Nice Search
This simple plugin (no configuration) redirects ?s=FOO search URLs to the nicer /search/FOO versions. Requires pretty permalinks.
Consider an alternative
Nice Search shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 900+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 14 years ago, and scores 34/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (900+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 14 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 3.5 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Nice Search stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| canonical | >100 |
| redirect | >100 |
| search | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
About Nice Search
From the official readme · v0.5Description
This simple plugin (no configuration) redirects ?s=FOO search URLs to the nicer /search/FOO versions. Requires pretty permalinks.
Installation
- Upload the
nice-searchfolder to your/wp-content/plugins/directory - Activate the “Nice Search” plugin in your WordPress administration interface
- Done!
Changelog
0.5
- Respect custom
$wp_rewrite->search_basevalues
0.4
- Properly handle urlencoded characters (non-English languages: you want this!)
- Include a hotfix for WordPress ticket #13961, which enables the above fix to work.
- Use proper WP API functions (enables PATHINFO permalinks)
0.3
- First version in repository
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best Nice Search alternatives
All canonical plugins →
FAQ
Nice Search: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 29, 2026
Is Nice Search free?
Yes. Nice Search is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Nice Search safe to use in 2026?
Nice Search shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 900+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 14 years ago, and scores 34/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Nice Search?
Nice Search is active on 900+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 28,826 times since it launched in July 2008. It was downloaded 134 times in the last 30 days.
Does Nice Search work with WordPress 7.1?
Nice Search is officially tested up to WordPress 3.5.2, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Nice Search last updated?
The latest version, 0.5, was released on September 29, 2012 (14 years ago).
Who makes Nice Search?
Nice Search is developed and maintained by Mark Jaquith.
What are the best alternatives to Nice Search?
The most popular alternatives to Nice Search are Canonical SEO (9K+ installs), Canonical Link (2K+ installs) and Advance Canonical URL (1K+ installs).
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