SmartAss Highlighter
SmartAss Highlighter is extremely simple and easy to use syntax highlighter for your code. Shortcode - [highlighter]
Consider an alternative
SmartAss Highlighter shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites and was last updated 11 years ago, and scores 23/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 11 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 4.2 (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 SmartAss Highlighter stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| code highlighter | >100 |
| highlighter | >100 |
| SmartAss | #1 |
| wordpress code highlight | >100 |
| wp code | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
About SmartAss Highlighter
From the official readme · v1.0Description
- SmartAss Highlighter is a simple and easy to use code prettifier for wordpress.
- The code between
<pre>and</pre>tags is highlighted. - Almost all languages are supported, no need to mention the code language.
- Customizable for each post, use
[highlighter]shortcode to enable for particular post. - To change theme, modify
highlighter.cssin the plugin directory. - Button is available for both editor modes, i.e., Visual and Text editor.
- Line Numbers are
ONby default but can be turned OFF by using modified shortcode[highlighter line=0] - IMPORTANT – This plugin would not be updated very frequently, updates (if required) may delay
Basic Usage
- Switch to Text Only Mode, Go to “Edit my profile” and then check “Disable the visual editor when writing”
- Create new post
- Put your code in between
<pre>and</pre> - MUST use shortcode
[highlighter]to activate the SmartAss-Highlighter - Line numbers are on by default, but can be switched off by using
[highlighter line=0] - Note: Only the Posts having shortcode
[highlighter]will be highlighted. Your previous posts won’t be affected. - Do NOT use html codes for special characters (
<or>), Directly use<or>
More Information
For more information of this plugin, please visit: Plugin Homepage.
Installation
- Download and extract
"SmartAss-Highlighter.zip"to"wp-content/plugins/" - Activate the plugin through the “Plugins” menu in WordPress
- Put your code in between
<pre>and</pre>(It provides a code button in the editor) - MUST use shortcode
[highlighter]to activate the SmartAss-Highlighter - Line numbers are on by default, but can be switched off by using
[highlighter line=0]
Screenshots
For developers
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Best SmartAss Highlighter alternatives
All code highlighter plugins →
FAQ
SmartAss Highlighter: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 30, 2026
Is SmartAss Highlighter free?
Yes. SmartAss Highlighter is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is SmartAss Highlighter safe to use in 2026?
SmartAss Highlighter shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites and was last updated 11 years ago, and scores 23/100 on our health check.
How many websites use SmartAss Highlighter?
SmartAss Highlighter is active on 10+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 2,591 times since it launched in January 2015. It was downloaded 69 times in the last 30 days.
Does SmartAss Highlighter work with WordPress 7.1?
SmartAss Highlighter is officially tested up to WordPress 4.2.39, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was SmartAss Highlighter last updated?
The latest version, 1.0, was released on May 9, 2015 (11 years ago).
Who makes SmartAss Highlighter?
SmartAss Highlighter is developed and maintained by th3pirat3.
What are the best alternatives to SmartAss Highlighter?
The most popular alternatives to SmartAss Highlighter are HTML Editor Syntax Highligh… (60K+ installs), Urvanov Syntax Highlighter (3K+ installs) and AH Code Highlighter (60+ installs).
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