Jetpack Search vs SearchWP
Updated 13 Oct 2026. 18 features compared side by side.
Automattic's cloud search for WordPress with an instant overlay, filters and spelling correction; free for small sites, paid by record and request volume.
Premium WordPress search engine that indexes custom fields, taxonomies, PDFs and documents, with adjustable relevance weights and live results.
Choose Jetpack Search if…
- You need external or hosted index
- You want to start with a free version
- You want the lower entry price ($99.96/yr vs $199/yr)
Choose SearchWP if…
- You need PDF & document search and search analytics
- You also want multilingual support
- You want the more complete feature set (95/100 vs 57/100)
- You prefer the more widely used option
Jetpack Search includes 1 feature that SearchWP lacks, including External or hosted index; SearchWP has 3 that Jetpack Search lacks, including PDF & document search, Search analytics and Multilingual support. Both include 12 of the 18 features we track. 2 features are not yet verified for one or both plugins.
At a glance
Feature comparison
Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.
Jetpack Search SearchWPRelevance & indexing6/77/7
Automatic relevance with traffic-based boosting; field weights only via developer query filters.
Weight sliders per attribute (title, content, fields, taxonomies) for each engine.
Only allowlisted meta keys are indexed; others must be mapped with code.
Indexes custom post meta and ACF fields on all plans.
Categories, tags and a fixed list of taxonomies are indexed and filterable.
Categories, tags and custom taxonomies can be added to any engine.
PDF contents are not indexed.
Indexes PDF and Office document content from the Standard plan; Xpdf integration available.
Spelling correction and language analysis handle typos and word forms.
Partial matches plus a Closest Match option that finds similar-sounding words.
Language analysis matches word forms in 38 languages; no custom synonym lists.
Synonym rules in Global Rules (single words); keyword stemming also included.
Whole post types can be excluded in settings; no per-post exclusion or pinning.
Excluded and priority results on all plans; full custom results order needs Pro.
WooCommerce1/22/2
Product result format with price; SKU matching is not documented.
WooCommerce integration indexes SKUs, attributes and product data from Pro.
Could not confirm whether individual variations are indexed or returned.
Variation data and SKUs indexed into the parent via a code snippet; parent product is returned.
Search experience5/55/5
Instant overlay can open as visitors type, with autocomplete suggestions.
Live AJAX results as visitors type, plus a modal search form.
Filters for taxonomies, dates and post types, plus WooCommerce price, stock, rating and attributes.
Faceted filters come from the bundled WPFilters product in the All Access plan.
Search blocks build custom embedded results pages; core settings are site-wide.
Embeddable search forms and multiple engines with their own settings.
Search terms highlighted in Minimal and Expanded formats with a configurable colour.
Highlight terms setting builds excerpts and wraps matches in mark tags.
Spelling correction included on free and paid plans.
With Closest Match on, zero-result searches are corrected and a notice is shown.
Insights & scale1/43/4
Jetpack does not record what visitors type into the site search form.
Metrics extension shows popular terms, no-result searches and insights.
Content is indexed and searched on WordPress.com infrastructure.
Index lives in the WordPress database; no Algolia or Elasticsearch option.
Multiple languages on the same site are not supported yet.
WPML and Polylang integrations are included from the Pro plan.
No documentation found on searching across a multisite network.
Cross-site multisite search is a Pro feature.
Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?
Pricing compared
Jetpack Search Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Search Free | Free per month, 1 site |
| Jetpack Search | $99.96 per year, 1 site |
SearchWP Premium
| Standard | $199 per year, 1 site |
|---|---|
| Pro | $399 per year, 3 sites |
| All Access Bundle | $699 per year, 100 sites |
Downloads trend
Jetpack Search
1,130 downloads last week
SearchWP
No WordPress.org download data (premium-only plugin).
Verdict
SearchWP scores higher on our feature checklist (95/100 against 57/100) and includes PDF & document search, search analytics and multilingual support that Jetpack Search does not. Jetpack Search still has the edge on external or hosted index. Only Jetpack Search has a free version. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
Jetpack Search: not included. SearchWP: included. Indexes PDF and Office document content from the Standard plan; Xpdf integration available.
Jetpack Search: not included. SearchWP: paid version (Pro). Metrics extension shows popular terms, no-result searches and insights.
Jetpack Search: included. SearchWP: not included. Content is indexed and searched on WordPress.com infrastructure.
Jetpack Search: not included. SearchWP: paid version (Pro). WPML and Polylang integrations are included from the Pro plan.
Written from the feature, pricing and install data on this page, not from hands-on testing. How we compare.
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FAQ
Which is better, Jetpack Search or SearchWP?
SearchWP scores higher on our feature checklist (95/100 against 57/100) and includes PDF & document search, search analytics and multilingual support that Jetpack Search does not. Jetpack Search still has the edge on external or hosted index. Only Jetpack Search has a free version. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Which has more features?
SearchWP includes 17 of the 18 features we track, against 13 for Jetpack Search. Feature count is only part of the picture; check which of the differences matter to you.
Is Jetpack Search free?
Jetpack Search has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $99.96/yr.
Is SearchWP free?
SearchWP is premium only. Paid plans start at $199/yr.
Feature data last changed 13 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit to Jetpack Search or SearchWP. Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.