Best WordPress Search Plugins (Top 10+ Reviewed)

Are you looking for the best WordPress search plugins? If yes, then you should continue reading this article. In this guide, I have shared top search plugins that replace the default WordPress search with the advanced search bar.

The standard WordPress is quite limited and that’s why you need several WordPress search plugins that improve the user’s experience while searching on your website.

Here is the list of best WordPress search plugins:

1- Ivory Search

Ivory Search is a simple and lightweight plugin for WordPress that allows users to customize the default WordPress search bar on the website. Not only customization, but this plugin also enables users to create custom search bars or forms.

Top Features

• With the help of Ivory Search, you can create an unlimited number of custom search forms and customize them.
• You can add and display search forms on multiple locations on the website like header, footer, widgets, sidebars, menus, or even custom posts and pages.
• Ivory Search supports shortcodes so that users can add search functionality anywhere on the site.
• It also supports searching WooCommerce products on ecommerce stores.
• Users can also search for files, images, and other attachments over the website.
• Website owners can also track the number of searches through advanced search analytics.
• It enables users to exclude any specific content from the search results.
• Ivory Search also supports multilingual searches.
• You can integrate this plugin with other popular plugins like WPML, WooCommerce, and bbPress.
• You can customize the search form by changing its color and text.

Pricing

Ivory Search is free to use.

Related: Best WordPress Plugins For WooCommerce

2- FiboSearch

FiboSearch is a 5-star rating WordPress search plugin that is trusted by over 100k WordPress users. It is a specially designed search plugin for WooCommerce enabled stores. It comes with an AJAX search bar with live search functionality.

Top Features

• FiboSearch offers a live search feature where users get autosuggestions as they type in queries in the search bar.
• It allows users to search by product titles, short, and long descriptions.
• This plugin also shows product SKU, image, price, and description in live search results.
• FiboSearch’s plugin is specially designed for mobile devices to enhance the UX.
• It also enables store owners to display extended information in live search such as the “Add to cart” button.
• This plugin comes with an easy implementation which means you can embed the search bar anywhere in your site, like a menu and widget using shortcode.
• By using it, users can also search for product categories and tags.
• FiboSearch also supports Google Analytics so that webmasters can track search queries.

Pricing

FiboSearch is free to use.

Related: Best WordPress Plugins For Speed Optimization

3- Relevanssi

With over 100k active installations, Relevanssi is one of the best WordPress search plugin that replaces the standard WordPress search bar. It provides lots of customizations and features to website owners that help them offer better results to the users.

Top Features

• Using Relevanssi, users get search results in an ordered manner based on the relevance of the search.
• With the help of the “fuzzy matching” feature, the plugin will match partial words with the search query if complete words don’t match.
• Users can also use queries like AND and OR to find matching documents or attachments.
• It allows users to search for phrases using quotes.
• This plugin helps users search categories, tags, comments, and custom fields on the site.
• Relevanssi supports multisite and bbPress plugin and also it is Gutenberg friendly.
• Website owners can also hide specific fields or results from the search.
• Relevanssi also corrects the spellings if users type wrong words, just like Google’s “Did you mean?”.

Pricing

Relevanssi is free to use.

4- Ajax Search Lite

Ajax Search Lite is a very lightweight plugin that comes with an AJAX-powered search form. It comes with the functionality where users can filter the search result. Apart from features, it is a very beautiful design search form plugin for WordPress users.

Top Features

• Users can search in posts, pages, and custom posts like WooCommerce products or Portfolios.
• It also allows users to search in title, description, categories, tags, excerpt, and custom fields.
• This plugin automatically replaces the default WordPress search bar or can be also added to the widget via shortcodes.
• Ajax Search Lite is fully compatible with WPML and QtranslateX plugins.
• It offers 8 built-in and ready-to-use templates with customization options like changing colors and texts.
• You can also display images and titles in the live search results.
• Ajax Search Lite allows integration with Google Analytics to track the searches on the website.

Pricing

Ajax Search Lite is free to use.

Related: Elementor Review: The Best WordPress Website Builder

5- WP Extended Search

WP Extended Search is a lightweight and powerful WordPress search plugin that is rated over 5 stars. With the help of this plugin, you can customize the appearance of the search form on your website with tons of customizations.

Top Features

• It allows you to create multiple custom search forms that can be added anywhere on the site through shortcode, HTML, and PHP functions.
• By its search form, users can search for categories, tags, metadata, and even post author names.
• WP Extended Search is also fully compatible with WooCommerce stores where users can search for product SKU, title, and custom fields.
• This plugin enables webmasters to limit the number of posts to display on the search results.
• Users can also use SQL elements like AND/OR in search queries.
• Webmasters also have the capability of controlling whether to match exact or partial search queries.

Pricing

WP Extended Search is free to use.

6- Search & Filter

Search & Filter is a simple and easy-to-use WordPress plugin that helps webmasters customize the default search bar and also add filter functionality. It is trusted by more than 50k WordPress users.

Top Features

• It allows users to search by multiple fields like category, tag, post type, post date, and custom fields.
• Using it, webmasters can add filters to their search bars, like checkboxes, dropdowns, and radio buttons.
• Search & Filter plugin allows users to order search results by fields like Post ID, title, name, date, and custom fields.
• This plugin also offers ready-to-use custom templates.
• It enables webmasters to create unlimited search forms and custom fields on the website.
• Search & Filter also supports WP eCommerce, WooCommerce, and Easy Digital Downloads.
• You can place the search bars anywhere on your site using shortcodes and widgets.

