Search with Azure
Use the power of the Microsoft Cloud to reduce load on your server and have a faster and more intelligent search.
Consider an alternative
Search with Azure shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 11 years ago, and scores 30/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 11 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 4.3 (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 Search with Azure stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| Azure | >100 |
| search | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
About Search with Azure
From the official readme · v1.1.1Description
Use the power of the Microsoft Cloud to reduce load on your server and have a faster and more intelligent search.
This WordPress plugin is easy to install and configure to quickly give you improved search on your site.
Microsoft® Azure™ Search is a scalable search service that leverages Microsoft’s deep knowledge of natural language processing.
This plugin adds all your posts and pages into the index and uses the search index to provide search suggestions and search results for your site.
Follow the four step Installation instructions to get up and running on your site.
Installation
Step 1 – Create Search Service
- Go to the Azure Portal to create the Search service.
- Click the big + button at the top left and choose Data & Storage and then Search.
- Choose all the options and click Create. It will take a few minutes to create the service.
Step 2 – Install Plugin
- Login to your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins >> Add New, search for search-with-azure, and click to install.
- Get the admin key and query key from the Azure Portal.
- In the WordPress dashboard go to the Settings page for the Search with Azure plugin and enter the two keys. Also enter the name of the search service and enter “posts” for the index name. Leave the Search Page ID blank for now.
- Click “Save Changes”.
- Click “Initialize Now” to load the pages and posts into the index service.
Step 3 – Create Search Results Page
- Create a page that will be the result page when performing a search. This should be a page with the shortcode [search_with_azure]
- Enter the id of this page in Search with Azure Settings.
Step 4 – Use Search Widget
- You should use the widget anywhere you would normally use the default search widget, for example the sidebar.
- You may also like to edit the theme to use the [search_with_azure] shortcode in the 404.php page.
The latest version of these instructions, including screenshots, can be found at
http://wpazuresearch.azurewebsites.net/tutorial/
Screenshots
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 Search with Azure alternatives
All Azure plugins →
FAQ
Search with Azure: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 3, 2026
Is Search with Azure free?
Yes. Search with Azure is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Search with Azure safe to use in 2026?
Search with Azure shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 11 years ago, and scores 30/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Search with Azure?
Search with Azure is active on 10+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 2,068 times since it launched in September 2015. It was downloaded 54 times in the last 30 days.
Does Search with Azure work with WordPress 7.1?
Search with Azure is officially tested up to WordPress 4.3.34, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Search with Azure last updated?
The latest version, 1.1.1, was released on September 23, 2015 (11 years ago).
Who makes Search with Azure?
Search with Azure is developed and maintained by neilb27.
What are the best alternatives to Search with Azure?
The most popular alternatives to Search with Azure are miniOrange Embed Outlook Te… (300+ installs), Login with Microsoft Entra… (50+ installs) and Rafa Azure Simple Upload (20+ installs).
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