Relevanssi vs WP Admin/Dashboard Search Spotlight
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | Relevanssi v4.28.5 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.8/5 Visit Details | WP Admin/Dashboard Search Spotlight v1.1.2 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 4.3/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 100,000+ | 900+ |
| Last updated | October 23, 2026 | May 15, 2025 |
| Editions | Relevanssi · Relevanssi Premium ($) | WP Spotlight Search |
| Pros | Relevance-sorted results with partial-word matching; Compatibility modules for WooCommerce, Polylang, WPML and ACF; Search log and did-you-mean suggestions | Quick search of admin menus and content from the admin bar; Keyboard shortcut to open the search; Choose which content types are searchable |
| Cons | Index tables can need hundreds of megabytes of database space; Some advanced features are only in Relevanssi Premium; Search log stores what visitors search for, which may need a privacy notice | Builds the search list on each admin page load; Only useful for administrators working in wp-admin |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | 1 |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Relevance-sorted search results, Custom search index table, Stop word list, Search log with optional IP recording, Did you mean block, Relevanssi admin menu with settings, Hooks into Premium-only features when installed ($) | Search box in the admin bar, Searches admin menus and content types, Keyboard shortcut to open the search, Settings page to choose searchable items |
| Integrations | ||
| Payment | — | PayPal donation form |
| E-commerce | WooCommerce | WooCommerce |
| Plugins | Polylang, WPML, Advanced Custom Fields | — |
| Requires WordPress | 4.9 | 3.1 |
| Requires PHP | 7.1 | — |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 6.8.1 |
| Phones home | No | No |
| External services | — | www.paypal.com |
| Blocks | 1 | — |
| Custom tables | 3 | — |