WP Code Prettify for WordPress

So I’ve been writing dev blogs for years, and every time I dropped in a code block, it looked like a mess-just plain text with no color, no structure. It’s not just ugly, it’s hard to follow. I tried a few plugins before settling on WP Code Prettify for WordPress. Honestly? It fixed that instantly. No more squinting at unformatted PHP or JS.

The good stuff

The syntax highlighting is clean and actually readable. I used the default theme first, but then I switched to one that matches my site’s dark mode-super easy. And the plugin doesn’t load extra CSS or JS unless there’s actual code in the post. That’s huge. My site stays fast even when I’m dropping in long snippets. I noticed it during a stress test-no unnecessary bloat, which is rare for something this simple.

Also, the option to pre-load or post-load the scripts gave me control. I picked post-load since I don’t want render-blocking stuff slowing down page load. Works perfectly fine. And the fact that it only loads what’s needed? That’s smart design. Not every plugin thinks about that.

The not-so-good

It’s pretty barebones. No fancy features like line numbers, copy buttons, or collapsible sections. If you’re into that kind of thing, you’ll need another plugin. Also, the interface is… minimal. Like, really minimal. There’s no settings page per se-just a checkbox in the editor toolbar. So if you’re not tech-savvy, you might miss it. And yeah, the developer’s unknown. That’s a little off-putting, but so far, it hasn’t caused any issues.

Oh, and it only supports Google Code Prettify under the hood. That’s fine for basic use, but if you want something more modern or customizable, you might want to look elsewhere. Still, for pure readability? It does the job.

Bottom line

If you write technical posts in WordPress and want clean code formatting without dragging down performance, WP Code Prettify for WordPress is a solid choice. It’s lightweight, works out of the box, and doesn’t get in your way. Free, reliable, and honestly, better than most of the alternatives I’ve tried. Download it. You’ll be glad you did.