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Co-Authors Plus

By Automattic

User Management & Authentication / User Profiles & Avatars

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

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

Co-Authors Plus Review - In-Depth Analysis

Assign multiple bylines to posts, pages, and custom post types with a search-as-you-type input box.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.89/10

User Rating

3.5/5 (based on 77+ reviews)

Active Installations

20,000+

Update Frequency

Below 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

Assign multiple bylines to posts, pages, and custom post types via a search-as-you-type input box. Co-authored posts appear on a co-author's archive page and in their feed. Co-authors may edit the posts they are associated with, and co-authors who are contributors may only edit posts if they have not been published as is core behavior.

Add writers as bylines without creating WordPress user accounts. Simply create a guest author profile for the writer and assign the byline as you normally would.

On the frontend, use the Co-Authors Plus template tags to list co-authors anywhere you'd normally list the author.

For more detailed documentation refer to the GitHub Wiki for this plugin.

Co-Authors Plus is an almost complete rewrite of the Co-Authors plugin originally developed by Weston Ruter. The original plugin was inspired by the Multiple Authors plugin by Mark Jaquith.

Comparing to Alternatives

Co-Authors Plus is a unique plugin for managing multiple authors on posts, with few direct competitors in its niche.

Top alternatives

Change Author ( WPS: 6.68)

Strengths

Supports multiple authors per post effectively
Integrates well with various themes including Twenty Twenty-Three
Offers shortcode support for flexible display
Lightweight compared to some alternatives
Open source and free to use

Weaknesses

Requires technical knowledge for setup and customization
Limited official support and slow response to issues
Known security vulnerability fixed only in recent updates
Some bugs and compatibility issues reported

User Sentiment Analysis

With a mixed rating distribution and a significant portion of low ratings, user feedback highlights both the plugin's usefulness and its challenges.

Positive highlights

'Perfect plugin, great support' - IdeFixx
'Excelente plugin, intuitivo y sin tanto complique' - vytecolombia
'Great plugin but support sucks' - jroselarsen
'Adds much functionality with new blocks' - audunmb

Common complaints

Plugin requires developer skills to configure and use
Lack of clear, user-friendly instructions
Poor or slow support response
Bugs causing post breakage after removal

Weaknesses

Security vulnerability disclosed and fixed recently
Plugin can break posts if removed improperly
New taxonomy is not public, limiting functionality
Support and maintenance appear inactive

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Developers or technically skilled users who need to assign multiple authors to posts and are comfortable with custom code and troubleshooting.

Not ideal for

Non-technical users seeking a simple, plug-and-play solution or those needing active support and frequent updates.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version includes core functionality to assign multiple authors to posts and basic shortcode support.

Final Verdict

Co-Authors Plus is a valuable tool for managing multiple authors on WordPress posts, especially for users with technical expertise. It offers essential features and integrates well with themes, but its usability is hampered by limited support and some bugs.

While it has a known security issue that has been addressed, the plugin's lack of active maintenance and developer-focused setup may deter less experienced users. Alternatives like Change Author may be considered for those seeking different options.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Co-Authors Plus plugin.

Assign multiple bylines

Co-authors

Guest author profile

Screenshots

FAQ

If you’ve just installed Co-Authors Plus, you might notice that the bylines are being added in the backend but aren’t appearing on the front end. You’ll need to add the template tags to your theme before the bylines will appear.