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Basic User Avatars vs Meks Smart Author Widget (2026)

Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.

Basic User Avatars

Basic User Avatars

4.7(41)

20K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 year ago
View Basic User Avatars
VS
Meks Smart Author Widget

Meks Smart Author Widget

4.5(8)

10K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 year ago
View Meks Smart Author Widget

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Basic User Avatars has a higher user rating (4.7/5 from 41 reviews) and leads in active installations (20K+ vs 10K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Basic User Avatars has accumulated 196K+ total downloads while Meks Smart Author Widget has 430K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.7/5Basic User Avatars
◄
Meks Smart Author Widget4.5/5
Total Reviews
41Basic User Avatars
◄
Meks Smart Author Widget8
Active Installs
20K+Basic User Avatars
◄
Meks Smart Author Widget10K+
Total Downloads
196K+Basic User Avatars
►
Meks Smart Author Widget430K+
Support Resolution
N/ABasic User Avatars
Meks Smart Author WidgetN/A
Last Updated
1 year agoBasic User Avatars
◄
Meks Smart Author Widget1 year ago
First Released
2014Basic User Avatars
Meks Smart Author Widget2014
Age
12 yearsBasic User Avatars
Meks Smart Author Widget12 years
WP Requires
5.2+Basic User Avatars
Meks Smart Author Widget3.0+
PHP Requires
false+Basic User Avatars
Meks Smart Author Widgetfalse+
Business Model
FreeBasic User Avatars
Meks Smart Author WidgetFree
Latest Version
1.0.9Basic User Avatars
Meks Smart Author Widget1.1.5

Rating Breakdown

Basic User Avatars

4.7/5(41 reviews)
5
90%
4
0%
3
5%
2
0%
1
5%

Meks Smart Author Widget

4.5/5(8 reviews)
5
88%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
13%

Recent Reviews

Basic User Avatars Reviews

by mikefury

Simply outstanding!

Great plugin. Thank you

by Thiago Pacheco

Perfect!

Simple, objective and clean. Effective for users to upload their profile picture on the frontend. Congratulations!

by Eder Ribeiro

Excellent solution for local gravatar

Simple, light, secure and easy to customize. Thanks!

Meks Smart Author Widget Reviews

by naveenyouth

Best; works well!

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!

by JJNW

Damn near perfect!

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 t

by brandontyler024

Not responsive

Simply not responsive out of the box.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Basic User Avatars or Meks Smart Author Widget more popular?
Basic User Avatars has 20K+ active installations while Meks Smart Author Widget has 10K+. Basic User Avatars is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Basic User Avatars or Meks Smart Author Widget?
Basic User Avatars has a 4.7/5 rating from 41 reviews, while Meks Smart Author Widget has a 4.5/5 rating from 8 reviews.
Are Basic User Avatars and Meks Smart Author Widget free?
Basic User Avatars is free and Meks Smart Author Widget is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Basic User Avatars or Meks Smart Author Widget?
Support resolution data is not available for all plugins. Check each plugin's WordPress.org support forum for current response quality.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Basic User Avatars was last updated 1 year ago and Meks Smart Author Widget was last updated 1 year ago.

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.