String locator vs Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter
80K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 262 reviews) while String locator leads in active installations (100K+ vs 80K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. String locator has accumulated 1.4M+ total downloads while Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter has 2.1M+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | String locator | Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.6/5 | ► | 4.8/5 |
| Total Reviews | 124 | ► | 262 |
| Active Installs | 100K+ | ◄ | 80K+ |
| Total Downloads | 1.4M+ | ► | 2.1M+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | 67% | |
| Last Updated | 1 year ago | ► | 1 month ago |
| First Released | 2013 | 2012 | |
| Age | 13 years | 14 years | |
| WP Requires | 4.9+ | 3.5+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | 7.4+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.6.7 | 4.13.5 |
Rating Breakdown
String locator
Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, String locator averaged approximately 270 daily downloads while Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter averaged 523.
Recent Reviews
String locator Reviews
Great
Great
Great for support
I’ve used this plugin now a dozen times to track down plugins conflicts for my customers. Truly one of the best debug utilities, up there with Query Monitor!
A translation passepartout
Some plugins don’t allow translations in a standard way. For those, there is String locator.
Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter Reviews
Works as advertised & thanks for support!
Already got thanks from a couple of our website users for the “new, fast search”. Special thanks to Ernest for quick support in our a bit peculiar fine-tuning case.
Long time happy user
This plugin does so much, but more importantly, Ernest and the team provide stellar support, which makes this such a worthy purchase. Have used for 5+ years on various projects.
Fantastic Plugin and Support!
Ajax Search Pro does exactly what I needed it to do: search a complex database of 23,000 rows with simple user controls. I had a very specific situation and Ernest at Ajax support unfailingly and pati
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is String locator or Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter more popular?
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Are String locator and Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter free?
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.