Boost your website’s search functionality with any of the free WordPress search plugins we have below.
We did extensive testing on live blogs, business sites and online stores to bring you the BEST OF THE BEST.
How often have you tried to find content on a website, and the search function did not work correctly or simply wasn’t there for you?
Yeah, it sucks, I know!
You don’t want that to happen on your site.
Add a great, fast and detailed search function with any of these ten plugins. (0 coding required!)
This post covers:
- How we tested WordPress search plugins
- Best WordPress search plugins
- FAQs about WordPress search plugins
Make your content fully accessible to your website’s visitors!
And improve user experience GREATLY.
How We Tested WordPress Search Plugins
Multiple factors go into making a good search plugin, and that’s what we paid close attention to when testing and reviewing each.
But one of the major steps in our testing process before the above is to check user satisfaction and how regularly a plugin gets a new update.
This allows us to eliminate the worst ones that we wouldn’t recommend anyone to use. Sadly, there are still many that fall into this category.
From here on, we installed each plugin to analyze how much each affected the loading speed of our demo website (plus blogs, business sites and webshops). This also offered us to examine desktop and mobile performance.
And then, we came to additional testing regarding the factors mentioned earlier that make a top-notch plugin.
From how fast the (live) results appear and accuracy to design and appearance and, lastly, filtering and sorting.
THE ULTIMATE 6:
- Best Overal Search Plugin: Ivory Search
- Best Ajax Search Plugin: SearchWP
- Best WooCommerce Search Plugin: FiboSearch
- Best Relevant Search Plugin: Relevanssi
- Best Search Plugin to Exclude Content: Search Exclude
- Best Search & Filter Plugin: Search & Filter
Also, don’t forget to check our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Best Free WordPress Search Plugins
1. Ivory Search
Ivory Search is a free search plugin to create UNLIMITED search forms and embed them anywhere on your site.
You have the option to display search forms in the header, footer, WP sidebar and many other areas via simple WP shortcodes.
Furthermore, Ivory Search can be combined with famous WordPress plugins like WooCommerce and bbPress.
This plugin is an excellent choice if you’d like to insert multiple search forms to your blog or website.
Ivory Search features:
- 100,000+ active installations
- 4.9/5 ratings
- AJAX search
- Search analytics system
- Compatible with WPML (works with any WordPress translation plugin)
2. SearchWP (Live Ajax Search)
If you are looking for a free WordPress search plugin that will allow you to enhance your existing WordPress search feature, this one’s for you.
SearchWP Live Ajax Search allows you to insert a practical live search easily. This allows your visitors to see search results as they’re typing.
It helps you offer your visitors a BETTER (and EASIER) experience.
In addition to all that, this tool does not require having the full version of the SearchWP plugin installed on your backend.
SearchWP features:
- 50,000+ active installations
- 5/5 ratings
- Easy to use
- Include the WP widget anywhere you want
- Frequent updates
3. FiboSearch
FiboSearch is a well-designed search plugin to add search forms to any PRODUCT or CATEGORY page.
You offer your visitors two major features when they search for something on your WooCommerce site.
It gives you the option of live Ajax search and product SKU search with category and tags filtering.
Besides that, FiboSearch also supports Google Analytics for monitoring your performance.
We used it multiple times when including a live search function to our clients’ online stores. Thus, highly recommend it.
FiboSearch features:
- 100,000+ active installations
- 4.9/5 ratings
- Mobile search mode
- Multilingual support (easy integration into WP multilingual themes)
- Limit displayed suggestions
4. HUSKY
If you are looking for a free WordPress search plugin that will improve the user experience of your WooCommerce store, HUSKY (ex. WOOF) is for you.
Give your customers faster and more accurate search results in a few clicks!
This search plugin also allows your visitors to filter products based on colors, tags or categories.
Besides, HUSKY provides a shortcode and widget to display the search in different sections of your page.
One of our favorite HUSKY features is that your customers can save their filter combination and get a notification when the product they want is available on the site.
HUSKY features:
- 100,000+ active installations
- 4.6/5 ratings
- WP AJAX-powered search available
- Infinite scrolling available
- Search by filters
5. Relevanssi
Relevanssi displays results based on their RELEVANCE and not based on the date. You can also enhance your search form with a “Did you mean?” suggestions with this plugin.
This makes finding content on your website easier.
