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Simple Author Box

By WebFactory

Community & Social / User-Generated Content

Reviewed by Abdul Hameid

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

Simple Author Box Review - In-Depth Analysis

Add a responsive author box or guest author box with social icons to any post. Great author box for any site!

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.61/10

User Rating

4.3/5 (based on 115+ reviews)

Active Installations

90,000+

Update Frequency

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

Security Score

4 / 10 (Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Simple Author Box adds a responsive author box at the end of your posts, showing the author name, author gravatar, and author description. It also adds over 30 social profile fields on the WordPress user profile screen, allowing the display of author social icons in the author box.

This plugin is fully customizable to match your theme design with options for style, color, size, and text. It looks great on desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile phones. The author box can be automatically inserted at the end of your post or manually added to your template files.

Simple Author Box is compatible with RTL and AMP. It is also GDPR compliant as it does not track, collect, or process any user data.

Comparing to Alternatives

Simple Author Box is a popular author box plugin with several direct alternatives available, each offering unique features for author display and management.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Easy to configure and use with a clean interface
Responsive and visually appealing author boxes
Good developer support and quick issue resolution
Includes premium features in the pro version
Supports multiple author profiles and social icons

Weaknesses

Pro version can be intrusive with frequent upgrade prompts
Customization options may conflict with some themes causing layout issues
Refund policy is strict with limited time to request
Some users find the default design limiting without customization

User Sentiment Analysis

With a strong majority of positive reviews (over 80% 4-5 stars), users generally appreciate the plugin's functionality and ease of use, though a minority express dissatisfaction mainly related to design and upgrade prompts.

Positive highlights

'Excellent, awesomeee + incredible plugin…' - dglite
'Great Plugin. Does the job and is easy to configure.' - Steve P (UK)
'Quite happy with this plugin, works well.' - Anonymous
'Great Script, congratulations to the creators.' - ThinkTech | Themis Vasilop
'Easy to configure and responsive support.' - Steve P (UK)

Common complaints

Upgrade prompts are intrusive and frequent
Pro version design did not meet expectations and conflicted with theme spacing
Strict refund policy with limited time to request
Unwanted immediate premium sales push upon installation

Weaknesses

Known security vulnerabilities fixed in recent updates but present a moderate risk history
Some users report conflicts with theme layouts after upgrade
Intrusive dashboard notices for pro upgrade
Limited refund window frustrates some users

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Bloggers and website owners seeking a straightforward, easy-to-use author box plugin with good customization and support, especially those willing to invest in the pro version for enhanced features.

Not ideal for

Users who dislike frequent upgrade prompts or require extensive theme compatibility testing before purchase; also not ideal for those sensitive to strict refund policies or concerned about past security vulnerabilities.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers basic author box features including author bio, avatar, and social icons with easy configuration.

Pro version (39 - 149 USD / year)

Adds premium features such as additional customization options, multiple author support, guest author profiles, and priority support.

Final Verdict

Simple Author Box is a well-regarded plugin that delivers solid author box functionality with a user-friendly interface and responsive support. Its pro version enhances customization and multi-author capabilities, making it suitable for many WordPress users.

However, potential buyers should be aware of its intrusive upgrade prompts, strict refund policy, and past security vulnerabilities that have since been addressed. Considering available alternatives may be worthwhile for those with specific needs or concerns.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Simple Author Box plugin.

Author Bio

Author Box

Author Profile

Author Social Icons

Guest Author

Screenshots

FAQ

The Simple Author Box plugin was designed to display the author information on posts, categories, tags, etc. The plugin does not work on pages – it was not designed for this, unfortunately. Adding the shortcode on a blog page will also not work because the plugin won’t have author information to display/will not know which author information to display. Adding the shortcode in a widget that is on a page is another instance when the SAB will not be displayed due to the same reasons. You can add it in a widget, but that widget has to be on a single post.