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Gist GitHub Shortcode icon
Possibly abandoned Tested up to 5.5.22 #44 in code

Gist GitHub Shortcode

Gist GitHub Shortcode is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at…

Active installs200+100+ tier
Downloads · 30d80▲ +17.6% vs prev. 30d
Rating5/56 reviews
Health score38/100At risk
All-time downloads9.1KSince Oct 2012
Support resolved—No recent threads
RequiresWP 3.8PHP any
Downloads · 7d17▼ -41.4% week over week
Our verdict

Consider an alternative

Gist GitHub Shortcode shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 200+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 6 years ago, and scores 38/100 on our health check.

  • Small user base (200+ active installs)
  • No update in 6 years
  • Only tested up to WordPress 5.5 (latest is 7.1)

How does it stack up?

Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support

Daily downloads

369Jun 30Aug 13Sep 27
Yesterday3
Daily average (1y)2
Peak day13Sep 10, 2026
Last 12 months649

Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.

Rankings

Where Gist GitHub Shortcode stands today

WordPress.org search rankings

Live position in the plugin search, top 100
KeywordPositionCompeting pluginsCategory
code >100 10,000 Best code plugins →
Gist #48 105 Best Gist plugins →
Github >100 6,871 Best Github plugins →
syntax >100 2,149 Best syntax plugins →
syntax highlighter #51 138 Best syntax highlighter plugins →

Version adoption

Share of active sites per release.

  • 1.3100.0%

Rating breakdown

★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 6 reviews

  • 5★100.0%
  • 4★0.00%
  • 3★0.00%
  • 2★0.00%
  • 1★0.00%

About Gist GitHub Shortcode

From the official readme · v1.3.0

Description

This plugin adds Github Gists in your posts via shortcode.

Examples

Add a full gist:

[gist id="3837669"]

Add a specific file in a gist:

[gist id="3837669" file="index.php"]

License

Gist GitHub Shortcode is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published
by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

Gist GitHub Shortcode is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with Gist GitHub Shortcode. If not, see http://www.gnu.org/licenses/.

Installation

  • Upload plugin files to your plugins folder, or install using WordPress built-in Add New Plugin installer;
  • Activate the plugin.

Changelog

1.3.0 – 13/12/2013

  • Fixed code standards.
  • Added support to WordPress 3.8.

1.2.0 – 19/05/2013

  • Improved the shortcode modal dialog.
  • Add pt_BR translation.

1.1.0 – 04/01/2013

  • Source code reformulation.

1.0.0

  • Initial plugin release.

Full changelog on WordPress.org →

Screenshots

Shortcode button in TinyMCE.
Shortcode button in TinyMCE.
Shorcode dialog.
Shorcode dialog.
Shorcode example.
Shorcode example.
Plugin in action.
Plugin in action.

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.

Active installs badge Rating badge Health score badge

Best Gist GitHub Shortcode alternatives

All code plugins →
Alternatives
Rank Plugin Active installs Rating Updated Health
1 WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager WPCode Easily add code snippets in WordPress. Insert header & footer scripts, add PHP code… by Syed Balkhi 3M+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.9 (1.9K) 1 month ago 89
2 Code Snippets Code Snippets An easy, clean, and simple way to enhance your site with code snippets. by Code Snippets Pro 1M+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.7 (509) 4 weeks ago 92
3 Head & Footer Code Head & Footer Code Easy add site-wide, category and article specific custom code before the closing and , or… by Aleksandar Urošević 100K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 5 (51) 4 weeks ago 81
4 Simple Custom CSS Plugin Simple Custom CSS Plugin Add Custom CSS to your WordPress site without any hassles. by John Regan 100K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.7 (159) 2 years ago 51
5 Shortcoder — Create Shortcodes for Anything Shortcoder — Create Shortcodes for Anything Create custom "Shortcodes" easily for HTML, JavaScript, CSS code snippets and use the… by vaakash 100K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.9 (227) 2 weeks ago 81
6 Scripts n Styles Scripts n Styles This plugin allows Admin users to individually add HTML, custom CSS, Classes and JavaScript… by WraithKenny 30K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.4 (30) 3 years ago 45
7 SyntaxHighlighter Evolved SyntaxHighlighter Evolved Easily post syntax-highlighted code to your site without having to modify the code at all… by Alex Mills 20K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.3 (86) 2 years ago 51
8 Code Embed Code Embed Code Embed provides a very easy and efficient way to embed code (JavaScript, CSS and HTML)… by David Artiss 10K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.4 (45) 1 month ago 83
9 WP Coder – Insert & Manage Code Snippets WP Coder – Insert & Manage Code Snippets Snippets made simple — easily insert and manage custom PHP, CSS, JS & HTML without coding… by Wow-Company 10K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.9 (32) 1 month ago 86
10 Advance Custom HTML – Show Off Code Snippets with Live Preview Advance Custom HTML Display HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP & Python code snippets in WordPress with live preview… by bPlugins 10K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 2.5 (4) 2 weeks ago 73

FAQ

Gist GitHub Shortcode: quick answers

Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.

Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 28, 2026

Is Gist GitHub Shortcode free?

Yes. Gist GitHub Shortcode is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.

Is Gist GitHub Shortcode safe to use in 2026?

Gist GitHub Shortcode shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 200+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 6 years ago, and scores 38/100 on our health check.

How many websites use Gist GitHub Shortcode?

Gist GitHub Shortcode is active on 200+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 9,137 times since it launched in October 2012. It was downloaded 80 times in the last 30 days.

Does Gist GitHub Shortcode work with WordPress 7.1?

Gist GitHub Shortcode is officially tested up to WordPress 5.5.22, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.

When was Gist GitHub Shortcode last updated?

The latest version, 1.3.0, was released on August 10, 2020 (6 years ago).

Who makes Gist GitHub Shortcode?

Gist GitHub Shortcode is developed and maintained by Claudio Sanches.

What are the best alternatives to Gist GitHub Shortcode?

The most popular alternatives to Gist GitHub Shortcode are WPCode (3M+ installs), Code Snippets (1M+ installs) and Head & Footer Code (100K+ installs).

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