Highlight Search Terms vs CodeColorer (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Highlight Search Terms has a higher user rating (5/5 from 40 reviews) and leads in active installations (7.0K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Highlight Search Terms has accumulated 177K+ total downloads while CodeColorer has 125K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Highlight Search Terms | CodeColorer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 5/5 | ◄ | 4.9/5 |
| Total Reviews | 40 | ◄ | 11 |
| Active Installs | 7.0K+ | ◄ | 1.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 177K+ | ◄ | 125K+ |
| Support Resolution | 100% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 2 days ago | ◄ | 3 weeks ago |
| First Released | 2009 | 2007 | |
| Age | 17 years | 19 years | |
| WP Requires | 3.7+ | 4.0+ | |
| PHP Requires | 5.6+ | 7.0+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 1.8.3 | 0.11.0 |
Rating Breakdown
Highlight Search Terms
CodeColorer
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Highlight Search Terms averaged approximately 15 daily downloads while CodeColorer averaged 38.
Recent Reviews
Highlight Search Terms Reviews
Easy Install and works!
Nice plugin – highly reccomend.
Very Nice and useful
I added the “Prevent highlighting when clicking through to result” option, all works well! Thanks you
Great Plugin | Works Flawlessly
Nice! A plugin that works “out of the box.” Note: If after installing this plugin you experience any issues, most likely, they are due to a conflict with another plugin (usually a Cache or Performa
CodeColorer Reviews
Still working in WordPress 5.5.3…
This is a great plugin and despite some quirks, which I think are in WordPress, it works great, even in WordPress 5.5.3.
Great Plugin
I use this plugin to display code snippets in service documentation and it looks great. To maintain support with wordpress 5+ use this plugin alongside the classic editor plugin created by wordpress:
Great Awesome Work
Hope the author continue to update this plugin. IS the best plugin for code style. Work perfect on wordpress 4.9.2.
More Highlight Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as Highlight Search Terms and CodeColorer
Tooltipy allows you to highlight the keywords in your content in order to show a responsive description tooltips
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Mark and highlight posts, pages and posts of custom post types within the posts overview.
100% automatic code highlighting using the Prettify library. No shortcodes, no classnames, fully automatic and pure awesome.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Highlight Search Terms or CodeColorer more popular?
Which has better ratings — Highlight Search Terms or CodeColorer?
Are Highlight Search Terms and CodeColorer free?
Which plugin has better support — Highlight Search Terms or CodeColorer?
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.