Syntax Highlight
by lukasz.webmaster · Uncategorized
Syntax Highlighting in WordPress Plugins and Themes Editor.
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 47/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
200+
≈250 estimated
Momentum
+14%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “editor”, “html editor” and “plugins editor” 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.
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.0%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 9.9K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,783 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 12+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 3.9.40, well behind 7.1.
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 4508 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.9.40; the current branch is 7.1
5.0★ over 6 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.2★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4508 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| editor your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| html editor your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| plugins editor your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| syntax highlight your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| themes editor your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “editor”, “html editor” and “plugins editor” 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 · 1,492 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 101 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #11,300 to #12,900, alongside the other plugins at 200+ 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.
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
12.4y ago
latest release · v1.0.2 · 2 Jul 2014
2
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 “200+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 13 months 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 6 Sep 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Denis Stoyanov11.3y ago
Works great! Thanks 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ B_M12.2y ago
Fantastic! As I sometimes edit code via the WordPress editor the default styling does not make that very easy or nice to use. But this plugin makes it a lot easier to edit the code, it also makes suggestions for the code to make it better, which i really like. So thanks for the brilliant plugin, and making me think a bit more about my code!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ centomila12.4y ago
This plugin deserve an integration with WordPress core 😀 Just a suggestion: add a button to dynamically change font size (+/- or capturing the browser cltr++ / ctrl + – if is possibile)
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Zeokat12.4y ago
The review is simple, the plugin works very good. You have all the advantages of Ace editor in your WordPress. If you are one of those that constantly finetuning CSS, HTML ,etc… (like me lol) and not want to deal with ftp, ssh, or similar… this plugin is for you.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ panique12.4y ago
Clever plugin, works out-of-the box like it should work. But maybe the author should change the name of this plugin, people might think it highlights syntax INSIDE the posts.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Sarah Gooding12.4y ago
Includes all features listed plus others from the open source Ace editor. Works nicely.
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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
1 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 No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 501 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "html-editor", "plugins editor" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-10-10 300+ → 200+ down after 315 days in tier
- 2024-11-29 400+ → 300+ down after 417 days in tier
- 2023-10-09 500+ → 400+ down after 212 days in tier
- 2023-03-11 600+ → 500+ down after 158 days in tier
- 2022-10-04 700+ → 600+ down after 303 days in tier
- 2021-12-05 1K+ → 700+ 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).
-
Syntax-highlighting Code Block (with Server-side Rendering) 1K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A - C Contact Form 7 Syntax Highlighting 1K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag D
-
Code Block Syntax Highlighter for Elementor 500+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag D - B Better File Editor 300+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag D
- C Crazy Pills 100+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag D
- W WP-SynHighlight 100+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Syntax Highlight into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/syntax-highlight" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Syntax Highlight — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Syntax Highlight: 200+ active installs, 5.0★ (6 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-04. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/syntax-highlight
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.