Pricing

Search & Filter is free to use.

Related: Best WordPress Plugins For Hotel Booking

7- SearchWP Live Ajax Search

SearchWP Live Ajax Search WordPress plugin is powered by SearchWP. It is a type of live search plugin that comes with many features and functionality like autocomplete search queries. This plugin is trusted by more than 60k WordPress users.

Top Features

• You can customize the search bar as you want such as changing color and text.
• SearchWP also allows you to add the search form on widgets of your website like on sidebars or menus.
• This plugin also matches search queries using partial match keywords instead of only exact match keywords.
• You can integrate the SearchWP plugin with WooCommerce and bbPress plugins.
• SearchWP also provides advanced analytics that help webmasters track visitors’ search queries.

Pricing

SearchWP Live Ajax Search is free to use.

8- Better Search

Better Search is an excellent plugin that helps you supercharge your WordPress search results. It also fastens the search process of visitors as compared to the default WordPress search bar.

Top Features

• Better Search can search through posts, pages, and other custom post types on the website.
• This plugin also comes with great filters and customizations that enable users to extend its features.
• Moreover, it also displays the most popular searches done by users through powerful analytics.
• The search results will be sorted by search relevancy automatically when the user searches for something. Webmasters can also disable this feature in the plugin.
• Better Search provides full customization ability to the webmaster like they can add their own CSS styles to the plugin.
• Better Search is fully translation-ready.

Pricing

Better Search is free to use.

Related: Top WordPress Table Plugins

9- WP Google Search

WP Google Search is a great plugin that enhances the user experience  It allows webmasters to add a Google search feature to their WordPress site. This plugin is very easy to use, simply register to Google Custom Search and get your Engine ID and just enter this ID into the plugin.

Top Features

• It enables users to search for both web pages and images on the website.
• Webmasters can easily change the look and feel of the search form like themes, fonts, and colors.
• WP Google Search comes with a widget or you can also use the shortcode to add the search bar anywhere on the site.
• This plugin supports multiple languages including English, Spanish, and Swedish.

Pricing

WP Google Search is free to use.

10- YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search

If you own an ecommerce store website and are looking to enhance the default search bar, then YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search can help you. It is a specially designed plugin for ecommerce store owners that converts the standard search feature to an advanced search form to boost sales.

Top Features

• It helps assist the users to find the products they are looking for on the site. They can simply enter any keyword in the search bar and the plugin will browse all categories to find the matched products.
• YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search works similarly to Google Suggest, it suggests the relevant product names in the live search.
• You can add search from anywhere in your store website with a widget or shortcode feature.
• The webmaster has the ability to change the maximum number of results and a minimum number of characters allowed to search.
• This plugin also displays the thumbnail price of the products in the live search.

Pricing

YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search is free to use.

11- ACF: Better Search

ACF Better Search is a 5-star rating plugin that adds extra functionality to the default WordPress search. This search plugin is trusted by more than 30k users on their WordPress blog.

Top Features

• ACF Better Search automatically changes the standard WordPress search into an advanced search form.
• It also allows users to search for whole phrases instead of every single word of phrase that gives more accurate results.
• ACF Better Search supports multiple fields including text, number, URL, and file.

Pricing

ACF Better Search is free to use.

Related: Best Image Gallery Plugins For WordPress

12- Advanced Woo Search

Advanced Woo Search is a powerful search plugin for WooCommerce that is also powered by AJAX. It is a very popular plugin that ecommerce store owners use to generate more sales and revenue.

Top Features

• It allows users to search for products via multiple fields including title, categories, tags, excerpt, and SKU.
• Advanced Woo Search comes with widgets and shortcodes to place the search box anywhere on the website.
• Every search result displays a product image, price, title, and excerpt of the products.
• This plugin also enables webmasters to exclude certain words or phrases from the search.
• You can also integrate your Google Analytics with the Advanced Woo Search plugin to track search queries.
• Advanced Woo Search supports WooCommerce Multilingual, Polylang, WPML, and qTranslate.

Pricing

Advanced Woo Search is free to use.

13- Custom Search by BestWebSoft

Custom Search is a powerful plugin developed by BestWebSoft. It adds various custom fields to WordPress search results like taxonomies and more custom post types. This plugin allows users to search everything on the website.

Top Features

• This plugin works with multilanguage plugins that help users search for everything on the website.
• It is compatible with all the WordPress versions.
• Custom Search also allows webmasters to disable search on certain posts and pages on the website.
• For every search, users also get the featured images for the posts. The webmaster can choose the image position, left or right.

Pricing

Custom Search by BestWebSoft is free to use.

14- Site Search 360

Site Search 360 is an excellent WordPress plugin that replaces the standard WordPress search bar with a fast search bar with lots of customizations and features. This plugin is also mobile-ready which means it works seamlessly on mobile devices.

Top Features

• It groups search results of the same type together, like all matches on the page.
• Site Search 360 also autocomplete search suggestions based on tags, title, and author names.
• Search results get updated automatically whenever you save, delete or change content on the website.
• You can easily customize the search bar look and feed using custom CSS codes.

Pricing

Site Search 360 is free to use.

Related: Best WordPress Push Notification Plugins 2022

Conclusion

Finding a perfect plugin to replace the default WordPress search bar is a bit of a difficult task as you need to research a lot to find a good plugin. You can choose any of the above plugins to add a custom search bar with lots of customizations on your site.