Prism Syntax Highlighter (detached)
by apfelbox · Uncategorized
Adds Prism Syntax Highlighting to WordPress, using custom fields for your code examples.
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 46/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
10+
≈15 estimated
Momentum
+7%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “prism” and “syntax highlighting” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
46 health vs 58 average across 25,764 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.3%
of downloads still active
At least 10 of 3.3K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,772 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 4843 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.5.2; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 3 reviews, smoothed to 4.15★ and held back under 25 reviews
2 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4843 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.
30
Momentum
Losing ground
-1.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
0.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| mathml | #15 | #12 | down 5 |
| prism your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| syntax highlighting your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
3 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 1 listed. 2 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “prism” and “syntax highlighting” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 58 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #30,400 to #44,800, alongside the other plugins at 10+ 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 1 Nov 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
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
13.3y ago
latest release · v1.5 · 30 Jul 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 “10+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 4.1 years ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 17 Apr 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ MCD Diseño Web12.3y ago
It is the best plugin of its kind that I have found. Thank you very much! regards
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Nico12.6y ago
I reported a issue 7 months ago! https://github.com/apfelbox/Prism-Detached/issues/4 and yes there is still not updated. The current version does not save any options. The Github version seems to be working, and I will install that later but when you throw your plugin on WP.org you should maintain it there and not only on Github. Also a button to create the Shortcode would be nice. I thought of committing a big change to add a shortcode creator dialog based on my ARVE plugin but if this takes a year to end up on here I’ll be better off forking it and maintaining my own version I guess. The Idea to make this detached and have the code in custom fields is very nice, never seen a code highlighter to do it this way.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous13.3y ago
Prism Detached is the best PrismJS Syntax Highlighting plugin available for WordPress. The idea in its implementation was ingenious. It keeps the code separate from the actual post which gives it important advantages like: keeping the article clean avoiding accidental auto-word corrections easier to edit/update the codes because it is easier to find easier to update the article as well because it isn’t too long with the code separated from it Great job!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ blustemy13.6y ago
Perfect integration of Prism syntax highlighting, using custom fields to store the code excerpts. It separates the text of the post from the code samples to be highlighted, that’s perfect. Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗
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
4 of 8 pass · checked 27 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Adds Prism Syntax Highlighting to WordPress, using custom fields for your code examples."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you want"); 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 5 headings and 3 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,636 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 2 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2022-10-04 20+ → 10+ down
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).
-
Melonpan Block – Code 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags - Z Zeddotes Enhanced Code Block — installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags
-
WebberZone Code Block Highlighting — installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
Coywolf Code Block Enhancer — installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B - S SyntaxHighlighter Evolved 20K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag C
-
Highlighting Code Block 10K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Prism Syntax Highlighter (detached) into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/prism-detached" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Prism Syntax Highlighter (detached) — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Prism Syntax Highlighter (detached): 10+ active installs, 5.0★ (3 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/prism-detached
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