CodePen Embedded Pens Shortcode
by Chris Coyier · Uncategorized
Also makes 1 other plugin · 1.4K+ installs across the portfolio →
Allows the use of a special shortcode [codepen_embed] for embedding Pens from CodePen.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
C 60/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
800+
≈870 estimated
Momentum
+31%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Listing tuning scores 20/100. Only 0 tags — use the full 5 relevant tags so search matches more queries.
60 health vs 58 average across 25,734 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.3%
of downloads still active
At least 800 of 34.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,766 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
Removal-risk signals
28/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Not actively maintained. No update in about 2 years.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 760 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.6.11; the current branch is 6.8
4.3★ over 6 reviews, smoothed to 4.12★ and held back under 25 reviews
0 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 760 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →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.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
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.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| codepen | #2 | #6 | 0 |
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 1K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
wp.org popularity rank over time · lower is better
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 86% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “800+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 4 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 69% of the way through.
Install history since 21 Apr 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ DarkMG732.1y ago
Light theme does not work after the last compatibility update and the dev does not reply to anything in the support forum for this plugin. This means this plugin is not being supported, beyond rare and limited compatibility updates. It is much better to use a different code tool than CodePen, and there are many others, or just posting the CodePen embed directly. This topic was modified 1 year, 9 months ago by DarkMG73.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pixelmort9.6y ago
👌
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ admin62510.6y ago
light and it works.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ENSASKE11.2y ago
I was worried because the new versions of wordpress, but this plugin works perfectly! Easy and fast, I will recomend it.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ HundredVisionsGuy12.0y ago
Works just fine. It took a total of 4 clicks, copy, then paste, then save. The 4 clicks was all from the CodePen.io site. From your pen, click Share > Embed > WordPress shortcode, then click on the shortcode, copy, then paste into your post (or page).
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Madalin Ignisca12.8y ago
Just what I was searching for integrating in my own blog and an eLearning project I’m working on.
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 2 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (1.0.3). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 6.4 CodePen Embedded Pens Shortcode <= 1.0.2 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2024-10-24 CVE-2024-50440 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.0.2 Patched in 1.0.3
- Patched Medium · 6.4 CodePen Embedded Pens Shortcode <= 1.0.0 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2024-07-10 CVE-2024-37960 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.0.0 Patched in 1.0.1
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.6.2
AI assistants
How it's measured →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.
Readme readiness
2 of 8 pass · checked 29 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Allows the use of a special shortcode [codepen_embed] for embedding Pens from CodePen."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 2 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("use this"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ✓ Headings and lists 2 headings and 1 list.
- ! Enough to quote 977 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text No tags set.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-07-10 900+ → 800+ down after 20 days in tier
- 2026-06-20 800+ → 900+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2026-06-16 900+ → 800+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-06-15 800+ → 900+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-06-13 900+ → 800+ down after 136 days in tier
- 2026-01-28 1K+ → 900+ down after 1456 days in tier
- 2022-02-02 2K+ → 1K+ down after 539 days in tier
- 2020-08-12 1K+ → 2K+ up
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for CodePen Embedded Pens Shortcode into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/codepen-embedded-pen-shortcode" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="CodePen Embedded Pens Shortcode — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> CodePen Embedded Pens Shortcode: 800+ active installs, 4.3★ (6 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/codepen-embedded-pen-shortcode
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.