ACF: Better Search vs Search Exclude
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
These aren’t all alternatives to each other — they do different jobs — so this page compares popularity only, not features.
At a glance
Search Exclude leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #723, ahead of ACF: Better Search at #820. Over the last 7 days Search Exclude slipped 1 place and ACF: Better Search climbed 2 places. Search Exclude has the largest install base, roughly 1.3× the next: 50K+ active installs against 40K+ for ACF: Better Search. Downloads this week: Search Exclude 6,029 and ACF: Better Search 2,420. Ratings: ACF: Better Search 4.9★ from 165 and Search Exclude 4.8★ from 217 reviews.
| Metric | ACF: Better Search | Search Exclude |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #820 ▲ 2 | #723 ▼ 1 |
| Active installs | 40K+ | 50K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 2,420 | 6,029 |
| Rating | 4.9★ (165) | 4.8★ (217) |
| Last updated | Aug 18, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
| Current version | 4.5.1 | 2.6.8 |
| Best rank on record | #819 | #715 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Dec 2016 | Dec 2012 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
More comparisons
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- Search Exclude vs Customizer Search
- Search Exclude vs Disable Search
- Search Exclude vs SearchWP Live Ajax Search
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, ACF: Better Search or Search Exclude?
By active installs, Search Exclude: 50K+ sites run it against 40K+ for ACF: Better Search, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 17, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, ACF: Better Search or Search Exclude?
Search Exclude, at #723 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with ACF: Better Search at #820. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are ACF: Better Search or Search Exclude alternatives to each other?
Not all of them. Some of these plugins do different jobs and many sites run more than one. This page compares their popularity, not their features.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each plugin’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the plugins have moved over time rather than a single day.