This free WordPress search plugin has various filters like post types, tags, categories and custom fields.
Relevanssi has a con: you can display results only from specific categories.
Additionally, this plugin lets you search images based on title or description if you have a photography site.
Relevanssi is a powerful search plugin that will help you enhance your search form to create a better experience.
Relevanssi features:
- 100,000+ active installations
- 4.8/5 ratings
- Search for phrases with quotes
- WP Multisite friendly
- Supports bbPress
6. WP Extended Search
If you are looking for a lightweight and easy-to-use free search plugin to BOOST your existing search form’s functionality, this one’s for you.
You can include many filter options on the search form like author name, post type, metadata, taxonomies, etc., with WP Extended Search.
Besides that, you don’t have to worry about shortcodes and widgets as this plugin just extends the default WordPress search options.
WP Extended Search is a great solution to enhance your existing WP search function.
WP Extended Search features:
- 20,000+ active installations
- 4.9/5 ratings
- Include/exclude public posts
- Well-documented
- Limit number of search results
7. Better Search
Better Search replaces your default search form with an improved version. This plugin will boost your search speed and give your visitors more relevant results.
This free WordPress search plugin provides many filter options like posts, pages, custom post types, title or content emphasis and more.
Additionally, Better Search will give you the most POPULAR search hits intuitively with a “search heatmap.”
Besides all that, Better Search integrates smoothly with every WordPress theme!
Better Search features:
- 7,000+ active installations
- 4.5/5 ratings
- Supports custom CSS
- Easy to set up
- Compatible with cache plugins
8. Search Exclude
If you are looking for a free WordPress search plugin that will allow you to exclude any content from the search results, you came to the right place.
You will get a checkbox to have the option to exclude any post or page you want with Search Exclude.
You can see the whole list of HIDDEN contents from the search form in the plugin setting page.
Search Exclude is the perfect candidate to exclude some posts or pages from their search results. We used it on three of our clients’ online stores for their specific niches.
Search Exclude features:
- 60,000+ active installations
- 5/5 ratings
- Easy to use
- Great support
- User-friendly interface
9. Advanced Woo Search
Advanced Woo Search is one of the most powerful free search plugins for WooCommerce stores. This plugin provides you with a great search form with a lot of functions to work with.
Your visitors can search products based on product title, categories, tags, excerpt, SKUs, and more.
Another great feature is that the search results can show the product image and price to help the customers understand the product better.
It makes finding items so MUCH FASTER.
Advanced Woo Search is a perfect solution for all WooCommerce websites that want to improve their user experience.
Advanced Woo Search features:
- 70,000+ active installations
- 4.8/5 ratings
- Supports Google Analytics
- Intelligent results ordering
- Works with Search Exclude plugin
10. Search & Filter
Search & Filter is a free WordPress search plugin to enhance your WP search form with filters.
Search & Filter will provide your visitors the options to search based on category, tag, post date, post type, taxonomy and more.
Another COOL feature is that it can display fields as checkboxes, radio buttons, drop-downs, etc.
This plugin gives you a simple way to improve your existing search forms with more filtering options.
Search & Filter features:
- 50,000+ active installations
- 4.6/5 ratings
- Compatible with WPML
- Regular updates & improvements
- Easy drag-n-drop editor
FAQs About WordPress Search Plugins
What Are WordPress Search Plugins?
WordPress search plugins enhance the default search functionality of a WordPress website. They offer improved search algorithms, faster results, and advanced filtering options.
How Do These Plugins Improve Website Search?
WordPress search plugins improve website search by offering more accurate and relevant search results. They often include features like full-text search, keyword weighting, custom field search, live results, and auto-suggestions.
Can WordPress Search Plugins Handle Large Amounts of Data?
Yes, many WordPress search plugins are designed to efficiently handle large amounts of data and provide quick search results.
Are These Plugins Customizable in Terms of Design & Layout?
Most WordPress search plugins offer customization options for design and layout. You can typically adjust the appearance of the search box and results to match your site’s theme and user interface design. Some plugins also offer advanced customization options through additional CSS.
Do WordPress Search Plugins Support Multilingual Websites?
Many WordPress search plugins support multilingual websites, allowing searches in different languages. This is particularly important for websites targeting an international audience or those with content in multiple languages.
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Note: This article was originally published on March 16, 2022. But our team regularly reviews it and updates it with necessary improvements for accuracy.
