Onsite search matters most when a customer already knows roughly what they want. If they type a product name, SKU, brand or problem into your search box and get poor results, you can lose a high-intent visitor very quickly.
The difficult part is that there is no single “best” ecommerce search tool. Algolia gives development teams a huge amount of control. Klevu is more focused on managed ecommerce search and merchandising. Nosto makes more sense when search sits inside a wider personalisation strategy. Clerk.io offers a fairly approachable modular setup. Mirasvit is a very different proposition for Magento stores that want to keep more of the search stack within Magento. Boost is aimed squarely at Shopify merchants.
I’ve worked with onsite search and product discovery across both Magento and Shopify. The bit that tends to get missed in software comparisons is that the search engine is only one part of the job. Product data, indexing, catalogue structure, filters, merchandising rules and frontend performance can matter just as much as the platform you choose.
This guide compares six ecommerce search tools I would look at in 2026 and where I think each one fits best.
Last updated: 13 September 2026
Ecommerce search tools at a glance
| Platform | Best suited for | Main platforms | Pricing approach | Main strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algolia | Larger stores, custom builds and headless commerce | Shopify, Adobe Commerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, commercetools and custom platforms | Usage based with a free tier | Flexibility, speed and developer control |
| Klevu | Mid-market and enterprise ecommerce teams | Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, commercetools and Shopware | Quote-led | Search, merchandising and recommendations built around ecommerce |
| Nosto | Brands combining search with personalisation and merchandising | Shopify, Adobe Commerce and other ecommerce platforms | Modular pricing based on store volume and selected products | Wider commerce experience and personalisation platform |
| Clerk.io | Small to mid-sized retailers wanting modular search and recommendations | Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce and other ecommerce platforms | Usage based | Straightforward search, recommendations and merchandising |
| Mirasvit Search Ultimate | Magento stores wanting a Magento-native search extension | Magento / Adobe Commerce | Extension licence with support and updates | Cost-effective Magento-specific control |
| Boost AI Search & Filter | Shopify stores wanting stronger search and filtering without a large technical project | Shopify | From $29/month, scaling with store GMV and plan | Quick Shopify implementation and strong filtering |
Pricing and product packaging change regularly. The information above was checked in September 2026 and should be treated as a starting point rather than a quote.
My quick view
If I was narrowing the list down quickly, I would think about it like this:
- Algolia is the strongest fit when you need flexibility and have the technical resource to build around it.
- Klevu is a strong choice for larger ecommerce stores that want search, category merchandising and recommendations in a more managed package.
- Nosto makes the most sense when search is part of a wider personalisation and merchandising strategy rather than a standalone project.
- Clerk.io is worth considering when you want search and recommendations without taking on the complexity of a larger enterprise platform.
- Mirasvit Search Ultimate is useful for Magento stores that want to improve search without moving the whole experience to an external SaaS platform.
- Boost AI Search & Filter is one of the more practical options for Shopify stores that mainly need better search, collection filtering and merchandising.
That does not mean the most advanced option is automatically the best one. A £5m retailer with a complicated catalogue may get a lot of value from Algolia or Klevu. A smaller Shopify store may be better served by Shopify’s own free Search & Discovery app or a relatively simple Boost implementation.
Do you actually need a third-party ecommerce search tool?
Before replacing your existing search, I would establish what is actually wrong with it.
Shopify’s free Search & Discovery app now gives merchants control over filters, synonym groups, product boosts, recommendations and search analytics. For a smaller Shopify catalogue that may be enough.
Magento and Adobe Commerce stores can also get a lot further than they often do by improving product attributes, synonyms, search configuration and catalogue data before adding another platform.
I would start by looking at:
- searches that return no results
- searches with very low click-through
- high-volume searches that return poor products
- SKU and model-number searches
- misspellings and alternative terminology
- filter usage
- search exit rate
- search-led conversion
- search page speed
- catalogue attributes available to the search engine
If the core problem is poor product data, replacing the search engine will not magically fix it.
