External Links vs Author Image (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, External Links has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 36 reviews) and leads in active installations (9.0K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. External Links has accumulated 358K+ total downloads while Author Image has 142K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | External Links | Author Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.8/5 | ◄ | 3/5 |
| Total Reviews | 36 | ◄ | 3 |
| Active Installs | 9.0K+ | ◄ | 1.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 358K+ | ◄ | 142K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 8 years ago | ► | 8 years ago |
| First Released | 2008 | 2008 | |
| Age | 18 years | 18 years | |
| WP Requires | 2.8+ | 3.1+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 6.8.1 | 4.9.3 |
Rating Breakdown
External Links
Author Image
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, External Links averaged approximately 10 daily downloads while Author Image averaged 8.
Recent Reviews
External Links Reviews
Best of its kind!
Hope this one never goes away!!!
Works just fine
The only of all such plugins that I tried that works fine and did not break anything. Would be nice to have icons options, but hey, I’m thankful for it as it is, and the current icon is a good choice.
Simple and useful
Simple and comfortable to use, really nice style, I was looking for. I’m searching to improve my website, accessibility and usability too and I removed all the target="_blank" on my posts and I marked
Author Image Reviews
Could be better
The Author Image plugin would benefit from using the default WordPress media uploader, rather than loading additional functionality to upload/store the images. This is also important because it would
BOOYAH!
I’m still shocked that an author image is so complicated in WordPress, but this plugin fixes the problem. Also, it let’s you link to an about page which ROCKS. I love that. Thanks guys! Works great.
The images have been uploaded, but not showing up in the WP Author Bio plugin
http://startoholics.in/2013/08/user-gives-a-missed-call-and-your-customer-gets-verified-dial2verify/ like in this link, at the end, the pic of this user is not being shown. I tried disabling gravatar
Frequently Asked Questions
Is External Links or Author Image more popular?
Which has better ratings — External Links or Author Image?
Are External Links and Author Image free?
Which plugin has better support — External Links or Author Image?
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.