Disable Search vs Configure SMTP (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Configure SMTP has a higher user rating (4.9/5 from 45 reviews) while Disable Search leads in active installations (40K+ vs 7.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Disable Search has accumulated 420K+ total downloads while Configure SMTP has 369K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Disable Search | Configure SMTP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.7/5 | ► | 4.9/5 |
| Total Reviews | 16 | ► | 45 |
| Active Installs | 40K+ | ◄ | 7.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 420K+ | ◄ | 369K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 11 months ago | ◄ | 1 year ago |
| First Released | 2009 | 2009 | |
| Age | 17 years | 17 years | |
| WP Requires | 4.6+ | 5.5+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.1.1 | 3.5 |
Rating Breakdown
Disable Search
Configure SMTP
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Disable Search averaged approximately 87 daily downloads while Configure SMTP averaged 16.
Recent Reviews
Disable Search Reviews
nice
super
Magnificent little plugin
Does exactly what it says. Just activate and it completely disables all default WordPress search functionality from the frontend.
The most effective way to avoid search spam
In 2024, numerous bots are crawling sites, generating significant search spam. Generally, site search incurs high costs, primarily because we end up paying for CPU resources consumed by spam. If si
Configure SMTP Reviews
First thing I install on all my WP websites
Configure SMTP is a staple of setting up a useful WordPress website, I would call it “a household name” for WP installations (if there’s any such thing as household names in this area). Anyway, what a
Simple and functional way to configure SMTP settings in your WordPress
Most of my users and customers ask me: why my mails are not being sent? Why some mails sent from my site do not arrives? The problem are spam filters and things like this, so SMTP is a basic tool to o
Still works!
There are some minor warnings under php7. See here for the fix: https://wordpress.org/support/topic/warning-declaration-of-c2c_configuresmtp-with-plugin-installed/#post-9832908 Hopefully the author w
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Disable Search or Configure SMTP more popular?
Which has better ratings — Disable Search or Configure SMTP?
Are Disable Search and Configure SMTP free?
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.