ACF: Better Search vs Search Regex
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | ACF: Better Search v4.5.1 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 4.9/5 Visit Details | Search Regex v3.5.1 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 4.7/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 40,000+ | 100,000+ |
| Last updated | August 18, 2026 | October 6, 2026 |
| Editions | ACF: Better Search | Search Regex |
| Pros | Works through the normal WordPress search; Choose which ACF fields are searched; Option to match whole phrases | Regex search across posts, comments, users, terms, options and meta; Saved presets for repeat searches; WP-CLI command available for scripted runs |
| Cons | Needs Advanced Custom Fields installed; Slower on large sites since it queries post meta; Donation prompts appear in the admin and readme | Bulk replacements write to the database; mistakes are hard to undo; Only the core WordPress data sources are covered |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | — |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Choose which ACF fields are searched, Adds matches on ACF meta to the search query, Joins post meta into the search query, Whole phrase matching option, Settings page for the search options, Removes duplicate posts from results | Regex search and replace, Choose sources: posts, comments, users, terms, options and meta, Save and import search presets, Tools screen for running searches, WP-CLI search-regex command |
| Integrations | ||
| Plugins | Advanced Custom Fields | — |
| Requires WordPress | 5.0 | 6.6 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | 7.4 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | No |