Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter vs WP Extended Search (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, WP Extended Search has a higher user rating (4.9/5 from 72 reviews) while Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter leads in active installations (80K+ vs 20K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter has accumulated 2.1M+ total downloads while WP Extended Search has 348K+. Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter has a higher support resolution rate (67% vs 0%).
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter | WP Extended Search | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.8/5 | ► | 4.9/5 |
| Total Reviews | 262 | ◄ | 72 |
| Active Installs | 80K+ | ◄ | 20K+ |
| Total Downloads | 2.1M+ | ◄ | 348K+ |
| Support Resolution | 67% | ◄ | 0% |
| Last Updated | 1 month ago | ◄ | 3 months ago |
| First Released | 2012 | 2014 | |
| Age | 14 years | 12 years | |
| WP Requires | 3.5+ | 4.9+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.4+ | 7.0+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 4.13.5 | 2.2.1 |
Rating Breakdown
Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter
WP Extended Search
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter averaged approximately 523 daily downloads while WP Extended Search averaged 57.
Recent Reviews
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
WP Extended Search Reviews
Fantastic plugin! Works, and works well. Bravo. 👏
WordPress default search is absolutely terrible. This plugin dramatically improves the search capabilities of WordPress.
Works brilliantly with Pods
Works brilliantly! Simple to set up and supports custom post types and custom fields created with Pods.
Fantastic plugin
Fantastic plugin, got me out of a serious issue I was having with search functionality. Works flawlessly, highly recommend. Thank you…
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.