SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
by Alex Mills · Uncategorized
Also makes 4 other plugins · 1M+ installs across the portfolio →
Easily post syntax-highlighted code to your site without having to modify the code at all. As seen on WordPress.com.
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
C 65/100
Stale
Active installs
20K+
≈25K estimated
Momentum
+35%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “code”, “php” and “source” for “p2”, “swf” and “tex”. “code” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “p2” sits at #13 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “php” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “swf” sits at #14 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “source” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “tex” sits at #15 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
65 health vs 58 average across 25,737 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.7%
of downloads still active
At least 20K of 1.1M lifetime downloads are still running, above 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.
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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 607 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.7.11; the current branch is 6.8
4.3★ over 86 reviews, smoothed to 4.23★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
1 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Last updated 607 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.
37
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
14%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
+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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| syntaxhighlighter | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| evolved | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| sourcecode your tag | #4 | #3 | down 1 |
| swf | #14 | #7 | down 1 |
| tex | #15 | #7 | 0 |
| code your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| php your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| source your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| syntax highlighting your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
14 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 5 listed. 9 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”, “php” and “source” for “p2”, “swf” and “tex”. “code” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “p2” sits at #13 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “php” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “swf” sits at #14 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “source” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “tex” sits at #15 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 14.7K · peaks are release surges
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
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
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
1.7y ago
latest release · v3.7.2 · 3 Mar 2025
30
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 73% 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 “20K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2.6 years ago; the previous band took 2.8 years to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 11 Aug 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Andrey Sirota2.6y ago
Thank you for this plugin. It works perfect for pure C and C#, but unfortunately, it doesn’t highlight most code for the Unity game engine: C# scripts and Shaders. Please add support for this.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ versuri2.8y ago
не работает. строки php просто закомментирует, в визуальном редакторе не отображается
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ janothemes3.8y ago
It works and show code beautifully on pages, But if you copied that code and want to use it, the it shows errors, Looks like it add some spaces, I tried it with php shorcode, and when i copied the code from the frontend of the page, It gives Parse error: syntax error, unexpected…
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Alex3.8y ago
Thank you
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dreamsoft4.7y ago
so useful and great! many thanks
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wordruman4.9y ago
Just like the title says.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Hoerli5.0y ago
Das Plugin funktionierte bisher gut, jedoch habe ich feststellen müssen, das diverse Code-Zeilen kaputt gehen. Ich bin mir nicht sicher ob es an WordPress oder an dem Plugin liegt, aber manche Wörter werden kaputt gemacht. Codezeilen werden dadurch ungültig. Als Beispiel: Eine nginx-Konfiguration enthält den Wert: fastcgi_split_pathfo Daraus wurde aber dann: fastcgi_split_pathfo Das ist doof 🙁 Ein Knopf im Menüband, wo man Code einfach mit den passenden Tags einfügen kann, wäre auch sehr hilfreich. So muss ich die Tags immer von Hand passend setzen. (WP 5.8.1 – php7.4) This topic was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by Hoerli.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ shukantpal5.4y ago
The syntax highlighting works perfecto! I did tweak the font size and line-height for my needs as well – changing the CSS was very easy.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 3.7.2 Add more explicit license information #266 Fix escaping when language is unknown #283 3.7.2
- — Version 3.7.1 Ensure box sizing accounts for added padding #278 3.7.1
- — Version 3.7.0 Update translations with translator comment to a single line. #245 Fix nested shortcode bugs. #261 PHP 8 Compat: declare class properties. #265 Migrate project to wp-scripts and fix lodash deps. #269 3.7.0
- — Version 3.6.2 New: Add syntax highlight for Swift. #232 3.6.2
- — Version 3.6.1 New: Set code block language when pasting into editor. #215 New: Add syntax highlight for Haskell. #210 New: Display the list of available brushes. #221 Fix: Line alignment for bootstrap themes. #222 Fix: Add space aroun 3.6.1
- — Version 3.6.0 New: Add “`language shortcut. #180 New: Add block alignment support. #179 New: Add language selector to block toolbar. #172 Fix: transform issue. #201 Fix: toolbar code selection for latest Gutenberg versions #200 Fix: C 3.6.0
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 3 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (3.7.2). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 6.4 SyntaxHighlighter Evolved <= 3.7.1 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2025-03-27 CVE-2025-30903 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 3.7.1 Patched in 3.7.2
- 2019-10-21 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 3.5.1 Patched in 3.5.1
- 2014-08-01 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 3.1.9 Patched in 3.1.10
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.7.2
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 74 languages, 17 at 90% or more
Plus 50 more locales with partial translations.
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
1 of 8 pass · checked 28 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 Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Block editor.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 597 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 1 of 5 tags appear in the text ("php", "source", "sourcecode", "syntax highlighting" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-03-29 30K+ → 20K+ down after 1023 days in tier
- 2021-06-10 40K+ → 30K+ down after 1225 days in tier
- 2018-02-01 50K+ → 40K+ 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).
- S SyntaxHighlighter Plus 100+ installs · 4.0★ · 4 shared tags D
-
Simple Code Block 200+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags D - S SyntaxHighlighter2 20+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags
-
Code View 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A -
Code Snippets 1M+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for SyntaxHighlighter Evolved into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/syntaxhighlighter" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="SyntaxHighlighter Evolved — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> SyntaxHighlighter Evolved: 20K+ active installs, 4.3★ (86 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/syntaxhighlighter
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