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Plugin info

Total downloads: 762,385
Active installs: 40,000
Total reviews: 162
Average rating: 4.9
Support threads opened: 1
Support threads resolved: 1 (100%)
Available in: 9 language(s)
Contributors: 2
Last updated: 10/28/2025 (63 days ago)
Added to WordPress: 12/18/2016 (9 years old)
Minimum WordPress version: 5.0
Tested up to WordPress version: 6.9
Minimum PHP version: 7.0

Maintenance & Compatibility

Maintenance score

Actively maintained • Last updated 63 days ago • Support resolved 100% • 162 reviews

78/100

Is ACF: Better Search abandoned?

Likely maintained (last update 63 days ago).

Compatibility

Requires WordPress: 5.0
Tested up to: 6.9
Requires PHP: 7.0

Ratings

153
5
1
2
1See all reviews

Developers

Mateusz Gbiorczyk (Owner)4Mateusz Gbiorczyk7

Languages

Dutch30,206Swedish14,890Portuguese (Brazil)13,276Czech10,389Chinese (China)9,700Polish9,087Slovak5,058Serbian1,926

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Description

This plugin adds to default WordPress search engine the ability to search by content from selected fields of Advanced Custom Fields plugin.

Everything works automatically, no need to add any additional code. The plugin does not create a search results page, but modifies the SQL database query to make your search engine work better.

Additionally you can search for whole phrases instead of each single word of phrase. As a result, search will be more accurate than before.

New search core

We modified the code of search engine. Content search is now faster by about 75% (depending on the level of complexity of searched phrase)!

Support to the development of plugin

We spend hours working on the development of this plugin. Technical support also requires a lot of time, but we do it because we want to offer you the best plugin. We enjoy every new plugin installation.

If you would like to appreciate it, you can provide us a coffee. If every user bought at least one, we could work on the plugin 24 hours a day!

Please also read the FAQ below. Thank you for being with us!

Installation

  1. Upload the plugin files to /wp-content/plugins/acf-better-search directory, or install plugin through the WordPress plugins screen directly.
  2. Activate plugin through Plugins screen in WordPress Admin Panel.
  3. Use Settings -> ACF: Better Search screen to configure the plugin.

Frequently Asked Questions

What version of Advanced Custom Fields is supported?

Advanced Custom Fields in version 5 (also free). ACF below version 5 has a different data structure in database and is not supported.

In what fields does the plugin search?

Our plugin supports the following fields: Text, Text Area, Number, Email, Url, File, Wysiwyg Editor, Select, Checkbox and Radio Button.

All these fields may be located in both the Repeater or Flexible Content field.

How does this work?

Plugin changes all SQL queries by extending the standard search to selected fields of Advanced Custom Fields.

The plugin in admin panel works same as for the search page.

It works for WP_Query class.

How to activate advanced search?

Everythings works automatically. For custom WP_Query loop and get_posts() function also if you add Search Parameter.

What to do when not searching for posts?

Sometimes it happens that the data in your database is incorrectly arranged. This happens when you import or duplicate posts.

You can use Incorrect Mode. This is a slower search, but it does not take into account the order of records in the _postmeta table. This solution should help in this situation. Use of this mode is allowed without restrictions. This does not mean any problems with your website.

How does searching for whole phrases?

The default search in WordPress is to search for each of words listed. An additional option in the plugin settings allows you to search for occurrences of the whole phrase entered in the search field without word division.

You can enable it at any time.

How does Lite mode work?

In this mode, the plugin does not check the field types. Phrases are searched in all ACF fields. Thanks to this, the query to the database is smaller and faster by about 25%. However, we do not have control over which fields are taken into account when searching.

Is the plugin completely free?

Yes. The plugin is completely free.

However, working on plugins and technical support requires many hours of work. If you want to appreciate it, you can provide us a coffee. Thanks everyone!

Thank you for all the ratings and reviews.

If you are satisfied with this plugin, please recommend it to your friends. Every new person using our plugin is valuable to us.

This is all very important to us and allows us to do even better things for you!

Review feed

Michael Beckwith
6/30/2023

Responsive and help support

Not only was the plugin author responsive in a timely manner, they also actually updated their code to allow for filtering in new options to potentially search through. This opens the door for other plugin authors that work with ACF Field types to automatically extend ACF Better Search on their own. Working together to make awesome interoperable plugins for the win.
John Hawkins
11/8/2023

Makes the complex simple

In the past, I've used pre_get_posts() to filter in some ACF fields to my searches. And, you know what they said about pre_get_posts(), if that's the solution to your problem, now you have 2 problems. This plugin has been immensely helpful in simplifying the process of adding ACF fields to search queries. Huge thanks!
wp-centrics
7/10/2024

It's a must if you use ACF

Hi guys! First of all: thank you for this plugin. It's a must if you use ACF. ...I switched from GUI defined ACF fields to PHP defined fields (trough the ACF export to PHP utility) and the plugin stopped working. Fortunately I seen this thread: "Problem with search from imported fields (acf-json)" (sorry, WP don't allow links in reviews) and I activated the "Lite Mode": all worked again fine. ...I think you should detect it and advice your users, or at least explain it in the settings pane, because if my first testing was with the PHP fields, maybe I was discarded your great plugin. Anyway: Thanks guys! Great plugin!!!

Screenshots

  1. Screenshot of the options panel

    Screenshot of the options panel

Changelog

4.4.0 (2025-10-28)

  • [Added] Support for WordPress 6.9

4.3.1 (2025-05-29)

  • [Removed] Filter acfbs_search_post_object_fields to select post fields using to search
  • [Added] Filter post_search_columns to change the columns to search in a WP_Query search

4.3.0 (2025-04-29)

  • [Security] Update of Axios HTTP client
  • [Added] Support for WordPress 6.8

4.2.1 (2024-04-12)

  • [Fixed] Searching for content in file field when Lite Mode is active
  • [Fixed] UX of plugin settings page
  • [Added] Support for WordPress 6.5

4.2.0 (2023-09-11)

  • [Fixed] Duplicated search results for modified SQL query

4.1.1 (2023-06-29)

  • [Added] Filter acfbs_field_types to add new supported field types

4.1.0 (2023-03-02)

  • [Changed] Appearance of plugin settings page
  • [Added] Support for Table field type generated by Advanced Custom Fields: Table Field plugin
  • [Added] Support for WordPress 6.2

See changelog.txt for previous versions.

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