 28 other plugins · 3.5M+ installs across the portfolio →
Add a responsive author box or guest author box with social icons to any post. Great author box for any site!
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
A 87/100
no flags
Active installs
90K+
≈93K estimated
Momentum
+2%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Rating quality scores 85/100. Lift the average: resolve the issues driving the low reviews.
87 health vs 61 average across 2,203 Login & Users plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.9%
of downloads still active
At least 90K of 1.8M 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.
This plugin shipped 3 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
Well tuned across the board
Updated 76 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.3★ over 115 reviews, smoothed to 4.24★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
1 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
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.
37
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.2
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
13%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| author social icons your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| author box your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| simple author box | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| responsive author box | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| box | #2 | #3 | 0 |
| author bio your tag | #2 | #3 | down 1 |
| author | #2 | #3 | down 1 |
| about author box | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| twitter profile box | #1 | #1 | — |
| author profile your tag | #3 | #5 | down 2 |
| author description | #2 | #4 | 0 |
| guest author your tag | #5 | #6 | down 1 |
| in box | #2 | #4 | 0 |
| top author | #2 | #3 | 0 |
| author website | #2 | #2 | — |
| bio box | #2 | #2 | down 1 |
| wordpress author bio | #2 | #4 | up 1 |
| author plugin | #2 | #4 | 0 |
| plugin author | #2 | #4 | 0 |
| authors | #5 | #7 | 0 |
231 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 190 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Your five tags are all earning their place. Each gets you onto page 1 of its own search, so none is worth giving up. “bio” and “simple” (#7 and #11 untagged) would be the next worth testing if a slot frees up.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 73.6K · 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
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
3
releases in the last 12 months
3mo ago
latest release · v2.61 · 16 Aug 2026
55
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 “90K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 28% of the way through.
Install history since 23 Sep 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Anonymous7mo ago
This is a great plugin. Does the job and is easy to configure. Had a small issue with text alignment recently and the Dev was quick to respond and solved the problem in a single email. This topic was modified 3 months ago by Steve P (UK).
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous1.6y ago
I’m quite happy with this plugin, didn’t expect too much, so it works well. But when I changed from Elon’s starving Twitter to Bluesky I was disappointed by the fact that a Bluesky icon was missing.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ThinkTech | Themis Vasilop1.7y ago
Congratulations to the creators, excellent plug in,
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ L.A. Randle2.3y ago
When I download to use a plugin for the first time, I’m not interested being slapped in the face with a premium buy box. It’s a turn off. Give me a little time to experiment with the plugin before you try to sale me. I uninstalled it immediately.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dglite2.5y ago
Excellent, awesomeee + incredible plugin…
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ hustle144r3.0y ago
Paid to upgrade and didn’t like the look of the box when moved up to the top of the post. It then screwed with the spacing of my theme. I immediately removed it but because I waited a few weeks to request the refund they wouldn’t refund it. Not a fan. And yes, I’m aware of the 7 day policy – just didn’t give me enough time to work with developers to try ti fix the issues. This topic was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by hustle144r.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Chris3.6y ago
It asks for you to go pro and it takes over the dashboard and covers everything not worth paying for in my opinion.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ robertreddin3.7y ago
I so wanted this to work and to give it 5 stars because it looked so good in the previews. OK, the free version does not work on a WordPress blog that does not have a static home page because all posts are on the home page. I get that. Switching to a static front page and a separate page for posts, it still does not work when the website is viewed. Presumably, this is because the posts are still on a page, and the free version does not work on pages. To use this app you need to buy one of the “pro” version options.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.61 2026-07-19 Minor fixes 2.61
- — Version 2.60 2026-05-21 Minor fixes 2.60
- — Version 2.59 2025-07-31 Removed dead social networks 2.59
- — Version 2.58 2025-05-19 Fixed bug with social links formatting 2.58
- — Version 2.56 2025-05-05 Updated Twitter icon to X Added new icons for BlueSky, TikTok and Patreon 2.56
- — Version 2.55 2025-04-15 fixed Simple Author Box Widget CSS issue minor security fixes 2.55
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 3 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (2.61). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 4.3 Simple Author Box <= 2.51 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Insecure Direct Object Reference to Arbitrary User Sensitive Information Exposure ↗2023-07-24 CVE-2023-3601 Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key Affects <= 2.51 Patched in 2.52
- 2023-07-18 CVE-2023-33999 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.3.22 Patched in 2.4
- 2023-03-28 Cross-Site Request Forgery Affects <= 2.50 Patched in 2.51
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 41 languages, 8 at 90% or more
Plus 17 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
6 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 "Add a responsive author box or guest author box with social icons to any post. Great author box for any site!"
- ✓ Has a FAQ 11 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 11 of 11 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("great for"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ✓ Headings and lists 3 headings and 2 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,295 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "Author Profile" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-07-21 80K+ → 90K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-07-19 90K+ → 80K+ down after 88 days in tier
- 2026-04-22 80K+ → 90K+ up after 83 days in tier
- 2026-01-29 90K+ → 80K+ down after 15 days in tier
- 2026-01-14 80K+ → 90K+ up after 161 days in tier
- 2025-08-06 70K+ → 80K+ up after 540 days in tier
- 2024-02-13 60K+ → 70K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-02-12 70K+ → 60K+ down after 4 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).
-
WP Post Author – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Custom Avatars 10K+ installs · 4.1★ · 5 shared tags B -
Smart Author Box Widget 60+ installs · 3.6★ · 5 shared tags -
Cool Author Box – For Widget and Post Content 500+ installs · 4.1★ · 4 shared tags A -
Meta Author Box — installs · 3.6★ · 4 shared tags -
Magic Author Box — installs · 3.6★ · 4 shared tags -
Molongui Authorship – Author Boxes, Guest Authors & Co-Authors for WordPress 10K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Simple Author Box into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/simple-author-box" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Simple Author Box — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Simple Author Box: 90K+ active installs, 4.3★ (115 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/simple-author-box
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