One User Avatar | User Profile Picture vs Meks Smart Author Widget (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
One User Avatar | User Profile Picture
100K+ active installs
Free
Meks Smart Author Widget
10K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, One User Avatar | User Profile Picture has a higher user rating (4.7/5 from 41 reviews) and leads in active installations (100K+ vs 10K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. One User Avatar | User Profile Picture has accumulated 498K+ total downloads while Meks Smart Author Widget has 430K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | One User Avatar | User Profile Picture | Meks Smart Author Widget | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.7/5 | ◄ | 4.5/5 |
| Total Reviews | 41 | ◄ | 8 |
| Active Installs | 100K+ | ◄ | 10K+ |
| Total Downloads | 498K+ | ◄ | 430K+ |
| Support Resolution | 0% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 2 months ago | ◄ | 1 year ago |
| First Released | 2021 | 2014 | |
| Age | 5 years | 12 years | |
| WP Requires | 4.0+ | 3.0+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.5.4 | 1.1.5 |
Rating Breakdown
One User Avatar | User Profile Picture
Meks Smart Author Widget
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, One User Avatar | User Profile Picture averaged approximately 388 daily downloads while Meks Smart Author Widget averaged 23.
Recent Reviews
One User Avatar | User Profile Picture Reviews
Slows down site
The plugin slows down site (admin area) when you choose a default avatar. Causes high CPU and physical memory usage. I wouldn’t recommend as it caused me pain.
Just doesn’t work unless you like 1×1 images
At least on up to date untested version of WordPress & PHP. It doesn’t resize the original image but uses HTML to so, so you better start with a small image! In my case my avatar became a dot as it
works!
just works
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.
More Profile Worth Comparing
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.