Searching for the best WordPress filter plugins to help improve content discoverability on your website or ecommerce store?
Whether you have a blog, a WooCommerce store, a directory, or any other WordPress site, you can find great filter plugins to help you create a custom solution. In this post, we’ve done the work to curate the 15 best options, many of which offer free versions so that you can try them out at no risk to your wallet.
Table of Contents
What are WordPress filter plugins?
WordPress filter plugins let you add frontend filters that your visitors can use to find the content or products they’re interested in more easily.
Users can apply filters based on details such as categories, tags, prices, ratings, and so on. Then, the page will update to only show results that match the filters.
Here’s an example of what a typical WordPress filter plugin might look like, though the exact design and interface will depend on the plugin:
WordPress filter plugins can be especially useful for ecommerce stores because filters help your customers find the products they’re most interested in. This is why you’ll see a lot of dedicated WooCommerce product filter plugins, including some of the options on this list.
However, WordPress filter plugins can be helpful for a lot more than just ecommerce. They can also work well for blogs, directories, listing sites, and more.
The 15 Best WordPress Filter Plugins
Now that you understand WordPress filter plugins, let’s dig into the 15 best filter plugins for WordPress and WooCommerce. A few of these plugins are built specifically for WooCommerce stores, but most can be used for any niche.
1. FacetWP
FacetWP is one of the most well-known and flexible WordPress filter plugins. As the name suggests, it helps you add faceted search and filtering to your site.
You can choose from various facet types, and FacetWP works with all the existing data on your site, including any post type, custom fields, and custom taxonomies. This lets you use FacetWP for any filter use case, from ecommerce to blogs to custom content sites.
What We Like
- Supports various facet types, including checkboxes, dropdowns, date ranges, sliders, pagers, and geolocation
- Works with any data on your site, including custom post types, custom fields, and custom taxonomies
- Lets you embed your filters using the block editor, shortcodes, or PHP functions
- Offers lots of hooks and actions so developers can extend the plugin as needed
Pricing: A free trial is available. Plans start at $99 s year for all features and use on up to three websites.
2. Filter Everything
Filter Everything is another popular WordPress filter plugin that, true to its name, lets you add filters for any content.
One of the best things about this plugin is its flexibility — you can use any data on your site to filter any type of content, from WooCommerce products to blog posts to custom post types and more.
It also creates clean URLs and indexable permalinks for various filter combinations, opening up some creative SEO opportunities for long-tail keywords.
What We Like
- Lets you create filters based on any data, including categories, tags, custom taxonomies, custom fields, WooCommerce attributes, and authors
- The Pro version lets you create SEO-friendly URLs for filter combinations, which can help you rank for long-tail queries
Pricing: Free plans are available. Premium plans cost $40.
3. JetSmartFilters
JetSmartFilters is an advanced WordPress filter solution that can work for any use case, from blogs to ecommerce stores and custom content sites (e.g., directories and job boards).
It comes from Crocoblock, which makes 20+ JetPlugins to extend both the core WordPress software and the Elementor plugin. While many of these other Crocoblock plugins pair well with JetSmartFilters, JetSmartFilters is still a 100% standalone plugin, so you don’t need to use those other plugins if you don’t want to.
The plugin lets you build custom filter logic. You can provide each filter option as a standalone choice, or you can create hierarchical filter paths.
For the latter use case, an example would be having a person first choose the brand of a car, then select the model (from the cars of that brand), and then select the year (from the years associated with that model).
Beyond the flexible configuration options, JetSmartFilters also helps you create SEO-friendly filter pages.
What We Like
- Create standalone filters or set up hierarchical filter paths (faceted search)
- Has tight integrations with both Elementor and the native block editor, so you can match it to your preferred editing experience
- Build your filters with 17+ filtering widgets and 9+ filter types, including rating, visual filters, keyword search, checkbox, radio button, and date range
- Creates clean URLs for each filter page, which lets you rank them in search engines.
Pricing: JetSmartFilters premium costs $43 yearly. A Crocoblock membership plan starts at $199 yearly.
4. Search & Filter
Search & Filter is one of the most popular WordPress filter plugins in the WordPress.org plugin directory.
As the name suggests, it lets you add a more functional keyword search and filters for your content. It works for any content, including blogs, review sites, WooCommerce stores, and custom content sites.
You can search and filter by all data types, including post meta, custom fields, categories, tags, taxonomies, authors, post types, and post dates.
What We Like
- Lets you filter anything, with support for custom post types and all different types of content
- Offers a drag-and-drop filter form builder and lets you create unlimited unique forms
- Has out-of-the-box support for popular plugins, including WooCommerce, Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), and Easy Digital Downloads
Pricing: Free plans are available. Pro plans cost $20 yearly for a single site. Pro plans for unlimited sites cost $75 yearly.
