Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter

How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.

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

How often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.

Share of active installs on each version of this plugin · 47% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.

Modeled within the band wp.org reports; tightens as we track daily.

The recent download trend is too spiky to read. The range spans more than 10x because wp.org publishes install counts as broad bands, and conversion and price compound on top. Read the midpoint as an order of magnitude, not a valuation.

1. ★★★★★ sleepcreaterepeat

   3mo ago

   This plugin does everything I need and much, much more. I had a small issue with the plugin, which I reported via the forum, and the developer very quickly released an updated version which fixed it.

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ dogma00

   5mo ago

   Already got thanks from a couple of our website users for the “new, fast search”. Special thanks to Ernest for quick support in our a bit peculiar fine-tuning case.

   Read on wp.org ↗
3. ★★★★★ theschtickler

   6mo ago

   This plugin does so much, but more importantly, Ernest and the team provide stellar support, which makes this such a worthy purchase. Have used for 5+ years on various projects.

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ toddkarr

   6mo ago

   Ajax Search Pro does exactly what I needed it to do: search a complex database of 23,000 rows with simple user controls. I had a very specific situation and Ernest at Ajax support unfailingly and patiently helped me understand and work through every customized aspect and detail of his excellent search system. Ajax Search Pro now performs beautifully on my site and has never let down my customers. I’ll be using it on my future sites for other applications. A true value for what it delivers. I’m so glad I found it. Highly recommended.

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ tpasxalis

   6mo ago

   I’ve been using Ajax Search Pro for almost 3 years in a WP multisite with hundreds of big posts and the plugin works perfectly! But what is even more astonishing is the support I got whenever needed!

   Read on wp.org ↗
6. ★★★★★ designguideat

   7mo ago

   This is the first time i used this plugin – but i can definitely recommend it. It has a lot of options – and i needed the support, which was very helpful!

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ johnmccon

   8mo ago

   Ajax Search is a great plugin and works a treat. It is really worth getting to know this powerful plugin to deliver great search functionality to your website. I use it on a number of sites and recently received terrific customer service when there was an issue with my own coding which affected the plugin. Fixed within 24 hours – excellent support, five stars.

   Read on wp.org ↗
8. ★★★★★ mirpal

   9mo ago

   Hi, thanks guys the plugin working great on my website with the latest WordPress 6.9. Below you can see how to install it if someone can’t do it. First install de plugin. To work, just go to Appearance, Theme file editor, and then edit your header.php In this file search for your original search bar form and add the short code that show on Ajax Search Lite on the left side in admin, will see upper two short codes, just copy that from the right for the template down to your old php search form. Try it on my website at crazygames.cc

   Read on wp.org ↗

Recent releases and news for this plugin

1. — Version 4.14.4 Fixed: the search block now uses the current Gutenberg block API (v3), resolving the WordPress 6.9 deprecation notice and rendering correctly inside the new iframe block editor Fixed: optimized taxonomy filtering in sear 4.14.4
2. — Version 4.14.3 Fix: Taxonomy term exclusions incorrectly excluded posts not assigned to the filtered category Fix: Admin font (Inter) not loading due to misplaced @import; body font-family no longer overrides the WordPress admin global 4.14.3
3. — Version 4.14.2 New: Compatibility, Maintenance, and Help & Support settings submenus redesigned with a modern interface New: Statistics page now includes area charts New: Bulk delete option for recent search entries in the Statistics s 4.14.2
4. — Version 4.14.1 Fix: Multiple potential TypeError exceptions on PHP 8+ (charcount, posts_per_page, search override filter, query args type coercion) Fix: Undefined array key notice in search helper filters 4.14.1
5. — Version 4.14.0 New: Search statistics — tracks searches, result counts, device types and cache hit rates via a new admin panel New: Search results cache admin panel with real-time hit/miss chart and per-entry management (File, Database 4.14.0
6. — Version 4.13.5 Added an option to control visibility for WPML non-translated content (display on main language, on all or off) Greatly improved the image parser by allowing additional data attributes and divs with these data attributes 4.13.5

13 disclosed vulnerabilities on record for this plugin, all fixed in the current version. Sites on older versions stay exposed until they update.

