PluginSift

String locator vs Disable Search (2026)

Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.

String locator

String locator

4.6(124)

100K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 year ago
View String locator
VS
Disable Search

Disable Search

4.7(16)

40K+ active installs

Free

Updated 11 months ago
View Disable Search

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Disable Search has a higher user rating (4.7/5 from 16 reviews) while String locator leads in active installations (100K+ vs 40K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. String locator has accumulated 1.4M+ total downloads while Disable Search has 420K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.6/5String locator
►
Disable Search4.7/5
Total Reviews
124String locator
◄
Disable Search16
Active Installs
100K+String locator
◄
Disable Search40K+
Total Downloads
1.4M+String locator
◄
Disable Search420K+
Support Resolution
N/AString locator
Disable SearchN/A
Last Updated
1 year agoString locator
►
Disable Search11 months ago
First Released
2013String locator
Disable Search2009
Age
13 yearsString locator
Disable Search17 years
WP Requires
4.9+String locator
Disable Search4.6+
PHP Requires
false+String locator
Disable Searchfalse+
Business Model
FreeString locator
Disable SearchFree
Latest Version
2.6.7String locator
Disable Search2.1.1

Rating Breakdown

String locator

4.6/5(124 reviews)
5
90%
4
0%
3
1%
2
2%
1
7%

Disable Search

4.7/5(16 reviews)
5
88%
4
6%
3
0%
2
0%
1
6%

Recent Reviews

String locator Reviews

by ishraqued

Great

Great

by Adrian Tobey

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!

by masvil

A translation passepartout

Some plugins don’t allow translations in a standard way. For those, there is String locator.

Disable Search Reviews

by kojot

nice

super

by awesiome

Magnificent little plugin

Does exactly what it says. Just activate and it completely disables all default WordPress search functionality from the frontend.

by Fumiki Takahashi

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Is String locator or Disable Search more popular?
String locator has 100K+ active installations while Disable Search has 40K+. String locator is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — String locator or Disable Search?
String locator has a 4.6/5 rating from 124 reviews, while Disable Search has a 4.7/5 rating from 16 reviews.
Are String locator and Disable Search free?
String locator is free and Disable Search is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — String locator or Disable Search?
Support resolution data is not available for all plugins. Check each plugin's WordPress.org support forum for current response quality.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
String locator was last updated 1 year ago and Disable Search was last updated 11 months ago.

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.