Have you ever searched your own WordPress site and struggled to find what you were looking for? I’ve run into that myself, and it’s a common issue because the default WordPress search is pretty basic.
That’s why I recommend using a WordPress search plugin. The right plugin makes it easy for visitors to find your posts, products, or pages instantly, which means they stay longer and are more likely to take action.
In this article, I’ll share the best WordPress search plugins to improve site search and give your visitors a smoother experience.
Comparison of the Top WordPress Search Plugins
| # | Tool / Product | Best For | Free Plan | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | SearchWP | Accurate full-site search | ❌ | From $99/year |
| 🥈 | SeedProd | Easy styled search bars | ✅ | From $39.50/year |
| 🥉 | ElasticPress | Big sites needing speed | ❌ | From $79/month |
| 4 | Ivory Search | Custom search forms | ✅ | From $19.99/year |
| 5 | SearchWP Ajax Live | Free live search | ✅ | Free |
| 6 | FiboSearch | WooCommerce product search | ✅ | From $118.49/year |
| 7 | Relevanssi | Flexible blog search | ✅ | From $99/year |
Why Should You Use A WordPress Search Plugin?
The default WordPress search is limited, and I’ve found it often fails to pull up the right content. That can frustrate visitors and push them away from your site.
A search plugin fixes this by giving people fast, accurate results right on your website. Instead of digging through menus or relying only on Google, visitors can instantly find the post, product, or page they want.
This keeps users engaged, improves conversions, and creates a smoother experience as your site grows.
How I Tested the Best WordPress Search Plugins
To build this list, I set up a demo WordPress site with a mix of blog posts, pages, and WooCommerce products. I added things like custom fields, PDF files, and long product descriptions so I could see how each plugin handled real-world content.
Then I ran the same test searches on each plugin — for example, looking up a product by SKU, finding a post by a keyword buried in the content, and searching inside a PDF upload. This showed me right away which plugins were accurate and which missed the mark.
I also paid attention to setup time. Some plugins worked straight out of the box, while others needed lots of tweaking. I noted how fast results appeared with live search and whether the search box looked good without custom styling.
These hands-on tests made it clear which plugins actually improve site search in WordPress, and which ones slow you down.
Best WordPress Search Plugins: Top Picks
If you’re looking for the top WordPress search plugins, here are our favorite solutions. This list includes premium and free WordPress search plugins suited to a broad range of WordPress sites.
Video Guide
1. SearchWP
| Pricing: Starts at $99/year |
| Free Plan / Trial: No |
| Standout Features: |
| 🔹 Indexes all content (posts, products, PDFs, custom fields) 🔹 Custom weighting for search results 🔹 WooCommerce integration |
| Rating: A |
| Best For: Site owners who need accurate, customizable search |
In my tests, SearchWP stood out immediately. I could type in product SKUs, phrases from deep inside posts, and even text from a PDF, and it found everything within seconds. I also liked how easy it was to adjust the weight of different content types, so titles carried more importance than comments.
The setup was quick. Once activated, it indexed my content automatically and replaced the default WordPress search without breaking anything in my theme. For me, this plugin feels like what WordPress search should be by default.
Pros
- Finds content in titles, custom fields, and PDFs accurately
- Quick setup with automatic indexing
- Easy weighting controls for tighter results
- Works smoothly with WooCommerce
Cons
- No free plan
- More power than tiny blogs usually need
Why I recommend it: I use SearchWP when I need precise, flexible results, especially for WooCommerce sites or large blogs where the default search isn’t enough.
2. SeedProd
| Pricing: Starts at $39.50/year |
| Free Plan / Trial: Yes (Lite version on WordPress.org) |
| Standout Features: |
| 🔹 Drag-and-drop Search Block 🔹 Works on any page or template 🔹 Styling controls without code |
| Rating: B+ |
| Best For: Site owners who want a simple way to add and style a search bar |
What I like about SeedProd is how simple it makes adding a search bar anywhere on your site. You just drag the Search Block into a header, sidebar, or landing page, and it’s ready to use without touching any code. For me, that’s a big time-saver compared to editing theme templates.
