PluginSift

String locator vs Smart Search Engine (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
Smart Search Engine

Smart Search Engine

0(0)

10 active installs

Free

Updated 11 years ago
View Smart Search Engine

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, String locator has a higher user rating (4.6/5 from 124 reviews) and leads in active installations (100K+ vs 10). Both are free WordPress plugins. String locator has accumulated 1.4M+ total downloads while Smart Search Engine has 2.6K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.6/5String locator
◄
Smart Search EngineN/A
Total Reviews
124String locator
◄
Smart Search Engine0
Active Installs
100K+String locator
◄
Smart Search Engine10
Total Downloads
1.4M+String locator
◄
Smart Search Engine2.6K+
Support Resolution
N/AString locator
Smart Search EngineN/A
Last Updated
1 year agoString locator
◄
Smart Search Engine11 years ago
First Released
2013String locator
Smart Search Engine2014
Age
13 yearsString locator
Smart Search Engine12 years
WP Requires
4.9+String locator
Smart Search Engine3.3.1+
PHP Requires
false+String locator
Smart Search Enginefalse+
Business Model
FreeString locator
Smart Search EngineFree
Latest Version
2.6.7String locator
Smart Search Engine0.9.4

Rating Breakdown

String locator

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

Smart Search Engine

0/5(0 reviews)
5
0%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
0%

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.

Smart Search Engine Reviews

No reviews yet

Frequently Asked Questions

Is String locator or Smart Search Engine more popular?
String locator has 100K+ active installations while Smart Search Engine has 10. String locator is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — String locator or Smart Search Engine?
String locator has a 4.6/5 rating from 124 reviews, while Smart Search Engine has a 0/5 rating from 0 reviews.
Are String locator and Smart Search Engine free?
String locator is free and Smart Search Engine is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — String locator or Smart Search Engine?
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 Smart Search Engine was last updated 11 years ago.

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