What I look for in ecommerce search software
Feature lists are useful up to a point. In practice I care more about whether the search platform works with the catalogue and operating model behind the store.
Relevance
A search for an exact SKU should behave differently from a broad query such as “black waterproof jacket”.
Useful search tools should be able to deal with:
- exact product names
- SKUs and model numbers
- spelling mistakes
- synonyms
- plural and singular terms
- partial searches
- long-tail queries
- natural language where appropriate
I also want to know how much control I have when the algorithm gets something wrong.
Filtering and faceted navigation
Search and filtering normally need to be considered together.
If a customer searches for “running shoes” and gets 400 results, good filtering is what helps them narrow that set down to the right size, brand, colour and price.
This is especially important on larger Magento stores where catalogue attributes and layered navigation can become complicated.
Merchandising control
AI and behavioural ranking are useful. Merchandising teams still need control.
You may need to:
- pin a launch product
- demote low-stock items
- promote higher-margin products
- exclude inappropriate results
- create campaign rules
- control category ordering
- handle seasonal ranges
I prefer platforms that let automation and manual merchandising work together rather than forcing the retailer to choose one or the other.
Analytics
Search data is one of the clearest sources of customer intent available to an ecommerce business.
I want to be able to see:
- what customers are searching for
- zero-result searches
- searches with poor engagement
- which results receive clicks
- which searches lead to purchases
- product gaps
- terminology customers use that differs from the catalogue
This can influence search configuration as well as buying, merchandising and product data.
Catalogue sync and indexing
This is one of the less glamorous parts of ecommerce search and one of the most important.
Before choosing a platform I want to understand:
- how quickly product changes reach the search index
- how stock changes are handled
- how prices and customer-group pricing are handled
- what happens during a failed sync
- how multiple stores or markets are treated
- how reindexing affects the storefront
- how easy it is to diagnose missing products
I’ve seen search issues caused by integration and indexing behaviour rather than the search algorithm itself. This is why I would never evaluate a search platform on the frontend demo alone.
Performance
Search-as-you-type can fire requests on every keystroke. Search pages can also become some of the heaviest pages on an ecommerce store once filters, analytics, recommendations and third-party scripts are involved.
Test performance using your own catalogue and theme. Do not assume that replacing native search with a SaaS service automatically makes the overall customer experience faster.
1. Algolia
Algolia is the option I would look at first when flexibility and development control are more important than having an ecommerce search experience handed to you ready-made.
It is not limited to ecommerce. Algolia is an API-first search platform that can index products as well as content, help articles and other records. For ecommerce this gives development teams a lot of freedom over how search is built.
Current ecommerce integrations include Shopify, Adobe Commerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud and commercetools.
Where Algolia is strong
- Very fast search infrastructure
- Strong APIs and SDKs
- Typo tolerance and synonym handling
- Search analytics
- Query suggestions
- Merchandising rules
- Personalisation options
- AI ranking on higher tiers
- Useful for headless and heavily customised storefronts
What to watch
The flexibility is also the downside.
Algolia can require more development work than an ecommerce-specific plug-and-play product. Someone still has to decide what gets indexed, how attributes are structured, how ranking works and how the storefront search experience should behave.
If the product feed is poor, Algolia will faithfully index poor data.
Algolia pricing
Algolia currently has a free plan with 10,000 search requests per month and 50,000 records.
Its Grow plan includes 10,000 monthly search requests and then charges for additional usage. Grow Plus adds more AI functionality and higher limits on features such as merchandising rules. Enterprise-scale Elevate pricing is contract based.
That makes Algolia unusual in this list because a developer can start small and then scale usage rather than immediately entering an enterprise contract.
Best suited for
- Custom storefronts
- Headless commerce
- Larger catalogues
- Retailers with development resource
- Businesses with unusual search requirements
- Teams that want precise control over the frontend search experience
For a more direct comparison, I have also written about Algolia vs Klevu for ecommerce search.