Styling is also built in. I can match the search bar to a client’s branding by adjusting fonts, colors, and spacing right inside the editor — no CSS needed. It’s not as advanced as plugins like SearchWP, but for basic search needs it does the job well.
The drag-and-drop editor feels intuitive, even compared to bigger builders like Elementor or Divi. I also like that I can toggle on a coming soon page while working in the background, something I’ve relied on when staging new sites.
Another win for me is speed. Unlike some heavy page builders, SeedProd doesn’t slow down my sites. Pages load quickly, and I haven’t had issues with theme or plugin conflicts. That’s a big deal if you care about SEO or run an online store.
Pros
- Very easy to add a search bar anywhere
- Custom styling controls in the editor
- Works with any SeedProd landing page or theme template
Cons
- Limited to SeedProd-built pages
- Doesn’t improve search accuracy like dedicated search plugins
Why I recommend it: I use SeedProd’s Search Block when I need a quick, styled search bar on a landing page or custom template. It’s perfect if you’re already building your site with SeedProd and want everything in one place.
3. ElasticPress
| Pricing: Starts at $79/month |
| Free Plan / Trial: No |
| Standout Features: |
| 🔹 Cloud-based search powered by ElasticSearch 🔹 Live Ajax results with autosuggest 🔹 Faceted filtering and related content |
| Rating: B+ |
| Best For: Large sites and WooCommerce stores that need enterprise-level speed |
In my tests, ElasticPress was easily the fastest of all the plugins here. Because it runs searches in the cloud instead of on your own server, results came back instantly, even on a WooCommerce demo store with hundreds of products. Typing in a SKU or partial keyword showed results before I finished entering the word.
Setup was straightforward — I just connected the plugin to my ElasticPress account, and it handled indexing automatically. The faceted filtering also stood out, letting me refine results by category or price in real time, which is great for eCommerce stores.
Pros
- Blazing fast results with cloud hosting
- Great for large sites and WooCommerce
- Faceted filters and autosuggest improve usability
- Instant Ajax results keep users engaged
Cons
- High monthly cost compared to other plugins
- Requires a hosted ElasticPress account
- Overkill for small blogs or simple sites
Why I recommend it: I recommend ElasticPress if you’re running a large site or WooCommerce store where speed and scalability matter. For smaller sites, the monthly price is hard to justify, but for enterprise-level search it’s one of the best options.
4. Ivory Search
| Pricing: Free, or Pro from $19.99/year |
| Free Plan / Trial: Yes |
| Standout Features: |
| 🔹 Create multiple custom search forms 🔹 Ajax search support 🔹 WooCommerce, bbPress, and multilingual plugin integration |
| Rating: B+ |
| Best For: Site owners who need tailored searches in different areas of a site |
Ivory Search impressed me with how flexible it is for placing search forms. On my test site, I could create one search box just for blog posts in the sidebar, and another for products in the header. That level of control is rare in a free plugin.
The results themselves were solid. It handled posts, images, and WooCommerce products without issue. I also liked that it supports multilingual plugins like WPML and Polylang, which makes it useful for global sites.
Pros
- Lets you create unlimited custom search forms
- Works with WooCommerce, bbPress, and multilingual sites
- Ajax search for live results
- Affordable Pro upgrade
Cons
- Styling depends heavily on your theme unless customized
- More setup required than simpler plugins
Why I recommend it: I recommend Ivory Search if you need multiple tailored search boxes across your site. It’s especially handy for blogs or stores where different sections need their own search settings.
5. SearchWP Ajax Live
| Pricing: Free |
| Free Plan / Trial: Yes |
| Standout Features: |
| 🔹 Ajax-powered live search 🔹 Works with any WordPress search form 🔹 Includes widget for sidebars |
| Rating: B+ |
| Best For: Site owners who want live search without extra cost |
SearchWP Ajax Live adds instant search results as you type. On my demo site, this made the experience feel much smoother, especially on long product lists. I liked that it worked out of the box with the standard WordPress search form, but paired even better with the main SearchWP plugin.
