BLACK FRIDAY
Save 59% on PageForge Annual $191/year $485/year
Claim 59% Off →
Open AI Search Bar icon
Maintained Tested up to 7.0.6

Open AI Search Bar

The AI Search Bar plugin allows you to embed a ChatGPT-like search box into your website using a simple shortcode. When users type a prompt into the search bar, it communicates directly with OpenAI’s API to generate a…

Active installs10+10+ tier
Downloads · 30d615▲ +33.7% vs prev. 30d
Rating3/54 reviews
Health score52/100Fair
All-time downloads7.8KSince May 2023
Support resolved—No recent threads
RequiresWP 5.7PHP 7.4+
Downloads · 7d170▲ +14.1% week over week
Our verdict

Use with caution

Open AI Search Bar works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 3/5 and was last updated 4 months ago, and scores 52/100 on our health check.

  • Momentum — downloads up 33.7% vs the previous 30 days
  • Small user base (10+ active installs)
  • Low rating so far — 3/5 from only 4 reviews

How does it stack up?

Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support

Daily downloads

71421Jul 1Aug 14Sep 28
Yesterday25
Daily average (1y)9
Peak day74Jun 4, 2026
Last 12 months3.4K

Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.

Rankings

Where Open AI Search Bar stands today

WordPress.org search rankings

Live position in the plugin search, top 100
KeywordPositionCompeting pluginsCategory
AI >100 6,458 Best AI plugins →
AI Search Bar #51 943 Best AI Search Bar plugins →
chat >100 3,930 Best chat plugins →
ChatGPT >100 1,360 Best ChatGPT plugins →
gpt >100 796 Best gpt plugins →

Version adoption

Share of active sites per release.

  • 2.1100.0%

Rating breakdown

★★★★★★★★★★ 3 from 4 reviews

  • 5★25.0%
  • 4★25.0%
  • 3★0.00%
  • 2★25.0%
  • 1★25.0%

About Open AI Search Bar

From the official readme · v2.2

Description

The AI Search Bar plugin allows you to embed a ChatGPT-like search box into your website using a simple shortcode. When users type a prompt into the search bar, it communicates directly with OpenAI’s API to generate a response—just like ChatGPT.

⚠️ Important: This plugin does not search or display your website’s internal content. It is strictly used to allow ChatGPT-style prompt-based interaction via OpenAI’s service.

We use trusted third-party services to generate responses:
🔗 https://api.openai.com/v1/chat/completions

Key Features

  • Embed a ChatGPT-style search bar using [ai_search_bar]
  • Uses OpenAI’s GPT model to answer prompts
  • Works like ChatGPT—answers based on user input, not website content
  • Easy to set up with no coding required
  • Clean, lightweight, and fast

Install via WordPress Dashboard

  1. Log in to your WordPress admin area.
  2. Navigate to Plugins → Add New.
  3. Search for “OpenAI : AI Search Bar“.
  4. Click Install Now, then Activate the plugin.

Install via FTP

  1. Download the openai-search-bar.zip file.
  2. Extract the ZIP file on your computer.
  3. Upload the extracted folder to /wp-content/plugins/ using FTP.
  4. Go to Plugins in your WordPress dashboard and click Activate.

How to Use

  1. Go to the plugin settings page from the WordPress admin menu.
  2. Enter your OpenAI API key.
  3. Use the shortcode [ai_search_bar] in any post, page, or widget to display the search bar.

Support

If you require assistance, contact us at: kavavimal@gmail.com

Frequently asked questions

Does this plugin search my WordPress website content?

No. The AI Search Bar plugin does not search or display your website’s internal content. It interacts with OpenAI’s API to generate answers based on the user’s prompt—similar to ChatGPT.

Is an OpenAI API key required?

Yes. You must enter your OpenAI API key in the plugin settings for the search bar to function correctly. You can get your API key from https://platform.openai.com/account/api-keys

How do I display the AI Search Bar on my site?

Use the shortcode [ai_search_bar] in any post, page, or widget where shortcodes are supported.

Can I customize the appearance of the search bar?

Yes. The plugin comes with default styling, but you can customize it using custom CSS or by overriding the plugin’s CSS in your theme.

Will this plugin impact my site speed?

No. The plugin is lightweight and does not load any large libraries. Responses are fetched asynchronously from OpenAI, so your site speed remains unaffected.

Is the plugin compatible with all WordPress themes?

Yes, the plugin is designed to be compatible with all modern WordPress themes. If you encounter any styling issues, you can adjust the appearance with custom CSS.

Is this plugin free to use?

The plugin itself is free, but usage of OpenAI’s API is paid and subject to their pricing at https://openai.com/pricing

Changelog

Version 2.2

  • Improved: Enhanced response formatting for better readability.
  • Updated: Refined prompt handling to provide more accurate ChatGPT-like replies.
  • Updated: Compatible with the latest version of WordPress.
  • Fixed: Minor styling issues on some WordPress themes.

