Display Authors Widget vs WP Author Security — WordPress

Display Authors Widget vs WP Author Security

Name: Display Authors Widget
Rating: 4.4 (5 reviews)

Side-by-side comparison · 24 data points

Display Authors Widget

4.4·5reviews·100+installs

wordpress

Change

1. Listing metadata

Field-level data

	Display Authors Widget	WP Author Security
Tagline	—	—
Description	1159 / 5000 chars23% used	2714 / 5000 chars54% used
Screenshots	—	—
Languages
Platforms	WordPress	WordPress
Developer	Sami Keijonen	mgm security partners GmbH
Listed	—	—
Last updated	—	—

2. Categories & rankings

Shared categories on the same row · in-category position inline

Display Authors Widget

WP Author Security

Shared

At a glance

4 metrics · auto-computed

Feature comparison between Display Authors Widget and WP Author Security
Metric	Display Authors Widget	WP Author Security
Rating	4.4 ★	★ 5.0 ★
Total reviews	★ 5	2
Active installs	100+	400+
Free plan	—	—

3. App details

Long-form description · keyword frequency

Display Authors Widget

This plugin register a widget to display authors by role in a sidebar. You can choose whether to display author post count, biography or gravatar. Usage Go to Appearance >> Widgets. There you can find widget called Display Authors Widget. There are some settings in a widget. Title: Set whatever title you want, or leave it blank to disable the title. Role: Choose which role authors you want to display. Display Post Count?: This displays the number of posts the author have published. This will only be shown if there are at least one post by author. The format is Author name ($number). Display Author Bio?: If checked, this will display the author’s bio as set in their WordPress profile page. Display Author Gravatar?: If checked, this will display the author’s gravatar. Gravatar Size: This is the size of the gravatar image in pixels. Do not write px or pixels in this field. If you want gravatar size to be 50px, then write “50” in this field. Gravatar Alignment: Choose whether you want to display gravatar on the left, right or no alignment at all. Limit: This will allow you to set the number of authors that are displayed in the widget.

Top keywords

display10×4.93%
author8×3.94%
gravatar8×3.94%
widget5×2.46%
authors4×1.97%
want4×1.97%
choose3×1.48%
display author3×1.48%
number3×1.48%
post3×1.48%
role3×1.48%
set3×1.48%

WP Author Security

WP Author Security is a lightweight but powerful plugin to protect against user enumeration attacks on author pages and other places where valid user names can be obtained. By default, WordPress will display some sensitive information on author pages. The author page is typically called by requesting the URI https://yourdomain.tld/?author= or with permalinks https://yourdomain.tld/author/ . The page will include (depending on your theme) the full name (first and last name) as well as the username of the author which is used to log in to WordPress. In some cases, it is not wanted to expose this information to the public. An attacker is able to brute force valid IDs or valid usernames. This information might be used for further attacks like social engineering attacks or log in brute force attacks with gathered usernames. However, when using the plugin and you disable author pages completely it must be noted that you need to take care that your active theme will not display the author name itself on posts like “Posted by admin” or something like that. This is something the plugin will not handle (at the moment). By using the extension, you are able to disable the author pages either completely or display them only when the author has at least one published post. When the page is disabled the default 404 error page of the active theme is displayed. In addition, the plugin will also protect other locations which are commonly used by attackers to gather valid user names. These are: The REST API for users which will list all users with published posts by default. https://yourdomain.tld/wp-json/wp/v2/users The log in page where different error messages will indicate whether an entered user name or mail address exists or not. The plugin will display a neutral error message independently whether the user exists or not. The password forgotten function will also allow an attacker to check for the existence of a user. As for the log in page the plugin will display a neutral message even when the user does not exists. Requesting the feed endpoint /feed of your blog will also allow others to see the username or display name of the author. The plugin will remove the name from the result list. WordPress supports so-called oEmbeds. This is a technique to embed a reference to a post into another post. However, this reference will also contain the author name and a direct link to the profile page. The plugin will also remove the name and link here. Since WordPress 5.5 a default sitemap can be reached via /wp-sitemap.xml. This sitemap will disclose the usernames of all authors. If this should not be disclosed you are able to disable this feature of WordPress.

Top keywords

author13×2.80%
name

Frequently asked

Common questions about this comparison

Which has better reviews, Display Authors Widget or WP Author Security?

WP Author Security has the higher average rating (5.0★ from 2 reviews) compared to Display Authors Widget (4.4★ from 5 reviews). Both are tracked daily by AppRanks, so the figures here update each refresh cycle.

Should I choose Display Authors Widget or WP Author Security?

WP Author Security holds the higher average rating (5.0★ vs 4.4★). That is the one dimension AppRanks can separate them on here — read both apps' detail pages for the feature breakdown and recent listing changes.

Which is faster to set up, Display Authors Widget or WP Author Security?

Both apps are one-click installs from the WordPress Plugin Directory. Display Authors Widget has the deeper published review base (5 vs 2), which often — though not always — accompanies better-tested setup docs. AppRanks doesn't measure setup time directly: read the recent reviews on each app's detail page for user-reported install experience.

Which works better for small vs large WordPress Plugin Directory site owners?

Display Authors Widget typically suits early-stage and growth-mode teams based on its published review base (5 reviews). WP Author Security typically suits early-stage and growth-mode teams based on its published review base (2 reviews). A larger review base generally means the app has been exercised at scale — relevant if you are processing high volume or handling enterprise compliance requirements.

Can I migrate data between Display Authors Widget and WP Author Security?

Migration support varies by app and category. Display Authors Widget and WP Author Security both publish their export options on their marketplace listing pages (or in their support docs); some apps offer one-click import from competitors, others require CSV. The fastest check: search "import from WP Author Security" in each app's help center. AppRanks does not track migration tooling directly — this is a category-specific capability worth verifying before commitment.

Display Authors Widget vs WP Author Security

Display Authors Widget

1. Listing metadata

2. Categories & rankings

WP Author Security

At a glance

AppRanks verdict

3. App details

Frequently asked

Which has better reviews, Display Authors Widget or WP Author Security?

Should I choose Display Authors Widget or WP Author Security?

Which is faster to set up, Display Authors Widget or WP Author Security?

Which works better for small vs large WordPress Plugin Directory site owners?

Can I migrate data between Display Authors Widget and WP Author Security?

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