String locator vs Highlight Search Terms (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Highlight Search Terms has a higher user rating (5/5 from 40 reviews) while String locator leads in active installations (100K+ vs 7.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. String locator has accumulated 1.4M+ total downloads while Highlight Search Terms has 177K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | String locator | Highlight Search Terms | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.6/5 | ► | 5/5 |
| Total Reviews | 124 | ◄ | 40 |
| Active Installs | 100K+ | ◄ | 7.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 1.4M+ | ◄ | 177K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | 100% | |
| Last Updated | 1 year ago | ► | 2 days ago |
| First Released | 2013 | 2009 | |
| Age | 13 years | 17 years | |
| WP Requires | 4.9+ | 3.7+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | 5.6+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.6.7 | 1.8.3 |
Rating Breakdown
String locator
Highlight Search Terms
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, String locator averaged approximately 270 daily downloads while Highlight Search Terms averaged 15.
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.
Highlight Search Terms Reviews
Easy Install and works!
Nice plugin – highly reccomend.
Very Nice and useful
I added the “Prevent highlighting when clicking through to result” option, all works well! Thanks you
Great Plugin | Works Flawlessly
Nice! A plugin that works “out of the box.” Note: If after installing this plugin you experience any issues, most likely, they are due to a conflict with another plugin (usually a Cache or Performa
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.