1. High · 8.1 Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter <= 4.14.4 - Unauthenticated PHP Object Injection ↗
   2026-08-04 CVE-2026-28139 Deserialization of Untrusted Data Affects <= 4.14.4 Patched in 4.14.5
2. High · 8.1 Ajax Search Lite <= 4.14.4 - Unauthenticated PHP Object Injection ↗
   2026-08-03 CVE-2026-16258 Deserialization of Untrusted Data Affects <= 4.14.4 Patched in 4.14.5
3. Medium · 6.6 Ajax Search Lite <= 4.13.3 - Authenticated (Administrator+) PHP Object Injection ↗
   2025-10-21 CVE-2025-48086 Deserialization of Untrusted Data Affects <= 4.13.3 Patched in 4.13.4
4. Medium · 5.3 Ajax Search Lite <= 4.13.1 - Missing Authorization to Unauthenticated Basic Information Exposure via ASL_Query in AJAX Search Handler ↗
   2025-08-27 CVE-2025-7956 Missing Authorization Affects <= 4.13.1 Patched in 4.13.2
5. Medium · 4.4 Ajax Search Lite <= 4.12.4 - Authenticated (Admin+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗
   2025-01-31 CVE-2024-13585 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') Affects <= 4.12.4 Patched in 4.12.5
6. Medium · 4.4 Ajax Search Lite <= 4.12.3 - Authenticated (Admin+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗
   2024-11-21 CVE-2024-10568 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') Affects <= 4.12.3 Patched in 4.12.4
7. Medium · 4.4 Ajax Search Lite <= 4.12.1 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗
   2024-08-02 CVE-2024-8619 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') Affects <= 4.12.1 Patched in 4.12.2
8. Medium · 5.5 Ajax Search Lite < 4.12 - Authenticated (Admin+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗
   2024-07-16 CVE-2024-7084 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') Affects <= 4.12 Patched in 4.12.1
9. Medium · 6.1 Ajax Search Lite <= 4.11.4 - Reflected Cross-Site Scripting ↗
   2024-01-04 CVE-2024-21752 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') Affects <= 4.11.4 Patched in 4.11.5
10. High · 7.2 Ajax Search Lite <= 4.11 - Reflected Cross-Site Scripting ↗
    2023-04-03 CVE-2023-1420 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') Affects <= 4.11 Patched in 4.11.1
11. Medium · 4.3 Ajax Search Lite <= 4.10.3 - Missing Authorization leading to Authenticated (Subscriber+) Sensitive Information Disclosure ↗
    2023-02-06 CVE-2022-38456 Missing Authorization Affects <= 4.10.3 Patched in 4.11
12. High · 8.8 Ajax Search Lite < 3.11 - Missing Authorization to Remote Code Execution ↗
    2015-03-26 Missing Authorization Affects < 3.11 Patched in 3.11
13. Critical · 9.8 Ajax Search Lite < 3.11 - Remote Code Execution ↗
    2014-06-24 CVE-2014-4663 Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') Affects < 3.11 Patched in 3.11

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0

Translated into 23 languages, 1 at 90% or more

Growth timeline

Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow

1. 2026-08-24 80K+ → 70K+ down after 1048 days in tier
2. 2023-10-11 70K+ → 80K+ up

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★ · 4 shared tags A
• Advanced Woo Search – Product Search for WooCommerce 70K+ installs · 4.8★ · 4 shared tags A
• Advance Product Search- Voice & Ajax Search for WooCommerce 9K+ installs · 4.2★ · 4 shared tags A
• Sokol: Smart WooCommerce Search 6K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags A
• Jetpack Search 5K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags A
• Advanced Product Search For WooCommerce 4K+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags B

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Drop a live Pulse card for Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter: 70K+ active installs, 4.8★ (264 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-25. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/ajax-search-lite