WordPress is an easy-to-use CMS that lets you build a blog without any added difficulty. Even a non-techy guy can utilize this (either choose wordpress.org or wordpress.com) in order to setup their blog or business website with ease. The audience, on the other hand, is emotional and likes to get connected not only with the content but with the author as well. This gives rise to Avatar plugins. Avatar showcases your image and other additional information if applicable. It is a way to connect with the audience.
The most popular way to connect your avatar to WordPress is Gravatar. You need to link your email ID to the settings, and all the pages that you are the author of, will showcase your image. Cool, right? Well, the only thing is that it cannot be customized directly from your WordPress backend. Also, in case you need to add a custom avatar or tweak something related to it, you will find yourself struggling. That’s why, today, we will go through the ten best free Avatar WordPress plugins for 2018. The list will surely help those who are new to blogging.
1. WP User Avatar
WP User Avatar is a free to use plugin that lets you use custom avatars that are uploaded through Gravatar or from the media library. This gives you the flexibility to choose either Gravatar or custom image. You can also disable Gravatar if needed. It works by using ‘avatar_upload’ shortcode and hence can be used in other website sections including widget or sidebar. It can also be included in posts as well. Moreover, you can also control the avatar file size upload for other subscribers and contributors.
2. Authors Avatars List
Authors Avatars List lets you display avatars as a list. They can be grouped either by roles and is perfect to use for multi-user sites. The plugin is also effective for single user website. Not only that, the plugin lets you use any of the author avatars and insert them into your posts or pages. Just like WP User Avatar, Authors Avatars List also utilizes shortcode to insert the avatar on the pages. Other key features include custom tile with a widget-based avatar, privacy configuration to show or hide from certain group or users, add biography or user’s name and so on.
3. Avatar Manager
Avatar Manager is a one-stop solution for your avatar needs. It comes with the ability to choose from either Gravatar or locally based custom avatar. It simplifies your workflow and enables you to use an avatar with custom user permissions. The project is user-driven and has already shown a lot of promise. You can also control the user permission for uploading an avatar and also the size related to it.
4. WP First Letter Avatar
If you are curious about putting the first letter of your name as an avatar, WP First Letter Avatar is for you. It can be used without the need of Gravatar and can also be configured to work with custom avatar when needed. As a user, you can set avatar in any size and color. To create a new avatar set, you need to create a new directory and then create using it. The plugin is a great choice for blogs that love colors. Not only that, the plugin compresses the created avatar with TinyPNG.
5. Letters Avatar
Letters Avatar is just like WP First Letter Avatar that we just discussed above. Just like other avatar plugins, it will work without Gravatar. The plugin lets you customize avatar the way you like. You can set the letter font, colors and also the font size. Not only the avatar can be set using a background color, and you can make it look as stylish as possible. The plugin is lightweight and also works with BuddyPress.
6. Optimize Gravatar Avatar
Gravatar gives you the ability to remotely control your avatar and lets it integrate it with as many WordPress websites as possible. However, calling an external source to load image can slow down websites. This is where Optimize Gravatar Avatar comes in. It creates a local image which is pulled from Gravatar. By doing this, the website loading time is significantly reduced. It is important for websites with huge amount of traffic to reduce loading time, and the plugin lets you do just that.
7. Disable User Gravatar
Disable User Gravatar is a unique plugin that lets you disable user Gravatar for your website. If you choose website builder that doesn’t allow Gravatar initially, you need to use this plugin to ensure proper functionality. It also lets you control embarrassing moments where you don’t want to reveal your Gravatar image.
8. BuddyPress First Letter Avatar
BuddyPress First Letter Avatar lets you manage avatar for your BuddyPress installation. It works without Gravatar, and also allows you to manage your custom avatar. As you might have guessed it from the name itself, it lets you create an avatar using the first letter. Everything including font, size, and color can be customized.
9. Simple User Avatar
If you are looking for the minimalistic and simplest user avatar, then Simple User Avatar is for you. By using this plugin, you can simply use an avatar from the media library, and there is no need for additional functionality of any sorts.
10. WP Custom Avatar
WP Custom Avatar is a lightweight plugin that enables you to change the default avatar easily. To configure you just need to go to the avatar section and load a custom avatar. It works with the latest WordPress version.
Final Thoughts
Avatar plays a crucial role in creating a meaningful relationship with the visitor. It doesn’t matter what you are looking for, but if you are creating content, you should always customize your avatar the way you like. In this article, we listed the best free avatar WordPress plugins for 2018. All the plugins are free to use and provide basic control over the avatar settings of your website. We also discussed few plugins that let you optimize your Gravatar image and make your website faster. It is important for websites with high traffic to optimize their website as much as possible.
So, what do you think of the listed plugins? Let us know in the comment section below. Also take a look at our WordPress articles to find more compilations related to WordPress websites and blogs.