Since results show instantly, there’s less chance of users bouncing while waiting for a page reload. The plugin also includes a sidebar widget, which made it easy to drop a live search box into my test theme without custom code.
Pros
- Free and quick to set up
- Instant Ajax results improve UX
- Works with any WordPress search form
- Pairs nicely with SearchWP for more accuracy
Cons
- Best results come when paired with SearchWP
- On large sites, poorly tuned settings can increase server load
Why I recommend it: I recommend SearchWP Ajax Live if you want to add real-time results to your search bar for free. It’s a simple upgrade that instantly improves the user experience, especially for product-heavy sites.
6. FiboSearch – Ajax Search for WooCommerce
| Pricing: Free, or Pro from $118.49/year |
| Free Plan / Trial: Yes |
| Standout Features: |
| 🔹 Live Ajax product search 🔹 Search by SKU, title, and descriptions 🔹 Mobile-first search experience |
| Rating: A |
| Best For: WooCommerce stores that want a fast, shopper-friendly search tool |
FiboSearch quickly became one of my favorite WooCommerce search plugins during testing. Shoppers see results instantly with product images, prices, and SKUs, which makes it feel like a professional eCommerce site. I especially liked that it handled SKU searches perfectly — something many basic search tools miss.
The mobile-first design also stood out. On smaller screens, the search bar was easy to use and results displayed cleanly, which is a huge plus since many online shoppers browse on their phones. Adding the search bar via shortcode, widget, or menu made it flexible to place wherever I needed it.
Pros
- Fast Ajax search with thumbnails and pricing
- Supports SKU, titles, tags, and descriptions
- Mobile-first search mode works great on phones
- Easy to embed with shortcode, widget, or menu item
- Multilingual support for WPML and Polylang
Cons
- Advanced features require the Pro plan
- Only useful for WooCommerce sites
Why I recommend it: I recommend FiboSearch if you want a modern, fast, and mobile-friendly search experience for WooCommerce. It’s a strong upgrade over the default store search and makes finding products much smoother for shoppers.
7. Relevanssi
| Pricing: Free, or Pro from $99/year |
| Free Plan / Trial: Yes |
| Standout Features: |
| 🔹 Relevance-based results instead of date order 🔹 Partial word matches & typo tolerance 🔹 Adjustable weighting for titles, tags, and comments |
| Rating: A- |
| Best For: Bloggers and site owners who want powerful, flexible search without a steep price |
Relevanssi is one of the most well-known WordPress search plugins, and for good reason. When I tested it, I noticed right away that results felt more relevant than the default WordPress search. For example, it picked up matches inside PDFs and custom fields, and even handled partial word searches gracefully — something core search completely misses.
I also liked the query logging. Being able to see what users searched for (and what turned up no results) gave me ideas for new content. The Google-style “Did you mean?” suggestions were a nice bonus that made the search feel more professional without extra setup.
Pros
- Relevance-based results (better than default search)
- Handles partial words and typos
- Searches PDFs, custom fields, and more
- Query logging helps you spot content gaps
- Free version covers most needs
Cons
- Pro version is needed for advanced features like multisite support
- Can be resource-heavy on very large sites
Why I recommend it: I recommend Relevanssi if you want to drastically improve WordPress search without committing to a premium-only plugin like SearchWP. It’s a solid upgrade for blogs, membership sites, and small-to-medium WooCommerce stores.
Which WordPress Search Plugin Is The Best?
After comparing the plugins above, it’s easy to see that there’s a clear winner. In our opinion, SearchWP is the best WordPress search plugin for every type of website.
This comprehensive search plugin offers a wide range of features, and the quality of search results is both excellent and affordable for most small businesses. Plus, SearchWP has a WooCommerce addon and a free live search add-on, allowing you to offer powerful product searches on your website.
WordPress Search Plugin FAQs
I hope this article helped you find the best WordPress search plugin for your website. You might also like the following top plugins to grow your website:
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