Real Simple Avatar
Local user avatars for WordPress: upload a profile photo, pick a preset, or auto-generate colourful initials. No Gravatar, no Media Library clutter.
Solid choice
Real Simple Avatar is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 6 days ago, and scores 77/100 on our health check.
- Actively developed — last update 6 days ago
- Tested with the latest WordPress (7.1)
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
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 Real Simple Avatar stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| avatar | #18 |
| gravatar | #57 |
| local avatar | #9 |
| profile picture | #61 |
| user avatar | #38 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
About Real Simple Avatar
From the official readme · v1.0.4Description
Real Simple Avatar gives your users a real profile picture on your WordPress site — without Gravatar and without cluttering your Media Library.
Users can upload their own photo or choose a preset avatar right from the front end. If no avatar is set, the plugin generates a clean, colourful SVG avatar from the user’s initials, so every user has a proper avatar from day one — no grey silhouettes.
It is built to stay tidy: when a user changes or removes their avatar, the previous file is deleted from the Media Library automatically. One user, one file, at one size — WordPress does not generate extra thumbnails for it.
Why people choose Real Simple Avatar
- A local alternative to Gravatar — avatars live on your own site. No account required, no external request per avatar, no email hash sent to a third party.
- No Media Library clutter — the old avatar attachment is removed automatically on replacement, on deletion, and when a user account is deleted. Saves disk space.
- Automatic SVG initials — lightweight vector avatars with a background colour that stays the same for each user. As of 1.0.2 they are inlined into the page, with no extra request.
- Front-end form — the
[rsava_avatar_form]shortcode lets logged-in users change their avatar instantly (AJAX, no page reload, no admin access). - Preset avatars — show a grid of ready-made pictures. Replace the built-in set with your own, or disable photo uploads entirely and let users pick a preset only.
- Strict size control — set the crop size (e.g. 240 × 240 px). Uploaded images are stored only at that size.
- Configurable — allowed formats (PNG, JPG, JPEG, WebP, HEIC, HEIF, AVIF, GIF), maximum file size, initials palette and text colour.
- Admin control — upload or remove any user’s avatar from the Edit User screen.
- Clean uninstall — optionally remove all settings and uploaded avatars when the plugin is deleted.
A good fit for membership sites, forums, communities, multi-author blogs, and shops with customer accounts.
Compatibility
Tested with PHP 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4. Tested with WordPress 5.0 – 7.1
License
This plugin is licensed under the GPLv2 or later.
Installation
- Install the plugin from Plugins → Add New (search for “Real Simple Avatar”), or upload the plugin folder to
/wp-content/plugins/. - Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu in WordPress.
- Go to Settings → Avatar to configure the plugin.
- Add the shortcode
[rsava_avatar_form]to any page or post where you want users to manage their avatar.
Frequently asked questions
Does Real Simple Avatar work without Gravatar?
Yes. Avatars are stored locally on your own site, and initials are shown when no avatar is set. Gravatar is not used and no external request is made to load an avatar. Since 1.0.4, the “Default Avatar” choice under Settings → Discussion also has a local, non-Gravatar option, and the “change your picture on Gravatar” link is gone from the user profile screen.
Does it delete old avatar files?
Yes. When a user replaces or removes their avatar, the previous file is deleted from the Media Library automatically. The same happens when a user account is deleted.
Can I replace the built-in preset avatars with my own?
Yes. In Settings → Avatar → Preset Avatars, upload your own images. You can also disable the built-in presets entirely and show only your custom ones.
Can I stop users from uploading a custom photo and only let them choose from presets?
Yes. In Settings → Avatar → Media, uncheck “Allow file upload”. The upload button is hidden and users can only pick from preset images.
What image formats are supported?
By default: PNG, JPG, JPEG, WebP, HEIC. You can add or remove formats (including AVIF and GIF) in Settings → Avatar → Media.
Where is the avatar stored?
Uploaded photos are stored in the WordPress Media Library as a regular attachment. Each user has at most one avatar attachment; the old one is deleted automatically when a new photo is uploaded or the avatar is removed.
What happens to avatar files when a user is deleted?
The avatar attachment is automatically removed from the Media Library when a user account is deleted.
How do I completely remove all plugin data?
In Settings → Avatar → Advanced, check “Delete data on uninstall”, save, then delete the plugin from the Plugins screen. All plugin options and uploaded avatar media are removed in batches.
Changelog
Initials now follow Display Name, presets are pickable in wp-admin, a local Default Avatar option replaces Gravatar's, and the Gravatar link on the profile page is gone.
1.0.4
- Initials avatars now take initials from the Display Name first, falling back to First/Last Name only if the display name is empty.
- Preset avatars (built-in and admin-added) are now available directly on the user profile screen in wp-admin, not only through the
[rsava_avatar_form]shortcode. - Added a local, non-Gravatar option to Settings → Discussion → Default Avatar, so the site-wide fallback avatar for unmatched/guest emails no longer requires Gravatar.
- Removed the “You can change your profile picture on Gravatar” link from the profile picture field, replacing it with the plugin’s own local upload UI.
1.0.3
- Rewrote the description and refined the tags for clarity and discoverability. No functional changes.
1.0.2
- Tested with WordPress 7.1.
- Initials avatars are now rendered inline (data URI) in the standard avatar output, removing one admin-ajax request per avatar. The admin-ajax endpoint is kept for the REST API and other callers that need a real URL.
1.0.1
- Bug fixes and minor improvements. Plugin version updated to 1.0.1.
1.0.0
- Initial release.
Screenshots
![Front-end avatar form added with the [rsava_avatar_form] shortcode.](https://ps.w.org/real-simple-avatar/assets/screenshot-1.png?rev=3513974)
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best Real Simple Avatar alternatives
All avatar plugins →
FAQ
Real Simple Avatar: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 3, 2026
Is Real Simple Avatar free?
Yes. Real Simple Avatar is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Real Simple Avatar safe to use in 2026?
Real Simple Avatar is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 6 days ago, and scores 77/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Real Simple Avatar?
Real Simple Avatar is active on 10+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 543 times since it launched in April 2026. It was downloaded 260 times in the last 30 days.
Does Real Simple Avatar work with WordPress 7.1?
Yes. The developer has tested Real Simple Avatar up to WordPress 7.1.2, the latest release. It requires WordPress 5.0 or newer.
What PHP version does Real Simple Avatar need?
Real Simple Avatar requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Real Simple Avatar last updated?
The latest version, 1.0.4, was released on September 27, 2026 (6 days ago).
Who makes Real Simple Avatar?
Real Simple Avatar is developed and maintained by Alexandra.
What are the best alternatives to Real Simple Avatar?
The most popular alternatives to Real Simple Avatar are Gravatar Enhanced (100K+ installs), Simple Local Avatars (100K+ installs) and One User Avatar (100K+ installs).
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