Vaaky Highlighter — Syntax Highlighter, Code Blocks, Line Numbers for Gutenberg
by WebHat · Blocks
Lightweight syntax highlighter with code blocks, line numbers, copy-to-clipboard, and 35+ themes. A fast, free alternative to Prism for WordPress.
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Health
B 79/100
Few reviews
Active installs
10+
≈15 estimated
Momentum
0%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “code blocks” and “code snippet” for “sourcecode” and “highlighter”. “code blocks” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “sourcecode” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “code snippet” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “highlighter” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
79 health vs 71 average across 2,526 Blocks plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.2%
of downloads still active
At least 10 of 4.1K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Blocks plugin keeps 2.1%, across 1,580 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Blocks plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 2 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
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.
Excellent listing optimization
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 164 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
4.5★ over 2 reviews, smoothed to 4.12★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
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.
31
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.5
Velocity
places per keyword, 25d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 25d
-0.3
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| highlighter | #7 | #17 | down 1 |
| syntax highlighter your tag | #7 | #15 | down 1 |
| prism your tag | #7 | #10 | 0 |
| prism alternative | #3 | #5 | 0 |
| sourcecode | #5 | #8 | 0 |
| line numbers your tag | #12 | #22 | 0 |
| code highlighter | #12 | #20 | down 2 |
| code blocks your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| code snippet your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
24 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 7 listed. 17 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
- Swap “code blocks” and “code snippet” for “sourcecode” and “highlighter”. “code blocks” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “sourcecode” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “code snippet” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “highlighter” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- One page off on “line numbers”. #12 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
Daily downloads
Since 8 Oct 2022 · 1,485 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 177 · 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.
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
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
2
releases in the last 12 months
5mo ago
latest release · v1.2.0 · 21 May 2026
9
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 7 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 7 Oct 2022
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ wpsaddam3.5y ago
I found Vaaky Highlighter to be a useful and easy-to-use plugin for highlighting code on my WordPress site. The only downside was that it lacked some customization options for the code block, such as line numbers and font size This topic was modified 3 years, 2 months ago by wpsaddam.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ shbkdevwp3.5y ago
Vaaky Highlighter is a great plugin for adding syntax highlighting to code snippets on WordPress sites. It’s easy to use and supports a wide range of languages making it a reliable choice. Overall, I highly recommend it with a 5 star rating.
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
8 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 "Lightweight syntax highlighter with code blocks, line numbers, copy-to-clipboard, and 35+ themes. A fast, f..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 6 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 6 of 6 read like questions a user would type.
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("ideal for", "who want").
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Gutenberg.
- ✓ Headings and lists 3 headings and 3 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,644 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "code snippet" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-03-31 20+ → 10+ down after 48 days in tier
- 2026-02-11 10+ → 20+ up after 31 days in tier
- 2026-01-11 20+ → 10+ down after 221 days in tier
- 2025-06-04 10+ → 20+ up after 11 days in tier
- 2025-05-24 20+ → 10+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2025-05-21 10+ → 20+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2025-05-19 20+ → 10+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2025-05-16 10+ → 20+ up after 2 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).
-
APH Prism Syntax Highlighter 90+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags D -
AH Code Highlighter 60+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D -
LumiCode Syntax Highlighter 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
Alkane Code 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
Smart Syntax 10+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D - S Syntax Highlighter with PrismJS — installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Vaaky Highlighter — Syntax Highlighter, Code Blocks, Line Numbers for Gutenberg into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/vaaky-highlighter" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Vaaky Highlighter — Syntax Highlighter, Code Blocks, Line Numbers for Gutenberg — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Vaaky Highlighter — Syntax Highlighter, Code Blocks, Line Numbers for Gutenberg: 10+ active installs, 4.5★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/vaaky-highlighter
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