Byline
This plugin uses the custom taxonomy features of WordPress to create “bylines” — essentially, tags representing authors who contributed to a post. The differentiating feature of this plugin is that it should not require…
Consider an alternative
Byline shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 200+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 14 years ago, and scores 38/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (200+ active installs)
- No update in 13 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 3.5 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Byline stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| authors | >100 |
| byline | #98 |
| coauthors | #16 |
| multi author | >100 |
| multiple authors | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 5 reviews
About Byline
From the official readme · v0.25Description
This plugin uses the custom taxonomy features of WordPress to create “bylines” — essentially, tags representing authors who contributed to a post. The differentiating feature of this plugin is that it should not require any modifications to your theme files (assuming it is already displaying the post author).
This plugin would be useful for publishing situations where the majority of your content is from contributors who you don’t necessarily want to have access to your back-end. It still conveys the appearance that the authors are members of the site (it provides a built-in archive page for each Byline). If your theme displays tag descriptions, you could use the Byline description field to identify guests vs. “staff” writers or provide other author information.
You can see an example of this plugin at work at http://thedailycougar.com
Installation
This section describes how to install the plugin and get it working.
e.g.
- Upload
byline.phpto the/wp-content/plugins/directory - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
- Add names directly in the post editor or the admin menu for “Bylines” just like you would for a regular tag.
Changelog
0.25
- Fixed code to allow byline to appear in widgets.
- Fixed code preventing byline from appearing in posts admin column.
0.1
- Plugin created.
For developers
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Best Byline alternatives
All authors plugins →
FAQ
Byline: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 28, 2026
Is Byline free?
Yes. Byline is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Byline safe to use in 2026?
Byline shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 200+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 14 years ago, and scores 38/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Byline?
Byline is active on 200+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 12,004 times since it launched in December 2012. It was downloaded 76 times in the last 30 days.
Does Byline work with WordPress 7.1?
Byline is officially tested up to WordPress 3.5.2, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Byline last updated?
The latest version, 0.25, was released on March 11, 2013 (14 years ago).
Who makes Byline?
Byline is developed and maintained by mattdu.
What are the best alternatives to Byline?
The most popular alternatives to Byline are Co-Authors, Multiple Author… (20K+ installs), Co-Authors Plus (20K+ installs) and Smart User Slug Hider (3K+ installs).
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