Best WordPress Search Plugin
While WordPress provides its own search function, many users find its features lackluster. From minimal customization options to slow results, website designers want to find a better way to search their websites. Some of the best WordPress search plugins below can aid you in creating a better search experience for users on your website.
Luckily, there are plenty of programmers who are working hard to create search plugins that improve the search experience on WordPress websites. Given our experience testing these plugins and implementing them on client websites, the plugins listed below are some of the best available.
These plugins offer increased speed, in-depth customization, and detailed search results. Here is a brief overview of the best WordPress Search Plugin in 2023.
| Plugin | Price | Key Features | Rating |
| Search WP | $99/annually | Custom Field Search, simple integrations, search logs available | 4.9/5 |
| Ajax Search | $36 (Free Available) | Autocomplete, blends well with themes, free version available | 4.85/5 |
| Jetpack Search | $99/annually (Free Available) | Integrates perfectly with Jetpack, filter/exclude results | 4.7/5 |
| Ivory Search | $20/annually (Free Available) | Autocomplete, can search media, integrates well | 4.5/5 |
| Relevanssi | $109/annually | Lifetime subscription option, works across multi-sites | 4.3 |
| WP Extended Search | Free | Open source, allows custom search & restrictions, unlimited search forms | 4/5 |
| Advanced Woo Search | $59/annually (Free Available) | Can display images, prices and name, autocomplete, select what to search from | 4/5 |
| Swiftype Site Search | $948 annually | Extensive analytics, amazing phrase matching, cloud based algorithm | 4.5/5 |
The Best WordPress Search Plugins
Searching for the best WordPress plugin may seem daunting, but we’re here to help. We’ve researched and tested the top plugins available for WordPress. Below, you’ll find our picks for the best search plugins for WordPress.
SearchWP
This fully customizable search plugin excels at eCommerce, document searches, and more.
Custom field search is one of the best features of this plugin. SearchWP lets you tailor your search to allow searching of any custom fields on your WordPress website. This gives users more data to search and utilize.
Along with the custom field search, SearchWp lets users search document content, categories, tags, and any custom tables on your website.
SearchWP also improves the cataloging and searching of eCommerce plugins like WooCommerce and BigCommerce.
If you are looking for a fully customizable search plugin that is feature-rich and easy to use, SearchWp is one of the best WordPress search plugins for small to medium-sized websites.
Key Features
- Simple to integrate into WooCommerce, bbPress, and Easy Digital Downloads.
- SearchWP features a large selection of search and theme customization features.
- The search log provides detailed analytics of customer searches.
Pricing
- The standard version costs $99.00/year for one website.
- The pro version increases the cost to $199.00/year for three websites.
- Agency pricing is $399.00/year for unlimited websites.
Ajax Search
Ajax Search adds a live AJax search bar to your website. When a user starts typing in the search bar, the search will autocomplete and show results as they type. This makes it quick and easy to get to the results without a new page loading.
Ajax Search is one of the best-looking plugins on our list and will seamlessly blend with most themes. The plugin offers eight themes to choose from and color customization.
The plugin searches posts, pages, custom posts, events, tags, and more. Premium users get more search customization options, including custom fields and media types.
While you can use Ajax Search for free, the pro version adds better customization and integration with WooCommerce and BuddyPress. It also lets you customize the indexing of post types, categories, and tags. Ajax Search for free is one of the best WordPress search plugins if you are okay with limited customization options.
The pro version also includes one hundred more configurable themes. This makes it easier to integrate the plugin with custom WordPress themes.
Key Features
- The plugin is great at displaying live search results instantly.
- Real-time results can display text or images.
- Easy to integrate into any theme and offers mobile responsiveness.
Pricing
- Ajax Search Lite is free
- Ajax Search Pro is $36 and includes all features and six months of support.
Jetpack Search
With one installation, the plugin increases security, improves performance, and sparks the growth of any WordPress website. Jetpack also offers a search plugin as a premium addition to the suite.
Jetpack Search excels at searching large websites with thousands of pages. Its advanced search algorithm gives users relevant results faster than many of its competitors.
Fast results are the biggest selling point of Jetpack Search. Instant results help users find answers to their questions and keep them on your website longer.
Jetpack has plenty of customization options that let you filter search results including post type, category, product type, tag, and date. The plugin has full integration with popular eCommerce sites like WooCommerce as well. Jetpack is one of the best WordPress search plugins if you’re looking for a plugin with multiple features.
Key Features
- Easy to integrate if you already have Jetpack installed.
- It lets developers display filtered results and exclude certain results.
- Offers online and instant search options.
Pricing
- Jetpack Search is free to start but has tiered pricing starting at $8.25/month for up to ten thousand records.
Ivory Search
Ivory Search is ideal for developers that want full control of their search plugin. You can create an infinite number of customized search forms with this plugin. Each search form can also perform different search types. Ivory Search lets you customize everything from appearance to filters.
If you need more control of your search form, this plugin is for you. Expanded search options let users search images, attachments, files, PDF documents, and more. Of course, Ivory Search gives you a full range of exclusion options if you don’t want parts of your website available in the search results.
Ivory Search is ideal for experienced developers that can take advantage of the plugin’s extensive customization options. While Ivory Search is free, you’ll need to upgrade to one of the pro versions to take advantage of all its features. Ivory Search is one of the best WordPress search plugins that developers can use.
