Cipher
Cipher allows commenters to publish (pre-formatted) code.
Consider an alternative
Cipher shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 4/5 and was last updated 4 years ago, and scores 27/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 3 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.1 (latest is 7.1)
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Cipher stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| backticks | #29 |
| code | >100 |
| comment | >100 |
| preformatted | #28 |
| snippet | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 4 from 2 reviews
About Cipher
From the official readme · v1.2.2Description
Cipher is a settings-free plugin that allows commenters to publish (pre-formatted) code.
Functionalities:
- Backticks (`) can be used as an alternative to the
<code>tag to mark up both in-line and pre-formatted code within a comment. - Formatted chunks of code or pieces of code longer than 70 characters posted via the comment form automatically wrapped in
pre+codetags. - Special characters in code submitted through the comment form automatically converted to HTML entities.
Installation
Upload in the ‘plugins’ folder and activate.
Changelog
Updated plugin's metadata.
1.2.2
Refreshed the plugin’s metadata.
1.2.1
Improved the namespacing of the base class.
1.2
- Removed the QuickTags feature, incompatible with the new Gutenberg editor.
- Periods, slashes and @ are no longer converted to HTML entities.
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
FAQ
Cipher: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 15, 2026
Is Cipher free?
Yes. Cipher is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Cipher safe to use in 2026?
Cipher shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 4/5 and was last updated 4 years ago, and scores 27/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Cipher?
Cipher is active on 10+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 4,503 times since it launched in November 2012. It was downloaded 47 times in the last 30 days.
Does Cipher work with WordPress 7.1?
Cipher is officially tested up to WordPress 6.1.15, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Cipher need?
Cipher requires PHP 5.6.20 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Cipher last updated?
The latest version, 1.2.2, was released on March 26, 2023 (4 years ago).
Who makes Cipher?
Cipher is developed and maintained by Luigi Cavalieri.
Powered by PageForge
Want thousands of pages that rank like these? Build them in an afternoon.
This directory runs on the same engine as PageForge. Turn any spreadsheet, CSV or API into thousands of fast, SEO-ready WordPress pages — with schema, internal links and AI-written copy baked in.
- CSV, Google Sheets & API data sources
- AI content, schema & internal links per page
- Works with Elementor, Gutenberg, Yoast & Rank Math
- Free on WordPress.org — no credit card