Version 2.1

  • Improved: Enhanced response formatting for better readability.
  • Updated: Refined prompt handling to provide more accurate ChatGPT-like replies.
  • Fixed: Minor styling issues on some WordPress themes.

Version 1.3

  • Updated: Compatible with the latest version of WordPress.

Version 1.2

  • Fixed: Improved search prompt behavior.

Version 1.1

  • Fixed: Page refresh issue resolved.

Version 1.0

  • Initial release.

Full changelog on WordPress.org →

Screenshots

Open AI Search Bar screenshot
Open AI Search Bar screenshot
Open AI Search Bar screenshot
Open AI Search Bar screenshot

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.

Active installs badge Rating badge Health score badge

Best Open AI Search Bar alternatives

All AI plugins →
Alternatives
Rank Plugin Active installs Rating Updated Health
1 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder The Elementor Website Builder has it all: drag and drop page builder, Atomic Editor, pixel… by Elementor 10M+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 (7.3K) 5 days ago 93
2 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) All in One SEO AIOSEO is the WordPress SEO plugin. Boost SEO rankings with AI SEO tools, schema, meta… by Syed Balkhi 2M+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.7 (5.2K) 6 days ago 98
3 AI Agent by SiteGround AI Agent by SiteGround Manage your WordPress site with AI - create content, install plugins, and perform site… by SiteGround 1M+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 1.6 (97) 4 weeks ago 66
4 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates Premium Addons for Elementor 90+ Elementor widgets & addons, 600+ templates, Mega Menu, WooCommerce, Display Conditions… by Leap13 600K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.9 (1.7K) 19 hours ago 96
5 Angie – Agentic AI Angie – Agentic AI Build anything your site needs. Manage it through an agentic AI conversation inside… by Elementor 100K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 3.1 (18) 7 days ago 73
6 AI Engine – The Chatbot, AI Framework & MCP for WordPress AI Engine – The Chatbot, AI Framework & MCP for WordPress AI meets WordPress. Your site can now chat, write poetry, solve problems, and maybe make… by Jordy Meow 90K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.9 (867) 4 days ago 96
7 AI Provider for Anthropic AI Provider for Anthropic Anthropic (Claude) provider for the PHP AI Client SDK. by WordPress.org 60K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ No reviews 1 month ago 59
8 AI AI AI features, experiments and capabilities for WordPress. by WordPress.org 50K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.6 (9) 1 month ago 84
9 AI Provider for OpenAI AI Provider for OpenAI AI Provider for OpenAI for the PHP AI Client SDK. by WordPress.org 50K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ No reviews 1 week ago 63
10 AI Provider for Google AI Provider for Google Google AI (Gemini) provider for the PHP AI Client SDK. by WordPress.org 40K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ No reviews 1 week ago 78

FAQ

Open AI Search Bar: quick answers

Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.

Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 29, 2026

Is Open AI Search Bar free?

Yes. Open AI Search Bar is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.

Is Open AI Search Bar safe to use in 2026?

Open AI Search Bar works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 3/5 and was last updated 4 months ago, and scores 52/100 on our health check.

How many websites use Open AI Search Bar?

Open AI Search Bar is active on 10+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 7,751 times since it launched in May 2023. It was downloaded 615 times in the last 30 days.

Does Open AI Search Bar work with WordPress 7.1?

Open AI Search Bar is officially tested up to WordPress 7.0.6, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.

What PHP version does Open AI Search Bar need?

Open AI Search Bar requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.

When was Open AI Search Bar last updated?

The latest version, 2.2, was released on June 4, 2026 (4 months ago).

Who makes Open AI Search Bar?

Open AI Search Bar is developed and maintained by Vimal Kava.

What are the best alternatives to Open AI Search Bar?

The most popular alternatives to Open AI Search Bar are Elementor Website Builder (10M+ installs), All in One SEO (2M+ installs) and AI Agent by SiteGround (1M+ installs).

Powered by PageForge

Want thousands of pages that rank like these? Build them in an afternoon.

This directory runs on the same engine as PageForge. Turn any spreadsheet, CSV or API into thousands of fast, SEO-ready WordPress pages — with schema, internal links and AI-written copy baked in.

  • CSV, Google Sheets & API data sources
  • AI content, schema & internal links per page
  • Works with Elementor, Gutenberg, Yoast & Rank Math
  • Free on WordPress.org — no credit card
Sarah is here to help!
Hi there! 👋 Need help finding what you're looking for?
Sarah
Sarah
Online & Ready to Help
Hi there! 👋 Need help finding what you're looking for?

We'll use this to continue our conversation

Just now ✓ Verified

Join 500+ SEO Pros Scaling Their Strategy

Get exclusive programmatic SEO tactics, AI content workflows, and the latest PageForge updates delivered straight to your inbox. Stay ahead of the algorithm.

We care about your data in our privacy policy.