2. Klevu
Klevu is much more explicitly built around ecommerce product discovery.
Its Discovery Suite covers search, category merchandising and product recommendations. It supports platforms including Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, commercetools and Shopware.
The appeal is that you get a more ecommerce-specific operating model than you do with a general search API.
Where Klevu is strong
- Search designed around ecommerce catalogues
- Search-as-you-type and search landing pages
- AI and machine-learning ranking
- Category merchandising
- Product recommendations
- Analytics
- Manual merchandising controls alongside automated ranking
- Established Magento and Shopify integrations
What to watch
You still need good catalogue data and sensible attributes.
Klevu’s own implementation guidance puts a lot of emphasis on consistent product titles and sending useful analytics events back into the platform. That is important because the “self-learning” part of any search product is only as useful as the data it receives.
It is also a more substantial commitment than adding a lightweight search app. I would want to test the integration, catalogue sync and merchandising workflow with a representative data set before committing.
Klevu pricing
Klevu is generally sold through a demo and commercial quote rather than a public self-service price list.
For that reason I would compare it on total project cost rather than trying to compare a headline monthly figure with a Shopify app.
Best suited for
- Mid-sized and larger retailers
- Magento and Shopify stores with larger catalogues
- Merchandising teams that want more automation
- Retailers wanting search and category merchandising in the same platform
- Businesses that prefer a more ecommerce-specific solution than a raw search API
3. Nosto
Nosto should be looked at slightly differently from the other tools in this list.
Search is part of a broader Commerce Experience Platform that also includes product recommendations, category merchandising, content personalisation, testing and user-generated content.
That makes Nosto particularly interesting when the requirement is wider than “our search box is poor”.
Where Nosto is strong
- Personalised search
- Category merchandising
- Product recommendations
- Behavioural personalisation
- A/B testing and optimisation
- Shopify and Adobe Commerce integrations
- Ability to combine several product discovery functions in one platform
What to watch
If you only need a better search box, buying into a wider personalisation platform may be more than you need.
The value case becomes stronger when a retailer actually intends to use Nosto across search, recommendations, merchandising and personalisation.
I would also pay attention to implementation scope on heavily customised Magento stores. The platform has an Adobe Commerce integration although custom storefront behaviour still needs proper technical testing.
Nosto pricing
Nosto uses modular pricing based on the products you select, store volume such as GMV and traffic and the level of support required.
It does not currently offer a standard self-service free trial. It offers a structured proof of concept for qualifying merchants.
Best suited for
- Mid-market and enterprise retailers
- Fashion and lifestyle ecommerce
- Stores where personalisation is a wider strategic priority
- Businesses wanting search, merchandising and recommendations under one platform
- Retailers with enough traffic to make behavioural personalisation useful
4. Clerk.io
Clerk.io sits in an interesting middle ground.
It offers Search alongside Recommendations, Chat, Email and Audience. You can use the parts you need rather than taking the whole suite.
Its search tooling includes instant search, a search results page with faceted filtering and an overlay-style search experience. Clerk has current integrations for Shopify, Magento 2 and WooCommerce.
Where Clerk.io is strong
- Relatively straightforward ecommerce focus
- Search and recommendations can be adopted separately
- Shopify and Magento integrations
- Faceted search
- Behaviour-based search and recommendations
- Modular usage-based pricing
- Useful option for stores that do not need an enterprise search programme
What to watch
Even a tool that looks simple at the SaaS level still has an ecommerce integration underneath it.
On Magento in particular I would test catalogue sync, stock updates, indexing and full search-results-page performance before treating the implementation as finished. Module upgrades can change behaviour and search pages are important enough that I would include performance testing in the upgrade process.
I would also confirm exactly which parts of the storefront Clerk will control. Instant search, full search results and recommendations can all be implemented separately.
Clerk.io pricing
Clerk uses a modular usage model. Search pricing is based on the number of successful monthly searches rather than a flat store subscription.
Recommendations, Chat, Email and Audience are priced separately which means you can add them without changing the core search implementation.
