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/ Author Avatars List/Block

Author Avatars List/Block

By Paul Bearne

Community & Social / User-Generated Content

Reviewed by Abdul Hameid

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

Author Avatars List/Block Review - In-Depth Analysis

Display lists of user avatars using widgets or shortcodes. Supports Gutenberg and various user roles.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.89/10

User Rating

4.8/5 (based on 32+ reviews)

Active Installations

4,000+

Update Frequency

Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

5 / 10 (Medium Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

This plugin makes it easy to display lists of user avatars, grouped by user roles, on your multiuser site. It also allows you to insert single avatars for blog users or any email address into a post or page, great for displaying an image of someone you are talking about.

It makes use of built-in WordPress core functions to retrieve user information and get avatars. Integrates with Gutenberg, BuddyPress, xprofile, Multisite, Wpmu, BBPress, and co-authors.

Avatar lists can be inserted into your sidebar by adding a widget or into posts/pages by using a shortcode. The plugin comes with a tinymce editor plugin which makes inserting shortcodes very easy.

This also provides Gutenberg Block for use with the Gutenberg editor. Both the shortcode and widget and Gutenberg Block can be configured to show a custom title, only show specific user groups, limit the number of users shown, change the sort order, adjust the size of user avatars, and show a user’s name or biography.

Comparing to Alternatives

Author Avatars List/Block is a popular plugin for displaying author avatars with several alternatives available that offer similar features.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Highly rated with a 4.8 out of 5 stars from 32 reviews
Offers many options to filter and sort avatars
Works smoothly with the latest WordPress versions
Saves time by automating author avatar display
Active development with regular updates

Weaknesses

Known medium severity security vulnerabilities with some fixes pending
Some users report formatting issues after updates
No pro version available for advanced features
Security risk score is moderate at 5 out of 10

User Sentiment Analysis

The plugin enjoys overwhelmingly positive feedback with 96.9% of ratings being 4 stars or higher and no 1 or 2 star reviews.

Positive highlights

"Works like a charm for me. Lots of options to filter and sort avatars on page." — Aleksandr
"Works perfectly. Love it." — traceybell
"Just what I was looking for. Works smoothly with WP 6." — Anna Apollonia
"Great plugin! It shows neatly the many authors/collaborators that I hive on my website, saving me a LOT of work." — Anonymous User 18721493
"I have used this plugin for years. I do like using it, and it appears to be under active development." — sandwichtribunal

Common complaints

Weaknesses

Some formatting issues reported after recent updates
Medium severity security vulnerabilities exist, some without fixes yet
No premium support or advanced features due to lack of pro version

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users looking for a reliable and easy-to-use plugin to display author avatars with good customization options and active development.

Not ideal for

Those requiring guaranteed security with no known vulnerabilities or advanced premium features may find this plugin less suitable.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers comprehensive features to display and customize author avatars effectively.

Final Verdict

Author Avatars List/Block is a well-regarded plugin praised for its functionality, ease of use, and active maintenance. It provides valuable features for displaying author avatars and is highly rated by users with minimal complaints.

However, users should be aware of some medium severity security vulnerabilities, some of which remain unpatched, and the absence of a pro version limits access to advanced features. Overall, it is a solid choice for those prioritizing functionality and ease of use over premium support and security guarantees.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Author Avatars List/Block plugin.

User avatars

Avatar display

Gutenberg support

Screenshots

FAQ

A shortcode is a tag like [authoravatars] which you can insert into a page or post to display a list of users on that post/page. You can read more about shortcodes in general in the wordpress codex, for example here or here.

The styling of the widget is controlled by the styles defined in css/widgets.css, avatars on posts/pages (using the shortcode) are styled by code in css/shortcode.css.

You can override the styles in that file by copying a style block to your theme’s style.css and adjusting respectively. For example add the following to remove the padding from avatars displayed in a widget:

html .widget_author_avatars .author-list .user {   padding: 0; }

demo edit

Contributors and developers

“Author Avatars List/Block” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Paul Bearne

Ben

Free Version Docs

WPS

6.89

Average

Ratings

4.8 out of 5 | 32

Version

2.2.0

Last updated

2 months ago

Active installations

4,000+

WordPress version

7.1.0 or higher

PHP version

or higher

Languages

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Author Avatars List/Block Review - In-Depth Analysis

Performance Overview

What It Does

Comparing to Alternatives

User Sentiment Analysis

Who Should Use This?

Pricing & Value

Final Verdict

Other Notable Features

Screenshots

FAQ

Contributors and developers

Ratings

Reviews (32)

Sort by:

Contributors & Developers

Interested in development?

Changelog

Security Status

Secure

No Unpatched Vulnerabilities

Known Vulnerabilities (4)

Previous Versions

WPS

6.89

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