Shortcake (Shortcode UI)
by Daniel Bachhuber · Uncategorized
Also makes 8 other plugins · 51.3K+ installs across the portfolio →
Shortcake makes using WordPress shortcodes a piece of cake.
45 health vs 56 average across 16,376 Uncategorized plugins
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 7+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 5.0.27, well behind 6.8.
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
Biggest win: Update recency
To rank higher: Last updated 2783 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Daily downloads
Since 2022-10-05 · 1,425 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peaks are release surges
1.4K
now · peak 3.8K
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
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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.
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
7.6y ago
latest release · v0.7.4
15
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 99% 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 “10K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Refined from the date this plugin crossed into its current band.
Install history · since 2015-11-01 · 1,500 observations
Estimated value
What this plugin might earn a year, and what it might sell for. Modeled from public signals; we don't see anyone's books.
Est. annual revenue
Est. acquisition value
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.
Details
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Janice Thewa6.8y ago
Love using short codes, The block editor is handy too, but short codes are so nice. Good job.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Rae M. Anderson8.7y ago
nice
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jeb8.7y ago
This plugin is god awful. Not only does it break parts of woocommerce their update notifications are insanely irritating when combined with profilepress. Shortcodes aren’t that hard to add so it baffles me why people need a plugin like this to do such a simple task. https://generatewp.com/shortcodes/
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous8.7y ago
Good Plugin for useful shortcode!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ musiclovers8.8y ago
love this plugin! thanks.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ thezman8.8y ago
This is a fantastic idea, it retains the normal functionality of WordPress Shortcodes where as developers can properly control the output and the end users simply use the shortcode in a more intuitive way. Please develop THIS and NOT GUTENBERG. PS bonus round: WooCommerce is training wheels for Magento, if you are using Woo and not liking it then its time for you to get off the the pedal bike and buy a real car, ie: Magento.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ malcolmparsons8.8y ago
Guys, like the plugin, it is a useful one. But there are errors, please develop it. Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wiloke9.1y ago
Absolutely love this idea.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 0.7.4 Block editor compatability: prevent templates from being output before the document head, which forced the browser into quirksmode, breaking some CSS styles in the block editor. Bug fix: the above bugfix. Bug fix: Fix a 0.7.4
- — Version 0.7.3 Security: Use nonce validation in ajax render shortcode callback to protect against CSRF. Bug fix: Make sure that the same js hooks fire on all field types. Bug fix: Fix bugs affecting multiple select fields (values coul 0.7.3
- — Version 0.7.2 Bug fix: Fix behavior in WordPress 4.7.4 where editing a shortcode would insert a new shortcode into the editor rather than updating the shortcode being edited. Bug fix: The replacement used to escape percent (%) charact 0.7.2
- — Version 0.7.1 Change shortcode formatting to add a space before the self-closing trailing slash. Fix alignment of attachment previews with long filenames. Bug fix: Set an initial value on select fields (previously, no value would be s 0.7.1
- — Version 0.7.0 Adds “Add post element” button to media buttons – one click to open the shortcode list, rather than clicking “Add media” button and then finding “insert post element” in the menu. Added “Term Select” field type. Added “U 0.7.0
- — Version 0.6.2 Bug fix: Listens for “change” event on radio buttons and checkboxes to ensure shortcode attributes are updated. Bug fix: Ensures register_shortcode_ui is always run before calling get_shortcodes(). Fixes post select AJAX 0.6.2
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 21 languages, 10 at 90% or more
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2023-11-26 20K+ → 10K+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2023-11-24 10K+ → 20K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2023-11-23 20K+ → 10K+ 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).
-
Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 400K+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag B -
Column Shortcodes 60K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag D -
Apollo13 Framework Extensions 20K+ installs · 4.0★ · 1 shared tag B -
ND Shortcodes 20K+ installs · 3.6★ · 1 shared tag C -
Futurio Extra 20K+ installs · 4.0★ · 1 shared tag B -
Meks Flexible Shortcodes 10K+ installs · 4.0★ · 1 shared tag C
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Shortcake (Shortcode UI) into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/shortcode-ui" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Shortcake (Shortcode UI) — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Shortcake (Shortcode UI): 10K+ active installs, 4.1★ (24 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-30. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/shortcode-ui