Meks Smart Author Widget vs Starbox – the Author Box for Humans (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Meks Smart Author Widget
10K+ active installs
Free
Starbox – the Author Box for Humans
10K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Meks Smart Author Widget has a higher user rating (4.5/5 from 8 reviews) and leads in active installations (10K+ vs 10K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Meks Smart Author Widget has accumulated 430K+ total downloads while Starbox – the Author Box for Humans has 518K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Meks Smart Author Widget | Starbox – the Author Box for Humans | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5/5 | 4.5/5 | |
| Total Reviews | 8 | ► | 203 |
| Active Installs | 10K+ | 10K+ | |
| Total Downloads | 430K+ | ► | 518K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | 100% | |
| Last Updated | 1 year ago | ► | 11 months ago |
| First Released | 2014 | 2013 | |
| Age | 12 years | 13 years | |
| WP Requires | 3.0+ | 4.6+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | 7.0+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 1.1.5 | 3.5.4 |
Rating Breakdown
Meks Smart Author Widget
Starbox – the Author Box for Humans
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Meks Smart Author Widget averaged approximately 23 daily downloads while Starbox – the Author Box for Humans averaged 29.
Recent Reviews
Meks Smart Author Widget Reviews
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!
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
Not responsive
Simply not responsive out of the box.
Starbox – the Author Box for Humans Reviews
Seems not compatible with WPML
I love that plugin, but I’ll probably have to switch to another solution since I’d like to go multilingual. Unfortunately, Starbox doesn’t seem to be compatible with WPML. That’s unfortunate for Starb
Pleasant and efficient.
Pleasant and efficient. Many thanks to the developers. Works well with php 8.1 and wp 6.2. Better than other free plugins 😉
Very good support
Fisrt time that I see such a simple plugin to use, very convenient and easy for the settings. But the support is fantastic. I wanted to tweak a little bit, and immediately I received all the solutions
More Author Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as Meks Smart Author Widget and Starbox – the Author Box for Humans
Allows an admin (or capable user) to edit the author slug of a user, and change the author base.
Remove meta author and date information from posts and pages. Hide from Humans and Search engines.SEO friendly and most advance plugin.
Hide/Remove Metadata is a free WordPress plugin that helps you hide author and published date either by CSS or PHP from your website effortlessly.
Disable Author Archives completely removes author archives and makes the web server return status code 404 ('Not Found') instead.
Display to Post Author Information Box on bottom of the contents.
Don't need the post date and author meta data on your pages? Install WP Author, Date and Meta Remover and its gone. It's that easy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Meks Smart Author Widget or Starbox – the Author Box for Humans more popular?
Which has better ratings — Meks Smart Author Widget or Starbox – the Author Box for Humans?
Are Meks Smart Author Widget and Starbox – the Author Box for Humans free?
Which plugin has better support — Meks Smart Author Widget or Starbox – the Author Box for Humans?
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.