Comparison Table
Before developing our solution, we thoroughly analyzed the options already available on the market. The table below provides a clear comparison of the leading solutions, highlighting their strengths, limitations, and why our approach stands out.
| Features / Capability | Search WP Premium | Relevanssi Premium | Algolia | Elasticsearch | Findstr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | WordPress plugin | WordPress plugin | Cloud-based (API) | Self-hosted/Cloud | WordPress Plugin and Self-hosted Cloud |
| Ease of Integration | Easy (WP-native) | Easy (WP-native) | Requires API integration | Complex, dev skills needed | Easy (WP-native) |
| Search Speed | Moderate to fast | Moderate to fast | Very fast (instant search) | Very fast (instant search) | Very fast (instant search) and highly scalable |
| Custom Field Support (e.g. ACF) | Yes | Yes | Yes (via API config) | Yes | Yes |
| Weighting / Relevance Tuning | Yes (manual control per field/type) | Yes (custom weights for fields/keywords) | Yes (advanced UI for tuning, ranking formula) | Yes (via function scoring, scripting) | Yes (custom weights for fields/keywords) |
| Fuzzy / Typo Tolerance | Limited (can be added via hooks) | Strong built-in fuzzy matching | Built-in, automatic typo tolerance | Yes, with config | Built-in, automatic typo tolerance |
| Synonyms Support | Basic (manual only) | Manual only | Advanced synonym sets, automatic & manual | Manual synonyms, powerful but complex | Manual synonyms – powerful, highly scalable with AI in the future |
| Boolean Search Support | Limited | Yes (AND, OR, NOT operators) | Yes (advanced query syntax supported) | Yes (extensive query DSL) | Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT) to limit or widen your search |
| Faceted Search / Filters | Partial (via WP custom dev or add-ons) | Limited | Yes (native, fast filtering) | Yes (powerful but dev required) | Yes (native, fast filtering) |
| Multisite Support | Yes (with Pro license) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Custom Indexing | Yes (via rules & hooks) | Yes (custom post types, fields) | Yes (fully customizable index schemas) | Yes (index any data) | Yes (index any data) |
| Real-time Index Updates | No (on content save/update) | No (on post update or manual reindex) | Yes (instant indexing) | Depends (real-time with config) | No (on content save/update) |
| Analytics / Reporting | No | No | Yes (dashboard, click/conversion analytics) | No native UI, external tooling needed | Coming soon |
| Data Control / Privacy | Full (on your server) | Full | Data hosted on Algolia’s servers | Full (self-hosted), or Elastic Cloud | Full (self-hosted or hosted on Findstr’s server) |
| Scalability | Limited to WP environment | Limited to WP environment | Highly scalable | Highly scalable | Highly scalable |
| Support / Documentation | Email + documentation | Email + documentation | Priority support + API docs | Community + paid support from Elastic | Email + documentation |
| Open source | No | No | No | No | To come – Your team could collaborate in the future of the plugin such as developers do with the WordPress core |
WordPress Search Experts
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can upgrade your license at any time, and this can be done individually per INDEX. Simply click the Upgrade link in your account area and pay the price difference. This upgrade is not a renewal — your license will still expire on the same date.
Findstr is compatible with WordPress version 6.2 and above, as well as PHP 7.4 and later versions.
FacetWP does not natively provide text-based search. It is mainly focused on filters and requires an additional plugin like Relevanssi for full-text search, whereas Findstr handles both scenarios.
Additionally, FacetWP relies on WP Query to execute its filters, which runs through PHP, while Findstr uses JavaScript directly without using server resources.
Yes, Findstr allows you to create content catalogs (listings) either via code. Our team is currently working on implementing Gutenberg blocks to make displaying content catalogs easier.
