Which are the Best Search Engines for eCommerce?

The internet is full of unappreciated stuff, especially in the eCommerce space. So, in today’s post, we’re going to talk about one of the most useful, yet highly unappreciated thing that is eCommerce search engines.

We’re living in an era where almost anything imaginable can be bought with a mouse click, whether it’s houses, cars, books, movies, and everything in between. 

But, the problem that most eCommerce businesses face is not being able to provide accurate items that the internet users are searching for.

And, as a result, they suffer a great amount of potential sales opportunities.

Now, one of the reasons why this happens is because many eCommerce businesses are still using the default search engine that comes with the eCommerce platform they’re using. 

These default search engines in almost all eCommerce platforms are based on a simple string matching algorithm, meaning the search engine will only return relevant results if the site visitor has entered the correct “search phrase” in the search bar. 

And according to a study, 43% of visitors coming to any eCommerce site directly head towards the search box. And if they don’t find what they’re looking for in 15 seconds, they immediately leave the site.

Another study also found that as high as 40% of sales of an eCommerce site depend on its search functionality. And visitors who use the search are 200% more likely to convert.

The point is, the search functionality of your eCommerce site is extremely important, and if you’re still using the default search engine, you should integrate a more advanced eCommerce search engine as soon as possible.

Below, we’ve created a list of best search engines for eCommerce in 2020. 

All the eCommerce search engine solutions mentioned in this post are compatible with multiple eCommerce platforms.

So, whether you’re using Magento, Shopify, or any other eCommerce platform, you’ll find the best search engine for your  eCommerce platform in this list.

Best Search Engines for eCommerce in 2020

#1 – ElasticSearch

ElasticSearch is one of the most popular eCommerce search engines in the market right now. It is built on top of Lucene and offers a wide range of search capabilities. 

In addition, it also utilizes RESTful web interface and schema-free JSON documents.

Being an eCommerce search engine, ElasticSearch is equipped with real-time search functionality. 

And the best part is, ElasticSearch is highly-scalable. So, as your eCommerce business grows, you can easily scale your eCommerce site’s search engine by simply adding a couple of nodes to provide required clusters and take advantage of the additional hardware. 

Recommended: Magento 2 Elastic Search Extension

What’s more is that ElasticSearch is an open-source eCommerce search engine, so you can use it for free of charge. 

#2 – Sphinx

Sphinx is a less popular eCommerce search engine than ElasticSearch.

But, thanks to its rapid performance, simple integration, and top-notch search quality, Sphinx is still being used by global brands such as Groupon, Craigslist, and LivingSocial to name just a few.

The best part about Sphinx eCommerce search engine is that it works seamlessly on all major platforms and systems. 

In addition, Sphinx is also well-equipped to search simple files & data in both SQL databases as well as NoSQL databases. 

What’s even more impressive is that it offers lots of customization options and processing features, allowing you to adjust it to your specific requirements. 

#3 – Apache Solr

Like ElasticSearch, Apache Solr eCommerce search engine is also built upon Lucene and offers similar features such as real-time indexing, full-text search, utilizes JSON & REST-like HTTP/XML APIs.

In addition, this eCommerce search engine is also equipped with dynamic clustering, highlighting, integration with database, faceted search, and NoSQL capabilities. 

Another advantage of using Apache Solr is its plugin architecture that provides a huge range of capabilities and additional customization options. 

Overall, Apache Solr is one of the top enterprise class eCommerce search engines after ElasticSearch.

#4 – Searchanise

Searchanise is a search engine that was designed specifically for eCommerce websites. 

This eCommerce search engine is mainly known for being able to provide relevant information in just 1 second. 

But, it is necessary to mention that Searchanise not only provides a blazing-fast performance, but it is also equipped with eCommerce-specific features that are not available in the aforementioned eCommerce search engines.

It provides eCommerce site owners with the ability to define synonyms, stopwords, show ads, and promote products within the search system. 

The only downside of this eCommerce search engine is that unlike ElasticSearch, Sphinx, and Apache Solr, this eCommerce search engine solution is paid. 

