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Free Plugin by WPKube v2.0.6.2

Authors List

Use a shortcode to display a list or grid of post authors (or any other user role) and links to their post archives page.

Authors List

The facts

Rating
5★ from 22
Active installs
5k+
Price
Free
Last updated
24 Nov 2025
Added
Apr 2019
Requires WP
4.7.0
Tested up to
WP 6.8.8
Requires PHP
5.4
Downloads
58,612

Our analysis

AI-assisted

Authors List is a WordPress plugin that allows you to display a list or grid of post authors or other user roles, complete with links to their post archives. You can customise the display using a shortcode that accepts various attributes for layout and content options.

The plugin is suitable for users who need to showcase multiple authors on their site, such as blogs, bookstores, or publishing platforms. It provides a backend interface for managing options and supports dynamic content through shortcode attributes.

Best for: This plugin suits websites with multiple authors or contributors, especially in publishing or blogging contexts.

What it does well

  • Free to use from the WordPress.org directory
  • Customisable display options via shortcode
  • Allows for dynamic user meta fields in content

Where it falls short

  • Limited feature set compared to the PRO version
  • No details on specific styling options in the free version

Verdict

Authors List offers a straightforward way to display authors on your site. While the free version has useful features, those seeking advanced options may consider the PRO version.

From the developer

WPKube's own description of Authors List, lightly tidied.

Easily display a list or grid of post authors (or any other user role) and links to their post archives page using a shortcode.

Backend UI can be used to change all the options.

Introducing New Authors List Pro

The free version offers a large amount of features for free, and the PRO version comes with even more amazing features for your authors list.
Some of those features are Styler, Search and Filters.
Styler allows easy change of color/typography/spacing on any of the elements in the authors list.
Filters allow you to create a better organization of the authors list.
Search allows your visitors to search for specific users.
Click here to get the PRO version!

Shortcode

All the options are available in the WP admin but you can also use a plain shortcode (as it was in version 1 of the plugin). The shortcode is [authors_list] and accepts the following attributes.

  • style (1,2,3)
  • columns (2,3,4)
  • columns_direction ( horizontal, vertical )
  • avatar_size (any number, example 500)
  • amount (any number, no limit by default)
  • show_title (yes,no)
  • show_count (yes,no)
  • show_bio (yes,no)
  • show_link (yes,no)
  • orderby ( post_count, post_date, ID, login, nicename, email, url, registered, display_name, first_name, last_name )
  • order ( ASC, DESC )
  • skip_empty ( yes, no )
  • minimum_posts_count ( any number )
  • bio_word_trim ( any number, leave empty for no trim )
  • only_authors ( yes, no )
  • exclude ( user IDs separated by comma, example 1,3,4 )
  • include ( user IDs separated by comma, example 1,3,4 )
  • roles ( roles separated by comma, example administrator,editor )
  • latest_post_after ( for example if set to 7 it will only show authors that have posts published in the past 7 days )
  • name_starts_with ( limit to authors whose display name starts with specific characters )
  • first_name_starts_with ( limit to authors whose first name starts with specific characters )
  • last_name_starts_with ( limit to authors whose last name starts with specific characters )
  • categories ( category IDs separated by comma, example 1,3,4 )
  • terms ( term IDs separate by comma, example 1,3,4 )
  • taxonomy ( name of a taxonomy, for example post_tag )
  • title_element (the element that wraps the name of the user/author, defaults to div, can be any element, for example h2)
  • link_count (yes, no)

Example usage with attributes:

[authors_list style="2" columns="2" amount="4" show_count="no"]

There are additional attributes for custom content before and after each element:

  • before_avatar
  • before_title
  • before_count
  • before_bio
  • before_link
  • after_avatar
  • after_title
  • after_count
  • after_bio
  • after_link

Example usage with attributes:

[authors_list before_title="My custom content"]

These before/after attributes also support dynamic user/author meta fields using

{al:INSERT_FIELD_NAME}

Example usage:

[authors_list before_title="My first name is {al:first_name}"]

Read the full description on the official page →

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