5. Advanced AJAX Product Filters
Advanced AJAX Product Filters is a WordPress filter plugin specifically focused on helping you create product filters for your WooCommerce store.
If that’s your use case, this is a great one. But if you want to create filters for non-WooCommerce content, you’ll want to choose a different plugin from this list.
With the plugin, you can let customers use various filter types to filter any product data, including prices, variations, attributes, and more.
It also includes several SEO features to help you rank your product filter pages for long-tail search queries, including SEO-friendly URLs, automatic canonical links, and the option to automatically add filter text to the description/heading to create unique content on each page.
What We Like
- Specifically built to help shoppers filter WooCommerce products
- Multiple filter layouts including a vertical sidebar or a horizontal list above products
- Creates SEO-friendly filter pages, which help you benefit from long-tail SEO
Pricing: Free plans are available. Premium plans start at $44 for a single site.
6. ElasticPress
ElasticPress is a WordPress search and filter plugin that integrates your site with Elasticsearch.
Elasticsearch is an open-source search engine offering accurate search and filter functionality.
Like WordPress, it’s open-source software lets you host on your own web hosting service.
Then, the ElasticPress plugin helps you connect your WordPress site to your Elasticsearch instance.
In addition to offering much more accurate and performance-friendly WordPress keyword search, ElasticPress also lets you add faceted filters to let users filter your website’s content by any taxonomies you’re using.
What We Like
- You can create faceted filters for any taxonomy on your site, which gives you a lot of flexibility
- The plugin offers out-of-the-box support for WooCommerce, which is great if you want to add ecommerce filters
Pricing: The ElasticPress plugin is free to use along with your own Elasticsearch instance. ElasticPress also offers its own hosted service that starts at $79 monthly.
7. Category Ajax Filter
As the name suggests, Category Ajax Filter is a more limited WordPress filter plugin that’s focused on letting users filter your content by category (including support for tags and custom taxonomies).
For example, if you publish blog posts in various categories, the plugin will let visitors quickly filter the different categories. It also uses Ajax, so visitors can apply these filters without reloading the page.
The plugin also supports custom post types, which means that you can use it to allow taxonomy filters for other types of content beyond blog posts. For example, if you have a recipe library, you could let visitors filter your recipes.
What We Like
- Offers an easy way to set up filters for categories and tags (as well as any custom taxonomy)
- Unlike the default WordPress category filter, the plugin uses Ajax and doesn’t require users to reload the page to filter content
- The Pro version adds filter analytics to see which filters are most used
Pricing: Free plans are available. Category Ajax Filter Pro costs $33 for a single site.
[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fi8JFcyHbI]
8. Posts Table Pro
Posts Table Pro is a WordPress plugin that lets you list any post type on your site in a table view, including blog posts, WooCommerce products,* and any custom post type.
As part of this table list, the plugin also lets you apply filters based on categories, tags, authors, and any custom taxonomies you’ve created. You also have the option to use Ajax to apply the filters without reloading the page.
Overall, if you like listing your content in a filterable table, this is a great one to consider. However, if you don‘t want to use a table layout, you’ll want to choose a different plugin.
*For WooCommerce products, the developer offers a dedicated plugin called WooCommerce Product Table. It offers a very similar approach but with some dedicated features for WooCommerce stores.
What We Like
- Lets you display any post type in a table view
- Option to apply the filters using Ajax (no page reload) or by clicking a button that reloads the page
- There’s also a search box in addition to filters. The two interact well — e.g., users can use the search box to search within the filtered results
Pricing: Free plans are available. Pro plans start at $79 for a single site.
9. Blog Filter
Blog Filter is another popular filter plugin at WordPress.org that works similarly to the Category Ajax Filter plugin above. It lets you create a custom blog listing page using various layouts. Then, you can let your visitors filter your blog listing page by categories, tags, or any custom taxonomies you use.
If you want to let visitors filter your blog posts and you’re happy to use a custom blog listing design, this is another good one to consider.
What We Like
- Create a custom blog listing design using various layouts, including grids and masonry layouts
- Let visitors filter by categories, tags, or custom taxonomies
- Option to use “AND” or “OR” logic for filters
- Includes a keyword search option in addition to category filters
Pricing: Free plans are available. Premium plans start at $39.
10. Ajax Search Pro
Ajax Search Pro is an all-in-one solution that upgrades the WordPress search functionality and lets users filter content on your site. That’s one of the unique details about this plugin — it will completely upgrade your site’s search functionality in addition to adding support for filters.
In terms of functionality, you can add live search suggestions and create a more accurate search algorithm. Then, you can also add support for content filtering to the search functionality.
