Ajax Search Lite vs Name Directory
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | Ajax Search Lite v4.14.7 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.8/5 Visit Details | Name Directory v1.34.3 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 4.9/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 70,000+ | 2,000+ |
| Last updated | October 19, 2026 | October 1, 2026 |
| Editions | Ajax Search Lite · Ajax Search Pro ($) | Name Directory |
| Pros | Live results as visitors type; Custom post types, custom fields and categories searched; Free, with WooCommerce price fields in results | Several independent directories per site; CSV import and export of entries; Optional visitor suggestions with reCAPTCHA v2 |
| Cons | Pro features need a paid licence; Upgrade prompts appear in the admin menu and sidebar; Google keyword suggestions call an external Google endpoint | No built-in access control on directories; Relies on the developer for custom work; The reCAPTCHA check needs Google keys set up by the admin |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | 1 |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Live AJAX search results as the visitor types, Search by custom fields, Category and taxonomy search, Google keyword suggestions, Cached search results with hourly retention cron, WooCommerce price field in results, Upgrade to Pro menu item | Multiple directories with their own shortcodes, CSV import and export of directory entries, Visitor suggestion form with approval, Google reCAPTCHA v2 on the suggestion form, Pagination option for the admin list, Random and single-entry shortcodes |
| Integrations | ||
| E-commerce | WooCommerce | — |
| Plugins | WPML, Polylang, BuddyPress, Divi | — |
| Other | Google Suggest | Google reCAPTCHA |
| Requires WordPress | 3.5 | 3.0.1 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | 5.3 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | No |
| External services | suggestqueries.google.com | — |
| Blocks | 1 | — |
| Shortcodes | — | 3 |