Head-to-head · October 2026
About the Author Advanced vs Cool Author Box
Cool Author Box comes out ahead, winning 7 of 7 head-to-head checks against About the Author Advanced.
About the Author Advanced
This plugin creates a sidebar widget which displays information about the author of a post or page.
Cool Author Box
Cool Author Box is the WordPress Author Box Plugin that displays a responsive author box to your theme widget…
| Metric | About the Author Advanced | Cool Author Box |
|---|---|---|
| Active installs | 50+ | 600+ |
| Downloads (30 days) | 81 | 324 |
| Download trend | -9% | +120.4% |
| Rating | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Reviews | 1 | 2 |
| Health score | 32/100 | 77/100 |
| Last updated | 14 years ago | 3 weeks ago |
| Tested up to | WP 3.4.2 | WP 7.1.3 |
| Support resolved | — | — |
| Requires PHP | Any | 7.4+ |
| First released | Jul 2012 | Nov 2018 |
Daily downloads, last 90 days
About the Author Advanc…Cool Author Box
Choose About the Author Advanced if…
You prefer its feature set and workflow — it holds its own on the fundamentals.
- Small user base (50+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 14 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 3.4 (latest is 7.1)
Choose Cool Author Box if…
You care most about active installs, downloads (30 days) and download trend.
- Actively developed — last update 3 weeks ago
- Tested with the latest WordPress (7.1)
- Small user base (600+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
Both compete in: author bio author info
FAQ
About the Author Advanced vs Cool Author Box: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 13, 2026
Which is better, About the Author Advanced or Cool Author Box?
Cool Author Box comes out ahead, winning 7 of 7 head-to-head checks against About the Author Advanced. Choose Cool Author Box if you care most about active installs, downloads (30 days) and download trend.
Is About the Author Advanced more popular than Cool Author Box?
Cool Author Box is the more popular of the two with 600+ active installs, compared with 50+ for About the Author Advanced.
Can I use About the Author Advanced and Cool Author Box together?
Both plugins cover author bio and author info, so most sites only need one. Running two plugins that do the same job can cause conflicts and slow your site down — pick the one that fits best and remove the other.
Are About the Author Advanced and Cool Author Box free?
Yes. Both are free to download from the official WordPress.org plugin directory. Either may also offer paid upgrades from its developer.
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