Though there is a free plan, it only allows 25 products. Other plans cost a monthly fee starting with $9 for a single store with 500 products and $54 for 100,000 products.

#5 – Algolia

Algolia is another best eCommerce search engine that is developed with eCommerce websites in mind. It is fast, flexible, and user-friendly. 

It comes with the ability to provide geo-optimized search.  But, more importantly, Algolia works with all major eCommerce platforms, supports all languages and provides as-you-type updated filters. 

And as far as cost is concerned, Algolia is a paid eCommerce search engine solution and offers 3 plans – Starter ($49 per month), Growth ($229 per month), and Pro ($649 per month).

#6 – Instant Search

With Instant Search eCommerce search engine solution, you can provide your customers with search functionality for text, images, as well as for products.

Another key feature of this eCommerce search engine is its cloud nature, which performs all search queries on its server so that it doesn’t slow down your website.

And as the eCommerce site owner, you will also get different types of detailed reports on what customers are searching for in addition to advanced features like search suggestions based on your store catalog and contextual product promotions.

The pricing of Instant Search starts at $19.99 per month for small businesses. It is limited to 1,000 products and 1,000 monthly searches. And their robust plan, which costs $499.99 per month, offers 50,000 products and 50,000 monthly searches.

#7 – Searchly

Searchly is a cloud-based eCommerce search engine solution that is entirely based on ElasticSearch. 

It offers many useful features such as flexibility, robust analytics engine, real-time response, and comes without any complex installation process or server management.

In simple words, Searchly will help you to provide advanced search functionalities to your customers while giving you the necessary information for understanding their requirements.

#8 – SearchBlox

Searchblox is another powerful eCommerce search engine solution that comes with a plethora of advanced search features including location-based search, faceted search results, time & data filters, and custom alerts that are triggered by information.

Some of the reasons why SearchBlox is a popular eCommerce search engine solution is because of its mobile-friendliness, deep analysis capability, and pricing.

SearchBlox’s Free edition supports up to 25,000 files, while the Enterprise edition costs about $5,000 per year but offers unlimited search opportunities.

#9 – Swifype

Swifype is another reliable eCommerce search engine solution that comes with many eCommerce-specific features such as faceted search, spellcheck, and autocomplete.

And for store owners, Swifype provides real-time search analytics and customer search result ranking. 

In a nutshell, Swifype is a considerable option for eCommerce websites and your customers will definitely be able to find the products they’re looking for.

Lastly, Swifype offers two plans – A business plan that costs $249 per month & Enterprise plan that is customizable as per your needs. There is also a plan for individuals that costs $19 per month.

#10 – Amazon CloudSearch

Amazon CloudSearch offers enhanced search capabilities for eCommerce websites as well as apps. 

What makes Amazon CloudSearch unique is that it runs in the AWS cloud, so you can set up quite easily and without any problems. 

And the best part about Amazon CloudSearch is that it’s doesn not charge any set-up fees and up-front commitments. – You pay only for what you use.

As far as features are concerned, Amazon CloudSearch is fully equipped with all the required eCommerce-specific features such as faceted search, autocomplete, multilingual support (34 languages), geospatial search, and more.

#11 – CloudSearch for Ecwid

The last eCommerce search engine solution on this list is CloudSearch, which is designed specifically for Ecwid based eCommerce shops.

Ecwid is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that helps merchants build their own online store in India. 

CloudSearch for Ecwid not only comes with eCommerce-specific search features like correct spelling & autosuggest, but it also helps to enhance the default search capabilities of Ecwid platform with dynamic and real-time product search. 

And as far as pricing is concerned, Ecwid offers both Free as well as Paid plans and the cost is based on the number of products.

Final Thoughts…

Today, there are lots of both Free and Paid eCommerce search engine solutions available in the market. However, ElasticSearch, Sphinx, and Apache Solr are among the top solutions.

With that being said, if we’ve missed any important search engines for eCommerce in this article, please let us know in the comments below.

And if you need our professional assistance, feel free to contact us at any time.