WP Code Highlight
by acalbert · Uncategorized
WP Code Highlight provides clean syntax highlighting and it also provides a code button.
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 44/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
200+
≈250 estimated
Momentum
+100%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “code highlight”, “sourcecode” and “wordpress code highlight” 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.
44 health vs 58 average across 25,734 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.4%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 56.4K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,766 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 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 4473 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.9.40; the current branch is 6.8
3.9★ over 14 reviews, smoothed to 4.06★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4473 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| code highlight your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| sourcecode your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| wordpress code highlight your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| wp code your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| wp code highlight 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
- “code highlight”, “sourcecode” and “wordpress code highlight” 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 · 1,487 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 116 · 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 21 Oct 2026.
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
12.3y ago
latest release · v1.2.9 · 2 Aug 2014
14
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 19 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 8 Apr 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ scbritton7.2y ago
This plugin was working fine, until some point in the last 12 months. I checked an old post and discovered that my content was no longer displaying, and discovered this plugin was the cause. Upon deactivation, my content reappeared. So, like others have posted, it doesn’t seem to work with PHP 7
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Niraj Shah8.5y ago
I used to use this plugin on my site, but since upgrading to PHP 7.1, this plugin no longer works, therefore I’ve uninstalled it.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ websupporter9.8y ago
I was using it quite a bit. After a while, I forgot about it. Out of convienience I started to use gist and embedded them. There are good reasons not to do this and for those reasons this plugin is suitable. I do not quite remember, I think I abandoned this plugin, since I use a lot of < and > and there is no fun doing so with the WP Editor. Must have been something like this, but not really related to this plugin. I switched to PHP7 and my blog posts seem to disappear. I found out, this plugin does not work with PHP7. No worries, your posts are not lost, but they are not displayed properly. When you deactivate the plugin, everything works as it is supposed to. If you want to use this plugin and PHP7 you might want to have a look into this comment by a friendly user: https://wordpress.org/support/topic/this-plugin-does-not-support-php7/#post-8043051 Would be great, if the plugin would get updated though 🙂 This topic was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by websupporter. Reason: i wanted to rate 4 not 5 :)
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Just a Wordpress User10.0y ago
Didn’t work for PHP 7.0
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ hlx9800710.9y ago
As titled. Disable or remove this plugin with using with PHP7
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ bcchagas11.5y ago
Exactly what I was looking for. Easy to use, highlight just about any code. No configuration needed. Just install and start using it. It uses the ‘pre’ tag which is already available in the WordPress’ post editor.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mike Price11.8y ago
This plugin does exactly what it should do. I was looking for a solution to highlight code into my blog to make it readable. This plugin does just that and its not complicated. Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ krischik12.2y ago
Company installed it and there is no way to disable it on a per posting or per tag basis. Documentation is only in Chinese which makes it a pain to use. I hope I can convince IT to de-install the plug-in as again as it is unsuitable for a company blog which multiple authors which may have different needs.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
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
3 of 8 pass · checked 31 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 One audience phrase ("if you need"); 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 2 headings and 2 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,507 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "sourcecode", "wordpress code highlight" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-04-06 300+ → 200+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-04-05 200+ → 300+ up after 14 days in tier
- 2025-03-22 300+ → 200+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2025-03-19 200+ → 300+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2025-03-17 300+ → 200+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-03-16 200+ → 300+ up after 10 days in tier
- 2025-03-06 300+ → 200+ down after 20 days in tier
- 2025-02-14 200+ → 300+ up after 9 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).
- S SmartAss Highlighter 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags
- S SyntaxHighlighter Evolved 20K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag C
-
Pastacode 400+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag B - W WP SyntaxHighlighter 300+ installs · 4.0★ · 1 shared tag D
-
Code Block – share beautiful code snippets readers can copy 200+ installs · 3.6★ · 1 shared tag - S SyntaxHighlighter TinyMCE Button 100+ installs · 3.6★ · 1 shared tag
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WP Code Highlight into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-code-highlight" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP Code Highlight — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP Code Highlight: 200+ active installs, 3.9★ (14 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-code-highlight
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.