PluginSift

Head & Footer Code vs SyntaxHighlighter Evolved (2026)

Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.

Head & Footer Code

Head & Footer Code

5(52)

100K+ active installs

Free

Updated 3 days ago
View Head & Footer Code
VS
SyntaxHighlighter Evolved

SyntaxHighlighter Evolved

4.3(86)

20K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 year ago
View SyntaxHighlighter Evolved

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Head & Footer Code has a higher user rating (5/5 from 52 reviews) and leads in active installations (100K+ vs 20K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Head & Footer Code has accumulated 2.5M+ total downloads while SyntaxHighlighter Evolved has 1.1M+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
5/5Head & Footer Code
◄
SyntaxHighlighter Evolved4.3/5
Total Reviews
52Head & Footer Code
►
SyntaxHighlighter Evolved86
Active Installs
100K+Head & Footer Code
◄
SyntaxHighlighter Evolved20K+
Total Downloads
2.5M+Head & Footer Code
◄
SyntaxHighlighter Evolved1.1M+
Support Resolution
80%Head & Footer Code
SyntaxHighlighter EvolvedN/A
Last Updated
3 days agoHead & Footer Code
◄
SyntaxHighlighter Evolved1 year ago
First Released
2015Head & Footer Code
SyntaxHighlighter Evolved2007
Age
11 yearsHead & Footer Code
SyntaxHighlighter Evolved19 years
WP Requires
5.2+Head & Footer Code
SyntaxHighlighter Evolved5.7+
PHP Requires
5.6+Head & Footer Code
SyntaxHighlighter Evolved7.0+
Business Model
FreeHead & Footer Code
SyntaxHighlighter EvolvedFree
Latest Version
1.5.7Head & Footer Code
SyntaxHighlighter Evolved3.7.2

Rating Breakdown

Head & Footer Code

5/5(52 reviews)
5
96%
4
4%
3
0%
2
0%
1
0%

SyntaxHighlighter Evolved

4.3/5(86 reviews)
5
76%
4
6%
3
3%
2
5%
1
10%

Recent Reviews

Head & Footer Code Reviews

by alangrah

Quick turn-around on bug report

Have used this plug-in reliably for years. Found a bug in the most recent version, reported it, and had it fixed within a few hours. Love that!

by tamertsl

Thank you, you deserve 10 stars.

Thank you, you deserve 10 stars.

by Ryn

Simplicity at its Finest

I’ve been using this plugin for around two to three years now across three different sites I use to run my creative projects as a small-time writer. Of these sites, one is a writing and blogging page,

SyntaxHighlighter Evolved Reviews

by Andrey Sirota

Works Great! But….

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.

by versuri

Dont work

не работает. строки php просто закомментирует, в визуальном редакторе не отображается

by janothemes

Works, But if you copy code and wan to to use it show error

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Head & Footer Code or SyntaxHighlighter Evolved more popular?
Head & Footer Code has 100K+ active installations while SyntaxHighlighter Evolved has 20K+. Head & Footer Code is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Head & Footer Code or SyntaxHighlighter Evolved?
Head & Footer Code has a 5/5 rating from 52 reviews, while SyntaxHighlighter Evolved has a 4.3/5 rating from 86 reviews.
Are Head & Footer Code and SyntaxHighlighter Evolved free?
Head & Footer Code is free and SyntaxHighlighter Evolved is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Head & Footer Code or SyntaxHighlighter Evolved?
Support resolution data is not available for all plugins. Check each plugin's WordPress.org support forum for current response quality.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Head & Footer Code was last updated 3 days ago and SyntaxHighlighter Evolved was last updated 1 year ago.

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.