SearchWP Live Ajax Search
by Syed Balkhi · Search
Also makes 99 other plugins · 21.7M+ installs across the portfolio →
Template powered live search for any WordPress theme. Does not require SearchWP, but will utilize it if available.
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
40K+
≈48K estimated
Momentum
-6%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Add “property search”, “search form” and “require” to your wp.org tags. You rank #8, #8 and #12 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 3 listed these are the slots worth spending.
89 health vs 63 average across 980 Search plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.2%
of downloads still active
At least 40K of 1.2M 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 2 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
Well tuned across the board
Updated 86 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8; the current branch is 7.1
4.7★ over 36 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.4★
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
1 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
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.
34
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.6
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
11%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.5
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| searchwp | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| ajax live | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| live your tag | #3 | #5 | 0 |
| ajax search | #3 | #3 | down 1 |
| ajax your tag | #3 | #4 | 0 |
| live search | #3 | #3 | down 1 |
| g live | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| search using ajax | #3 | #3 | down 1 |
| wordpress ajax | #4 | #7 | down 1 |
| ajax search form | #4 | #6 | — |
| admin ajax search | #4 | #5 | 0 |
| search your tag | #13 | #16 | down 2 |
| search form | #8 | #12 | down 1 |
| property search | #8 | #9 | 0 |
| require | #12 | #16 | down 1 |
| search box | #9 | #11 | down 1 |
| theme search | #7 | #10 | up 1 |
| ajax post | #7 | #11 | 0 |
| ajax filter search | #7 | #9 | 0 |
| fast search | #8 | #8 | down 1 |
132 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 91 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Add “property search”, “search form” and “require” to your wp.org tags. You rank #8, #8 and #12 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 3 listed these are the slots worth spending.
- One page off on “search”. #13 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 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 65.7K · 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
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
2
releases in the last 12 months
3mo ago
latest release · v1.8.8 · 8 Aug 2026
47
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 81% 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 11 days ago and the previous band took 3.3 years to cross, so the real count is still just under 50K.
Install history since 16 Apr 2021
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.8.7 Updated compatibility with WP 6.9 Adds ARIA attributes to the search forms. Renamed the editor form block to “SearchWP Form”. Prevent deprecation notice in the block editor. Updates deprecated jQuery methods. Updates Cho 1.8.7
- — Version 1.8.6 Updates deprecated jQuery methods. Improved results’ dropdown alignment with Gutenberg search block. Adds minified assets for frontend. 1.8.6
- — Version 1.8.5 Fixes integration with SearchWP Modal Search Form plugin. 1.8.5
- — Version 1.8.4 Adds support for SearchWP multisite search. Improves search results dropdown role attribute, for better accessibility. Adjust results width to match Gutenberg form width when the search button is inside. Fixes the displa 1.8.4
- — Version 1.8.3 Prevents issues with caching plugins in some cases. Adds support for loading a custom template from a user specified directory path. 1.8.3
- — Version 1.8.2 Fixes integration with Relevanssi Premium. 1.8.2
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 2 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (1.8.8). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Critical · 9.1 SearchWP Live Ajax Search <= 1.6.2 - Directory Traversal and Local File Inclusion ↗2022-09-15 CVE-2022-3227 Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program Affects 1.0 - 1.6.2 Patched in 1.6.3
- 2022-07-25 CVE-2022-2535 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects <= 1.6.1 Patched in 1.6.2
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, 1 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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
4 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 5 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 5 of 5 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 Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 3 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,608 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 3 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-22 50K+ → 40K+ down after 1217 days in tier
- 2023-06-23 60K+ → 50K+ down after 485 days in tier
- 2022-02-23 50K+ → 60K+ up after 365 days in tier
- 2021-02-23 40K+ → 50K+ up after 250 days in tier
- 2020-06-18 30K+ → 40K+ up after 193 days in tier
- 2019-12-08 20K+ → 30K+ up after 158 days in tier
- 2019-07-03 10K+ → 20K+ up after 305 days in tier
- 2018-09-01 9K+ → 10K+ up after 91 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 Live Ajax Search 7K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags A -
YMC Filter 4K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
WPC AJAX Search for WooCommerce 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B -
Search Live 600+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A - W WP Search Suggest 400+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A
-
Eonet Live Notifications 300+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for SearchWP Live Ajax Search into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/searchwp-live-ajax-search" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="SearchWP Live Ajax Search — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> SearchWP Live Ajax Search: 40K+ active installs, 4.7★ (36 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/searchwp-live-ajax-search
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