ACF: Better Search
by Mateusz Gbiorczyk · Search
Also makes 2 other plugins · 541K+ installs across the portfolio →
This plugin adds to default WordPress search engine the ability to search by content from selected fields of Advanced Custom Fields plugin.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
A 92/100
no flags
Active installs
40K+
≈45K estimated
Momentum
-12%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “advanced custom fields” and “search” for “better” and “word search”. “advanced custom fields” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “better” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “search” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #14. “word search” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
92 health vs 63 average across 979 Search plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.3%
of downloads still active
At least 40K of 922.3K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Search plugin keeps 0.7%, across 645 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Search plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 3 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 74 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.9★ over 165 reviews, smoothed to 4.71★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
35
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.7
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
14%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.3
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| extended search your tag | #2 | #3 | 0 |
| acf search your tag | #2 | #3 | 0 |
| better search your tag | #3 | #3 | 0 |
| acf | #5 | #3 | 0 |
| better | #6 | #5 | 0 |
| word search | #6 | #5 | 0 |
| acf free | #4 | #2 | 0 |
| search your tag | #14 | #12 | 0 |
| acf add on | #6 | #3 | down 1 |
| search engine | #15 | #16 | up 3 |
| content search | #11 | #11 | 0 |
| wordpress search | #16 | #15 | down 2 |
| acf flexible content | #7 | #4 | 0 |
| search engines | #14 | #16 | down 1 |
| search posts | #15 | #13 | up 2 |
| file search | #15 | #15 | down 3 |
| search results | #18 | #16 | down 4 |
| advanced search | #19 | #17 | up 1 |
| search plugin | #19 | #16 | down 1 |
| custom search | #20 | #18 | down 2 |
| advanced custom fields your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
69 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 38 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “advanced custom fields” and “search” for “better” and “word search”. “advanced custom fields” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “better” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “search” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #14. “word search” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- One page off on “search”. #14 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 31.1K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
3
releases in the last 12 months
2mo ago
latest release · v4.5.1 · 18 Aug 2026
48
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 48% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “40K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 23 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 16 Apr 2021
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- 2026-08-18 Version 4.5.1 [Added] Support for WordPress 7.1 4.5.1
- 2026-06-01 Version 4.5.0 [Fixed] Compatibility with PHP 8.4 [Changed] Minimum required PHP version from 7.0 to 7.4 [Added] Compatibility with PHP 8.5 [Added] Support for WordPress 7.0 4.5.0
- 2025-12-08 Version 4.4.1 [Added] The home page of the plugin 4.4.1
- 2025-10-28 Version 4.4.0 [Added] Support for WordPress 6.9 See changelog.txt for previous versions. 4.4.0
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (4.5.1). Sites still on an older version should update.
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 14 languages, 6 at 90% or more
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
5 of 8 pass · checked 25 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "This plugin adds to default WordPress search engine the ability to search by content from selected fields o..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 8 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 8 of 8 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Advanced Custom Fields.
- ! Headings and lists 3 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,077 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("acf search", "better search", "extended search" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-11-29 50K+ → 40K+ down after 134 days in tier
- 2024-07-18 40K+ → 50K+ up after 6 days in tier
- 2024-07-12 50K+ → 40K+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2024-07-10 40K+ → 50K+ up after 643 days in tier
- 2022-10-06 30K+ → 40K+ up after 441 days in tier
- 2021-07-22 20K+ → 30K+ up after 252 days in tier
- 2020-11-12 10K+ → 20K+ up after 556 days in tier
- 2019-05-06 600+ → 10K+ up after 638 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter 70K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Better Search – Relevant search results for WordPress 5K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A -
SearchIQ – The Search Solution 1K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags B -
WP Fast Total Search – The Power of Indexed Search 1K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A -
Swiftype Site Search Plugin for WordPress 400+ installs · 3.7★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for ACF: Better Search into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/acf-better-search" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="ACF: Better Search — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> ACF: Better Search: 40K+ active installs, 4.9★ (165 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/acf-better-search
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.