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SyntaxHighlighter Evolved vs Highlighting Code Block (2026)

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

SyntaxHighlighter Evolved

SyntaxHighlighter Evolved

4.3(86)

20K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 year ago
View SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
VS
Highlighting Code Block

Highlighting Code Block

4.5(19)

10K+ active installs

Free

Updated 3 days ago
View Highlighting Code Block

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Highlighting Code Block has a higher user rating (4.5/5 from 19 reviews) while SyntaxHighlighter Evolved leads in active installations (20K+ vs 10K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. SyntaxHighlighter Evolved has accumulated 1.1M+ total downloads while Highlighting Code Block has 170K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.3/5SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
►
Highlighting Code Block4.5/5
Total Reviews
86SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
◄
Highlighting Code Block19
Active Installs
20K+SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
◄
Highlighting Code Block10K+
Total Downloads
1.1M+SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
◄
Highlighting Code Block170K+
Support Resolution
N/ASyntaxHighlighter Evolved
Highlighting Code BlockN/A
Last Updated
1 year agoSyntaxHighlighter Evolved
►
Highlighting Code Block3 days ago
First Released
2007SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
Highlighting Code Block2018
Age
19 yearsSyntaxHighlighter Evolved
Highlighting Code Block8 years
WP Requires
5.7+SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
Highlighting Code Block5.6+
PHP Requires
7.0+SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
Highlighting Code Block5.6+
Business Model
FreeSyntaxHighlighter Evolved
Highlighting Code BlockFree
Latest Version
3.7.2SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
Highlighting Code Block2.1.3

Rating Breakdown

SyntaxHighlighter Evolved

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

Highlighting Code Block

4.5/5(19 reviews)
5
84%
4
0%
3
0%
2
11%
1
5%

Recent Reviews

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

Highlighting Code Block Reviews

by liuliu66

站点爆炸

在寻求关于此问题的帮助时，您可能需要提供以下信息：WordPress 版本 6.5.2目前启用的主题：Vikinger – BuddyPress Social Community（1.9.9.4.2 版本）当前插件：Highlighting Code Block（版本 2.0.1）PHP 版本 8.1.27 错误详情============错误类型 E_ERROR 发生在文件 /www/ww

by sazone

very nice

read code easily

by ishere

Good Job!

Very thanks!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is SyntaxHighlighter Evolved or Highlighting Code Block more popular?
SyntaxHighlighter Evolved has 20K+ active installations while Highlighting Code Block has 10K+. SyntaxHighlighter Evolved is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — SyntaxHighlighter Evolved or Highlighting Code Block?
SyntaxHighlighter Evolved has a 4.3/5 rating from 86 reviews, while Highlighting Code Block has a 4.5/5 rating from 19 reviews.
Are SyntaxHighlighter Evolved and Highlighting Code Block free?
SyntaxHighlighter Evolved is free and Highlighting Code Block is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — SyntaxHighlighter Evolved or Highlighting Code Block?
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?
SyntaxHighlighter Evolved was last updated 1 year ago and Highlighting Code Block was last updated 3 days ago.

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