Real-Time Find and Replace vs Search Regex
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 Regex leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #289, ahead of Real-Time Find and Replace at #587. Search Regex has the largest install base, roughly 1.4× the next: 100K+ active installs against 70K+ for Real-Time Find and Replace. Downloads this week: Search Regex 7,557 and Real-Time Find and Replace 648. Ratings: Real-Time Find and Replace 4.5★ from 82 and Search Regex 4.7★ from 101 reviews.
| Metric | Real-Time Find and Replace | Search Regex |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #587 ▬ | #289 ▬ |
| Active installs | 70K+ | 100K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 648 | 7,557 |
| Rating | 4.5★ (82) | 4.7★ (101) |
| Last updated | Aug 20, 2026 | Aug 29, 2026 |
| Current version | 4.3 | 3.4.4 |
| Best rank on record | #582 | #289 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jul 2009 | Sep 2007 |
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
- Real-Time Find and Replace vs Better Find and Replace
- Real-Time Find and Replace vs Search & Replace
- Real-Time Find and Replace vs Search & Replace Everything by WPCode – Find and Replace Media, Text, Links, and More
- Real-Time Find and Replace vs Customizer Search
- Search Regex vs Better Find and Replace
- Search Regex vs Search & Replace Everything by WPCode – Find and Replace Media, Text, Links, and More
- Search Regex vs Search & Replace
- Search Regex vs Customizer Search
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Real-Time Find and Replace or Search Regex?
By active installs, Search Regex: 100K+ sites run it against 70K+ for Real-Time Find and Replace, according to WordPress.org figures captured on September 12, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Real-Time Find and Replace or Search Regex?
Search Regex, at #289 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Real-Time Find and Replace at #587. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Real-Time Find and Replace or Search Regex 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.