Highlight Search Terms

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

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 · 89% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.

Modeled within the band wp.org reports; tightens as we track daily.

No paid tier is visible, so we don't put a figure on revenue or sale value: that would be guessing. The install base is a real asset to an acquirer, just not one public data lets us price. A small install base leaves thin data to model from.

1. ★★★★★ hexoliving

   2.3y ago

   Nice plugin – highly reccomend.

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ mauri01

   2.4y ago

   I added the “Prevent highlighting when clicking through to result” option, all works well! Thanks you

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

   3.0y ago

   Nice! A plugin that works “out of the box.” Note: If after installing this plugin you experience any issues, most likely, they are due to a conflict with another plugin (usually a Cache or Performance plugin). The developers of these other plugins should be able to help solve your issues. Cheers 🙂

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ j0p2021

   3.0y ago

   Very good. It didn’t work right away. But overall very helpful. Although I immediately found a small mistake. For some reason, “by” does not work, but “by” = “by” – I checked! 1.cbm.ua/?p=5504

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ BPhDesigns

   3.5y ago

   Thanks for this great simple plugin.

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

   4.6y ago

   Latest update 1.8.0 broke my site… This topic was modified 4 years, 5 months ago by backfolder.

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ mikeywil

   4.9y ago

   Great plugin

   Read on wp.org ↗
8. ★★★★★ sadhaka

   4.9y ago

   Excellent plug-in. Saved me a ton of work. Extensible, too.

   Read on wp.org ↗

Recent releases and news for this plugin

1. — Version 1.8.4 Date 2026-05-26 Improved T25 theme compatibility WP 7 compatibilty tested 1.8.4
2. — Version 1.8.3 Date 2024-04-05 Update to WP coding standards WP 6.5 compatibility tested 1.8.3
3. — Version 1.8.2 Date 2022-03-01 Fix T_TRY error 1.8.2
4. — Version 1.8.1 Date 2022-01-31 Fix possible missing is_plugin_active error 1.8.1
5. — Version 1.8.0 Date 2022-01-30 NEW: Woocommerce compatibility NEW: Search Filter Pro compatibility 1.8.0
6. — Version 1.7.0 Date 2021-12-04 Switch to mark.js, https://markjs.io/ Include HTML5 main tag Dropped futile search engine support FIX: Possible double inline script FIX: wptexturized search results not highlighted NEW: filter hlst_event 1.7.0

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

Translated into 5 languages, 3 at 90% or more

Growth timeline

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

1. 2026-08-26 6K+ → 7K+ up after 3 days in tier
2. 2026-08-23 7K+ → 6K+ down after 359 days in tier
3. 2025-08-29 8K+ → 7K+ down after 1 days in tier
4. 2025-08-28 7K+ → 8K+ up after 12 days in tier
5. 2025-08-16 8K+ → 7K+ down after 449 days in tier
6. 2024-05-24 9K+ → 8K+ down after 31 days in tier
7. 2024-04-23 8K+ → 9K+ up after 3 days in tier
8. 2024-04-20 9K+ → 8K+ down after 58 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).

• String locator 100K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags C
• Search Redirections 70+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B
• Search Regex 100K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A
• Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A
• Search & Replace 100K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag C
• Ivory Search – WordPress Search Plugin 100K+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A

Embed this report card

Drop a live Pulse card for Highlight Search Terms into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

Highlight Search Terms: 7K+ active installs, 5.0★ (40 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-29. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/highlight-search-terms