Code Block Pro – Beautiful Syntax Highlighting

How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.

Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.

wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.

183 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 160 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.

Directory rank vs rivals

wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you

How often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.

Share of active installs on each version of this plugin · 59% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.

Crossed into this band 17 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 90% of the way through.

1. ★★★★★ Stefan Monov

   4mo ago

   There’s a lot to like here, except that there is no way to set a site-wide syntax-highlighting theme – it’s done block-by-block, separately for every code block.

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ Ben

   8mo ago

   Code Block Pro is one of the best syntax highlighting plugins for WordPress. Clean, fast and very easy to use. Code snippets look great right away with almost no setup. Highly recommended for anyone publishing code on their site. Thank you very much!

   Read on wp.org ↗
3. ★★★★★ afonsolpjr

   1.1y ago

   Leaving a 5 star for the simplicity. Plenty of languages, themes and styles.

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ dpacmittal

   1.2y ago

   In 15 years of using and developing wordpress websites, I’ve never left a review for a plugin. But I’m compelled to do so for this one. There’s no bloat. No notices in the admin panel, no upselling, no ads, no nagging to upgrade to pro, nothing at all. Goes to show the author values and respects their users and not just see them as walking talking wallet. This is how all plugins should be. But that doesn’t mean the plugin is devoid of features. It has everything you would want from a syntax highlighter plugin and more. The code looks beautiful and it’s fast. Did I mention, there’s no bloat. What a breath of fresh air.

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ yukiko-kawa

   1.3y ago

   I had a problem with Shortcodes inside the code (so inside the block)I put the shortcode model in a comment of the code. And even if the plugin has an option that does not listen to shortcodes. Those with “options” added were still listened to. The programmer solved it on the fly in 2 hours, it’s super fast. A_So I can only say that it is a great plugin.B_Excellent free assistance.C_And I can assure you that I looked for a code block or code syntax plugin, and this is the only decent one. Others were also decent, but they have not been updated for years and unfortunately the last one died with wp 6.8 So yes, for now in 2025 I consider it the best, if not almost the only one. ___________________________________________The correct problem_________________________________________ Serious, some codes are read by the system and become critical errors. I chose it because it seemed good to me. I had an old plugin that they haven’t updated for 5 years and it ends up that with the new wp 6.8 it no longer shows the graphic template. I searched a bit and chose this one. But problem!it reads some codes anyway: ————————- I use a function loaded on the site with WPCode, and I created a guide on the code in question. When I open the article it gives me an error because WP sees the same function name, instead it shouldn’t even read it.So to test it I put CSS Editor, so that it doesn’t read the php anyway. But the problem remains. I have to rephrase this sentence:It is not the name of the function itself, but the shortcode comment code that is read.Fairly less serious, but problematic. // Add Shortcode - scrivi questo campo [aggiungi_subcategorie] [aggiungi_subcategorie category_data="product_brand"]// NOTA: in avada, usare il campo TESTO e non la sotto variante del campo testo SHORTCODE, altrimenti non vedeadd_shortcode( 'aggiungi_subcategorie', 'wpcode_subcategorie_inpag_archivi_shortcode', 7 );function wpcode_subcategorie_inpag_archivi_shortcode($atts = array(), $content = null) { [ aggiungi_subcategorie ] exists on the site and in fact it gives me an error. Not only that, I use Avada as a theme and I wanted to show a created Template, so I put the Avada code in the plugin block. the theme tries to read it and gives a critical error. If I put the same code in the guthenbergh CODE base, there are no problems. I find it very serious that this plugin allows the site to read codes. This topic was modified 1 year ago by yukiko-kawa. This topic was modified 1 year ago by yukiko-kawa.

   Read on wp.org ↗
6. ★★★★★ kboudreau

   1.4y ago

   I first tried another similar plugin from a dev I really trust. But it was garbage. Decided to try Code Block Pro and the free version rocks. It’s SO MUCH BETTER. So easy to use. Settings right there in the post editor where they belong…Love it so much just purchased the extra themes back. It was only $12. Crazy good deal.

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ Pe3ček

   1.4y ago

   Beautiful, many themes included, looks professional, includes copy button. All perfect!

   Read on wp.org ↗
8. ★★★★★ Ankit Panchal

   1.5y ago

   This plugin does exactly what you’d hope, clean syntax highlighting, easy to use, and packed with thoughtful features. It’s really well-built and feels lightweight yet powerful. Honestly, it’s adding real value to the WordPress space. Great work!

   Read on wp.org ↗

Recent releases and news for this plugin

1. 2026-04-11 Version 1.28.0 Modernize tooling: swap ESLint/Prettier to Biome, Cypress/wp-env to Playwright + WP Playground. Comprehensive Playwright test suite (49 tests across 9 spec files). Update dependencies. Update CI workflows to use node lts 1.28.0
2. 2025-07-05 Version 1.27.7 Fixes a bug where block error warning messages would only affect the first block. Adds an update notice to users on the paid theme pack. 1.27.7
3. 2025-06-29 Version 1.27.6 Fixes a bug where shortcodes with attributes would not be properly escaped. 1.27.6
4. 2025-06-21 Version 1.27.5 Changes the default value for escaping wp shortcodes to true. Can’t see why anyone would want this any other way by default. Prevents shortcodes from rendering in the copy button 1.27.5
5. 2025-06-20 Version 1.27.4 Prevents wp_texturize from affecting copied code snippets. You will see a block update for this change as I had to wrap the code in a pre tag. 1.27.4
6. 2025-05-15 Version 1.27.3 Prevents smart quotes, typographic dashes, and other non-ASCII characters from affecting copied code snippets. 1.27.3

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1

Translated into 5 languages, 2 at 90% or more

Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.

Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.

Growth timeline

Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow

1. 2025-06-05 9K+ → 10K+ up after 170 days in tier
2. 2024-12-17 8K+ → 9K+ up after 1 days in tier
3. 2024-12-16 9K+ → 8K+ down after 1 days in tier
4. 2024-12-15 8K+ → 9K+ up after 117 days in tier
5. 2024-08-20 7K+ → 8K+ up after 141 days in tier
6. 2024-04-01 6K+ → 7K+ up after 100 days in tier
7. 2023-12-23 5K+ → 6K+ up after 1 days in tier
8. 2023-12-22 6K+ → 5K+ down after 1 days in tier

Competes with

The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).

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Code Block Pro – Beautiful Syntax Highlighting: 10K+ active installs, 4.8★ (50 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/code-block-pro