Prism Syntax Highlighter
Prism is a new lightweight, extensible syntax highlighter, built with modern web standards in mind, by Lea Verou. This is a WordPress plugin to make it super simple to use Prism on your WordPress site.
Consider an alternative
Prism Syntax Highlighter shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 20+ sites and was last updated 14 years ago, and scores 24/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (20+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 14 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 3.4 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Prism Syntax Highlighter stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| code | >100 |
| highlighter | >100 |
| pre | >100 |
| prism | #64 |
| syntax | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
About Prism Syntax Highlighter
From the official readme · v1.0Description
Prism is a new lightweight, extensible syntax highlighter, built with modern web standards in mind, by
Lea Verou. This is a WordPress plugin to make it super simple to use Prism on your
WordPress site.
Features include:
- Easy setup (install and activate the plugin and Prism is already working)
- Settings page with Theme chooser
- Enable/disable Prism plugins as required (all from the settings page)
For more info on the Prism plugin see the official site.
Installation
- Upload the
wp-prismfolder to the/wp-content/plugins/directory - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
- Go to Settings > Prism Settings to tweak Prism
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.
Best Prism Syntax Highlighter alternatives
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FAQ
Prism Syntax Highlighter: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 14, 2026
Is Prism Syntax Highlighter free?
Yes. Prism Syntax Highlighter is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Prism Syntax Highlighter safe to use in 2026?
Prism Syntax Highlighter shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 20+ sites and was last updated 14 years ago, and scores 24/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Prism Syntax Highlighter?
Prism Syntax Highlighter is active on 20+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 3,558 times since it launched in August 2012. It was downloaded 51 times in the last 30 days.
Does Prism Syntax Highlighter work with WordPress 7.1?
Prism Syntax Highlighter is officially tested up to WordPress 3.4.2, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Prism Syntax Highlighter last updated?
The latest version, 1.0, was released on August 3, 2012 (14 years ago).
Who makes Prism Syntax Highlighter?
Prism Syntax Highlighter is developed and maintained by Gilbert Pellegrom.
What are the best alternatives to Prism Syntax Highlighter?
The most popular alternatives to Prism Syntax Highlighter are WPCode (3M+ installs), Code Snippets (1M+ installs) and Head & Footer Code (100K+ installs).
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