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Comparison

Relevanssi vs SearchWP

Relevanssi and SearchWP both land on Depends.

SearchWP

searchwp.com

Depends
Confidence: Medium

Buy it if you run a content-heavy or WooCommerce WordPress site that's losing visitors to bad default search.

Read the full report

Relevanssi versus SearchWP
CompareRelevanssiSearchWP
VerdictDependsDepends
Best forContent-heavy WordPress blogsContent-heavy WordPress sites
Who it's not forSmall sites where default WordPress search already worksSmall blogs where default search already works
PrivacyActive CVE history: unauthenticated SQL injection and stored XSS in free and Premium versions, 2024-2026.⁶No CVEs found for core SearchWP; its companion Live Ajax Search plugin had file-inclusion CVEs, fixed in 1.6.3.
Support qualityFrequent 2026 releases; manual and knowledge baseReviewers praise tutorials and documentation depth
Public sentimentCommunity reviews call it the best WordPress/WooCommerce search plugin, and shows 4.8/5 across 100K+ installs.⁴Users and reviewers report it works out of the box, finds content default search misses, and has strong support, though independent review volume is thin.15
Biggest gotchaUnauthenticated SQLi/XSS CVEs in 2025-2026; unpatched sites are exposed.⁶No free tier; annual renewals run $99-$399/year depending on plan16

Pick Relevanssi when

  • Content-heavy WordPress blogs
  • WooCommerce stores
  • Multisite networks (Premium)
  • Budget-conscious site owners

When Relevanssi is not a fit

  • Small sites where default WordPress search already works
  • Teams that can't patch plugins within days of a CVE
  • Anyone wanting hands-off hosted SaaS search
  • Non-WordPress platforms

Pick SearchWP when

  • Content-heavy WordPress sites
  • WooCommerce stores
  • Sites outgrowing default WP search
  • Agencies with many client sites

When SearchWP is not a fit

  • Small blogs where default search already works
  • Anyone needing a free search plugin
  • Non-WordPress sites entirely
  • Teams wanting hosted enterprise-grade search

Sources

  1. Relevanssi - A Better Search - WordPress pluginwordpress.org
    official
  2. Why we don't offer free trialsrelevanssi.com
    official
  3. Relevanssi Premium 2.31 / Free 4.28 release notesrelevanssi.com
    official
  4. [REVIEW] The best WordPress / WooCommerce search (Reddit)reddit.com
    review
  5. Relevanssi stats: 100K+ installs & 4.8 ratingpageforge.pro
    review
  6. Relevanssi ≤ 4.28.3 unauthenticated stored XSS (Wordfence)wordfence.com
    security
  7. SQL injection in Relevanssi 4.24.4 (Patchstack)patchstack.com
    security
  8. Why the Relevanssi author says not to use it any more (PagePipe)pagepipe.com
    news
  9. SearchJet vs Relevanssi comparisonsearchjetengine.com
    review
  10. Relevanssi vs SearchWP comparisonstackharbor.com
    review
  11. SearchWP Review: The Right Custom Search Plugin for WordPress . WPBeginnerwpbeginner.com
    review
  12. An In-Depth Review of SearchWP . Breakdancebreakdance.com
    review
  13. Is SearchWP the Right WordPress Search Plugin for You? . Oxygen Builderoxygenbuilder.com
    review
  14. SearchWP Review: Is It the Best On-Site Search Plugin? . WPFormswpforms.com
    review
  15. SearchWP Reviews . G2g2.com
    review
  16. SearchWP Review: Is It the Best WordPress Search Plugin? . IsItWPisitwp.com
    review