Prettify Code Syntax
by jesucarr · Uncategorized
Code syntax highlighter using Google Prettify, supporting the HTML5 recommendation, and caching plugins.
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
D 45/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
70+
≈79 estimated
Momentum
+13%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “code” for “google prettify”. “code” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “google prettify” sits at #13 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
45 health vs 58 average across 25,737 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.4%
of downloads still active
At least 70 of 16.7K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,771 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.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 13+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 3.5.2, well behind 6.8.
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 4972 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.5.2; the current branch is 6.8
4.2★ over 12 reviews, smoothed to 4.12★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4972 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.
38
Momentum
Mixed: one swing, the rest drifting
+0.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 24d
14%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 24d
-0.1
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| google prettify | #13 | #7 | 0 |
| prettify your tag | #22 | #13 | 0 |
| google code prettify | #12 | #6 | 0 |
| code prettify | #21 | #11 | 0 |
| code your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| highlighter your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| markup your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| syntax your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
7 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 4 listed. 3 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “code” for “google prettify”. “code” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “google prettify” sits at #13 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 213 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #18,200 to #19,000, alongside the other plugins at 70+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 21 Oct 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
13.6y ago
latest release · v1.2.1 · 21 Mar 2013
6
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% 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 “70+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 20 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 80.
Install history since 22 Apr 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- Read on wp.org ↗★★★★★ krischik12.2y ago
- ★★★★★ robsonmoulin12.2y ago
Muito bom este plugin funcionou corretamente. Ele só demora um pouco para carregar na página as cores dos códigos.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ qujck12.3y ago
Comes with a simple settings page where you can choose from a list of colour schemes or create your own – perfect.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ alaskajohn12.4y ago
I like this so much, I’ve added it to my list of the “Top 5 WordPress Plugins for Coders”
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Samuel Santos12.5y ago
The most complete Google Code Prettify plugin I tried.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Akhtar12.7y ago
This is great plugin works for me!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ gnarlyinc12.9y ago
Great plugin wish it supported span class=”nocode’
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ anaphel13.1y ago
Works fine for me, thank you for this plugin 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.2.4
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
3 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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! 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 ("if you have"); 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 4 headings and 1 list.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,405 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "markup" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-11 80+ → 70+ down after 41 days in tier
- 2026-08-31 70+ → 80+ up after 24 days in tier
- 2026-08-07 80+ → 70+ down after 262 days in tier
- 2025-11-18 90+ → 80+ down after 130 days in tier
- 2025-07-11 100+ → 90+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2025-07-07 90+ → 100+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2025-07-05 100+ → 90+ down after 5 days in tier
- 2025-06-30 90+ → 100+ up after 24 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).
-
Code Block Pro – Beautiful Syntax Highlighting 10K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags A -
Simple Code Highlighter 300+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags D - G Google Syntax Highlighter for WordPress 100+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags
- A Auto SyntaxHighlighter 100+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags D
- S Syntax Highlighter Compress 70+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags D
- S Syntax Highlighter++ 60+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Prettify Code Syntax into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/prettify-code-syntax" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Prettify Code Syntax — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Prettify Code Syntax: 70+ active installs, 4.2★ (12 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/prettify-code-syntax
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