Comparison
AskMyPages vs SearchWP
SearchWP is a mature keyword search engine for WordPress: custom fields, PDFs, stemming, live results, all on your own server. AskMyPages is a different kind of tool: it keeps your theme’s search box, ranks results by meaning, and adds answers and chat that cite your pages. Many sites would be well served by either; some want both.
What we say about SearchWP comes from its own website, checked in October 2026. If something is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
Side by side
What each one does
| SearchWP | AskMyPages | |
|---|---|---|
| AI answers with sources | No AI answers listed | Yes: a short answer above the results with numbered links to the pages and PDF pages it came from |
| Chat with follow-ups | No | Yes: a chat button on every page, follow-up questions, in the site’s own colours |
| Search by meaning | Keyword search with stemming, synonyms and weighting | Yes: finds pages by meaning as well as exact words |
| Your theme’s search box | Works with the theme’s search; also offers its own forms | Keeps your theme’s search box and results page; nothing to restyle |
| PDFs | Yes: PDF and office documents | Text PDFs in the Media Library, with answers linking to the right page |
| Custom fields and post types | Yes, with per-field weighting | Custom post types and WooCommerce on paid plans; custom fields are not indexed yet |
| Where it runs | On your own server, inside WordPress | A hosted service by Hook & Plug; the plugin sends your published, public content and nothing else |
| Price | From $99 a year for one site (introductory; $199 on renewal), per searchwp.com | Free: 500 items, 1,000 searches and 100 AI answers a month. Starter $29 a month or $290 a year: 5,000 items, 25,000 searches, 3,000 answers |
| Free version | No free version | Yes |
Where each one is strong
SearchWP
- Fine control over what is searched and how it is weighted: custom fields, taxonomies, multiple search engines per site
- Everything runs inside WordPress; no outside service
- Years of compatibility work with themes, page builders and WooCommerce
AskMyPages
- A direct answer with sources, not only a list of results
- A chat on every page that answers follow-up questions
- Search by meaning: “help paying for a course” finds the education fund page
- A free plan with no card; spending caps on the paid ones
Which one should you choose?
Choose SearchWP if you need deep control over keyword matching and custom fields, want nothing to leave your server, or run a large store where field-level weighting matters.
Choose AskMyPages if your visitors ask questions your pages and PDFs already answer, and you want them to get the answer with a link to the source, in your own theme, without a redesign.
Not sure? Try the questions your visitors ask on the live demo: a real WordPress site running AskMyPages.
Want AskMyPages on your site?
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Other comparisons: Relevanssi · Jetpack Search · AI chatbot plugins