Search Regex
by John Godley · Search
Also makes 14 other plugins · 2.1M+ installs across the portfolio →
Search Regex adds a powerful set of search and replace functions to WordPress posts, pages, custom post types, and other data.
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 89/100
no flags
Active installs
100K+
≈150K estimated
Momentum
+67%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “database” and “replace” for “content search” and “custom search”. “database” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “content search” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “replace” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “custom search” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
89 health vs 63 average across 980 Search plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.5%
of downloads still active
At least 100K of 2.8M lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Search plugin keeps 0.7%, across 647 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 11 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.
Excellent listing optimization
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 27 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.7★ over 101 reviews, smoothed to 4.50★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
2 of 3 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.
41
Momentum
Mixed: one swing, the rest drifting
+0.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
23%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| regular expression your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| regex your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| category search | #1 | #1 | up 3 |
| search shortcode | #1 | #1 | up 1 |
| image search | #2 | #3 | up 3 |
| search posts | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| search by category | #2 | #2 | up 2 |
| tag search | #3 | #3 | up 3 |
| search your tag | #5 | #9 | up 1 |
| search filters | #3 | #3 | 0 |
| search replace database | #3 | #3 | up 2 |
| search database | #2 | #3 | — |
| content search | #4 | #6 | 0 |
| post search | #4 | #4 | 0 |
| site search | #5 | #5 | up 2 |
| search and replace | #7 | #5 | up 2 |
| custom search | #5 | #5 | 0 |
| search filter | #5 | #5 | 0 |
| search replace | #5 | #4 | up 4 |
| search results | #6 | #5 | up 5 |
| database your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| replace your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
135 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 99 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “database” and “replace” for “content search” and “custom search”. “database” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “content search” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “replace” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “custom search” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 152.7K · 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
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
11
releases in the last 12 months
27d ago
latest release · v3.5.1 · 6 Oct 2026
40
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. 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 “100K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 6 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 27 Oct 2021
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 3.4.2 Better older PHP compatibility Improve UTF8 collation searching Improve WP 7.0 admin styling 3.4.2
- — Version 3.4.1 Fix problem with export data 3.4.1
- — Version 3.4 Include term description in searches 3.4
- — Version 3.3.1 Fix replace all with regex Fix presets on page load Fix crash when adding a modification Fix missing source param from column context Add browser extension error detection Add mid-update cache clearing detection 3.3.1
- — Version 3.3.0 Add a simple/advanced mode toggle Add delete confirmation dialog Improve case-sensitive search to properly handle emojis and multi-byte characters Improved client code Use PHP autoloading for better performance Bump mini 3.3.0
- — Version 3.2 Add WP CLI functions Variety of small fixes and improvements Update for WordPress 6.9 Bump PHP minimum to 7.2 3.2
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (3.5.1). 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.
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 14 languages, 9 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
4 of 8 pass · checked 2 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Search Regex adds a powerful set of search and replace functions to WordPress posts, pages, custom post typ..."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("use this", "use it").
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 7 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,673 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "database" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-04-29 200K+ → 100K+ down after 21 days in tier
- 2026-04-08 100K+ → 200K+ up after 317 days in tier
- 2025-05-26 200K+ → 100K+ down after 6 days in tier
- 2025-05-20 100K+ → 200K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-05-19 200K+ → 100K+ down after 79 days in tier
- 2025-03-01 100K+ → 200K+ up after 57 days in tier
- 2025-01-03 200K+ → 100K+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2025-01-01 100K+ → 200K+ up after 33 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).
-
Search & Replace Everything by WPCode – Find and Replace Media, Text, Links, and More 20K+ installs · 3.9★ · 3 shared tags B -
Search & Replace 100K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags C -
Real-Time Find and Replace 70K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A -
Search and Replace 9K+ installs · 3.4★ · 2 shared tags B -
CM Search And Replace – Optimize content edits with a powerful search and replace tool 2K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags A -
Search and Replace for Block Editor 500+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Search Regex into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/search-regex" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Search Regex — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Search Regex: 100K+ active installs, 4.7★ (101 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/search-regex
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