Key Features
- Integrates with WooCommerce, Google Analytics, and bbPress.
- Ajax search gives users instant search results.
- Searches images, media, PDFs, documents, and other file types.
Pricing
- Ivory Search offers a free version with unlimited search forms.
- The pro version costs $19.99/year and adds more search customization options and support.
- The pro plus version is $49.99/year and adds WooCommerce support, image search, and more.
Relevanssi
Relevanssi helps users get relevant search results on your website. The search algorithm in Relevanssi is great at finding partial and close matches to search terms. This means that users don’t have to have exact search terms when using your site.
Relevanssi is easy to integrate since it replaces the WordPress search algorithm. Users of the site use the same search bar as the basic plugin. While this makes it easy to use the plugin, some developers will miss the customization offered on other search plugins.
Aside from the superior algorithm, Relevanssi adds improved custom fields, PDF search, multisite search, and shortcode output.
Relevanssi is the best WordPress search plugin for designers looking for an easy-to-implement search plugin that excels at partial word matches.
Key Features
- Best at providing relevant search results to your customers.
- Can search multiple sites across a multisite network.
- Seamless integration into WordPress.
Pricing
- Relevansi yearly subscription costs $109.00/year.
- You can purchase a permanent version of Relevanssi for $379.00
WP Extended Search
While the plugin is free, it offers many of the same features as the best WordPress search plugins.
This lightweight plugin gives you control over search customization including, post meta, author, categories, and tags. You can add multiple search forms to your site each with its settings.
WP Extended Search gives you WooCommerce search, exclusions, custom search forms, and many other premium features for free.
While you may not get as many customization options or Ajax live search with WP Extended Search, the plugin is still a worthy contender for the best WordPress search plugin.
Key Features
- Create unlimited search forms for free.
- Translation features are compatible with the WordPress Multilingual Plugin (WPML).
- One of the best WooCommerce search integration for a free plugin
Pricing
- WP Extended Search is open-source software and free to use.
Advanced Woo Search
Advanced Woo Search lets WooCommerce sites improve their search speed and results. This advanced plugin gives your website the power to return live and accurate search results for your products.
Advanced Woo Search implements Ajax live search and provides instant results for customers. You can customize the search results to display product images, prices, and names.
The plugin lets you choose what to search as well. You can choose from title, content, product, SKU, and other options. Searching for product categories and tags gives users accurate results as well. Pro users gain access to attributes, custom fields, and attribute search options.
While the plugin has minimal visual customizations it integrates seamlessly with most WordPress themes and is one of the best WordPress search plugins for WooCommerce.
Key Features
- Specialty plugin designed to improve WooCommerce search results.
- You can customize search sources, products, search results, and search display
- Easy to implement the plugin through a shortcode or widget.
Pricing
- Advanced Woo Search is free to use.
- Pro version costs $59.00 for one website and adds all the pro features.
- The freelancer version costs $99.00 and includes all pro features for five websites.
- If you need unlimited installs, the agency version is available for $199.00.
Swiftype Site Search
Swiftype is a premium search plugin that is lightweight and produces instant results. The plugin runs its algorithm on its servers and reduces the load on your website. This means you can produce instant results on large websites without slowing your site down.
Along with in-depth customization and fast search results, Swiftype improves analytics and insights into your website. You can track what, where, and how your customers search your website. These insights let you improve your website and improve your customer experience.
Swiftype is one of the easiest search plugins to implement but offers extensive customization and API options for advanced developers. Swiftype is one of the best WordPress search plugins if you have a healthy budget for a search plugin or search is the core functionality of your website.
Key Features
- The cloud-based algorithm keeps your website running fast.
- The plugin has Excellent synonym, phrase-matching, and spellcheck abilities.
- Swiftype provides extensive analytics integration.
Pricing
- Swiftype standard costs $79.00/month and produces weekly crawled search results.
- The pro version costs $199.00/month and performs two website crawls daily.
What is the Best Search Plugin for WordPress?
The above plugins offer added customization, improved algorithms and produce superior search results when compared to the native WordPress search function. Whether you need a free customizable search or a premium full-featured search plugin, these plugins will improve the functionality and usability of your website. Here is a recap of the best WordPress search plugins in 2023:
| Plugin | Price | Key Features | Rating |
| Search WP | $99/annually | Custom Field Search, simple integrations, search logs available | 4.9/5 |
| Ajax Search | $36 (Free Available) | Autocomplete, blends well with themes, free version available | 4.85/5 |
| Jetpack Search | $99/annually (Free Available) | Integrates perfectly with Jetpack, filter/exclude results | 4.7/5 |
| Ivory Search | $20/annually (Free Available) | Autocomplete, can search media, integrates well | 4.5/5 |
| Relevanssi | $109/annually | Lifetime subscription option, works across multi-sites | 4.3/5 |
| WP Extended Search | Free | Open source, allows custom search & restrictions, unlimited search forms | 4/5 |
| Advanced Woo Search | $59/annually (Free Available) | Can display images, prices and name, autocomplete, select what to search from | 4/5 |
| Swiftype Site Search | $948 annually | Extensive analytics, amazing phrase matching, cloud based algorithm | 4.5/5 |
Did we miss your favorite plugin in our WordPress search plugin reviews? Let us know what you think the best WordPress search plugin is!