The free version of the plugin allows checkbox filtering for categories and post types. The Pro version adds much more advanced functionality with options to filter by custom fields, taxonomies, dates, and more.
What We Like
- Offers a complete upgrade to the WordPress search functionality, which helps with overall discoverability on your site
- You can set up your filters using a drag-and-drop interface
- Offers dedicated support for WooCommerce, which is great if you’re running an ecommerce store
Pricing: Ajax Search Lite is free. Ajax Search Pro costs $39. It’s sold via Envato’s CodeCanyon marketplace, so it has the standard Envato license.
11. Product Filter by WBW
Product Filter by WBW is another WordPress filter plugin focused on WooCommerce product filtering. It lets you create frontend product filters based on product data, including price/price range, categories, tags, featured status, rating, and attributes.
To help customers more effectively use those filters, you can choose from various input types, including ranges, checkboxes, drop-downs, images, and swatches. There’s also a keyword search option.
What We Like
- Tracks filter usage so that you can see analytics on your store’s most used filters.
- The price range will automatically adjust based on other filter selections to match the listed products.
- Supports Ajax filtering to filter the products without requiring shoppers to reload the page.
Pricing: Free plans are available. Premium plans start at $49 for use on a single site and one year of support or $89 for lifetime support.
12. Content Views
Content Views works similarly to the Category Ajax Filter and Blog Filter plugins in that it helps you display and filter your content.
You’ll start by creating a content listing view using various layouts, mostly focusing on grids. Then, you can also add filters to the listing page that let visitors easily filter out different types of content.
The free version lets users filter by category, tag, author, and ID. The Pro version adds support for custom taxonomies and custom fields, along with the ability to create listing/filter pages for custom post types.
The Pro version also adds Ajax-powered functionality, such as Ajax load more and infinite scrolling to help visitors interact with your content without reloading the page.
What We Like
- Choose from many different layouts, including grid, masonry, Pinterest grid, scrollable slider, and collapsible
- Add frontend filters for taxonomies, authors, dates, custom fields, status, keywords, ID, and more
- Integrates with lots of other plugins, including WooCommerce, Advanced Custom Fields, Pods, Meta Box, and Easy Digital Downloads
Pricing: Free plans are available. Content Views pro plans start at $39 for a single site.
13. HUSKY
HUSKY, formerly known as WOOF, is another WordPress filter plugin that focuses on adding product filter functionality for WooCommerce stores.
The free version is one of the most popular WooCommerce product filter plugins at WordPress.org. The premium version is also one of the most popular options at Envato’s CodeCanyon marketplace.
The plugin offers a smart builder tool to help you set up completely custom product filter groups based on any product data and using various input types. You can also create multiple filter groups and display different sets of filters for different types of products.
What We Like
- You can create multiple different sets of filters and apply them to different products
- The plugin’s shortcode lets you display filters anywhere on your site (but there are still other options, such as a widget)
- The plugin lets you use Ajax to apply filters without reloading the page
Pricing: Free plans are available. Premium plans start at $42 for a single site.
14. The Plus Addons for Elementor
The Plus Addons is an extension for the popular Elementor builder plugin that adds a range of new widgets and features.
Regarding WordPress filter plugins, the most relevant widget is the Plus Search Filters widget. With this widget, you can set up 15+ Ajax filter types directly from the Elementor interface. There’s also a keyword search box that users can combine with the filters.
What We Like
- You can manage your filters from Elementor’s visual interface
- Supports 15+ different filter types, all powered by Ajax, so users don’t need to reload the page
- Has special WooCommerce filters, which is great if you’re using Elementor WooCommerce Builder
- Has an ACF integration to create filters based on custom field data
Pricing: Free plans are available. Premium plans start at $39 for one year of support or $149 for lifetime support.
15. WooCommerce Product Filters
WooCommerce Product Filters is a premium filter plugin that, as the name suggests, is specifically built for WooCommerce stores looking to add ecommerce product filters.
The plugin lets your customers filter by a variety of different product details. To help customers more easily apply those filters, you can choose from various filter types, including drop-downs, checkboxes, radio buttons, color swatches, text labels, ranger sliders, or images.
What We Like
- The plugin can apply Ajax filters, meaning shoppers don’t need to reload the page
- Each filter option gets its own URL, which lets you rank them in Google and allows for direct linking
Pricing: Plans start at $79 for a single site. A plan bundled with WooCommerce Product Table starts at $129.
Getting Started
Choosing the best WordPress filter plugin for your site depends on your budget and the type of filters you want to create. For example, WooCommerce stores will likely want to choose one of the purpose-built WooCommerce product filter plugins. Other sites will want a more all-purpose filter solution.
Get started today, and your site will have working filters in no time!
