WordPress plugin comparison
Better Search vs Search Exclude
At a glance
- Search Exclude has more active installs: 50K+, against 5K+ for Better Search.
- On a typical day, Search Exclude is downloaded about 516 times, Better Search about 141.
- Search Exclude is rated higher: 4.8 out of 5 from 218 reviews, against 4.4 from 61 reviews.
- Better Search was updated more recently: Nov 3, 2026, against Oct 5, 2026 for Search Exclude.
- Both are tested up to WordPress 7.1.4.
- Better Search has been around longer: since 2009, against 2012 for Search Exclude.
Line by line
Search Exclude leads on 5 of 6 comparable lines.
| Metric |  Better Search |  Search Exclude |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank | #3,176 | #724 |
| Active installs | 5K+ | 50K+ |
| Downloads, last 30 days | 9.1K | 18.1K |
| Rating | 4.4(61) | 4.8(218) |
| Support threads resolved | – | 100% |
| Tested up to | 7.1.4 | 7.1.4 |
| Search multiplier | ×0.75 | ×1.37 |
| Last release | 6 days ago | 1 month ago |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | 5.6 |
From WordPress.org's public data, refreshed every night. Downloads are WordPress.org's official daily figures for the last 30 days.
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