Best suited for
- Small and mid-sized ecommerce stores
- Magento and Shopify merchants
- Retailers wanting search plus recommendations
- Teams that want a more manageable implementation than a heavily custom search stack
- Stores that prefer usage-based pricing
5. Mirasvit Search Ultimate for Magento
Mirasvit Search Ultimate is the outlier in this comparison because it is a Magento extension rather than a hosted ecommerce search platform.
That distinction matters.
Search Ultimate can work with MySQL, Sphinx, Elasticsearch and OpenSearch. It adds functionality including autocomplete, spell correction, synonyms, search reporting, landing pages and search across different content indexes.
It is also actively maintained for current Magento 2 versions.
Where Mirasvit is strong
- Built specifically for Magento
- Keeps much of the search setup inside Magento
- Support for Sphinx, Elasticsearch, OpenSearch and MySQL
- Search autocomplete
- Synonyms and stopwords
- Spell correction
- Search analytics and reporting
- CMS and other content can be added to search indexes
- Lower commercial barrier than many SaaS search platforms
What to watch
This is not an equivalent product to Algolia, Klevu or Nosto.
You are still responsible for more of the infrastructure and Magento-side performance. The quality of the experience also depends heavily on how the Magento search engine, attributes and server environment are configured.
That is not necessarily a disadvantage. For a retailer that wants a strong Magento search without another SaaS platform and another usage-based bill, it can be a sensible option.
Mirasvit pricing
Mirasvit uses an extension-licensing model rather than charging for every search request. Current purchases include a year of support and updates, with ongoing support and update access renewable afterwards.
That makes the cost model much easier to predict than usage-priced SaaS search.
Best suited for
- Magento 2 and Adobe Commerce
- Stores wanting more control within Magento
- Retailers with tighter search budgets
- Teams comfortable managing Magento search infrastructure
- Stores that need better search without a wider personalisation platform
If you’re specifically reviewing Magento search, I have a separate guide to ecommerce search for Magento.
6. Boost AI Search & Filter for Shopify
Boost AI Search & Filter is a much more Shopify-specific proposition.
It combines search, product filters, merchandising, recommendations and some personalisation features without requiring the sort of custom implementation you would normally expect from an enterprise search platform.
Where Boost is strong
- Built for Shopify
- AI and typo-tolerant search
- Strong collection and search filtering
- Product boosts and merchandising
- Product recommendations
- Multi-language and multi-currency support
- Straightforward app-based implementation
- Useful for stores that have outgrown Shopify’s free search controls
What to watch
Pricing now scales considerably as store GMV and feature requirements increase.
It starts at a very accessible level although the more advanced plans move into several hundred dollars per month. At that point I would compare Boost against wider search platforms rather than automatically treating it as the “cheap Shopify option”.
Highly customised Shopify themes also need proper testing. Search and filtering touch a lot of storefront behaviour, so an app install should still be treated as a frontend implementation rather than just a switch in the Shopify admin.
Boost pricing
As of September 2026 the Shopify App Store lists Boost from $29/month.
Its Launch tier scales up with store GMV. Higher Convert and Accelerate tiers add more merchandising, personalisation and reporting functionality.
Best suited for
- Shopify stores
- Small and mid-sized retailers
- Merchants with larger collection-filtering requirements
- Stores wanting a faster implementation than an enterprise platform
- Retailers that need more control than Shopify Search & Discovery provides
Algolia vs Klevu
Algolia and Klevu are probably the two tools in this list that get compared most often on larger ecommerce projects.
I would separate them like this.
Choose Algolia when:
- you have a development team
- the storefront is heavily customised or headless
- you need API-level control
- search extends beyond products
- you want to build the search experience around your own frontend
Choose Klevu when:
- ecommerce product discovery is the main requirement
- merchandisers need more of the tooling available out of the box
- search, category merchandising and recommendations need to work together
- you want less custom search engineering
- Magento or Shopify is already at the centre of the project
Neither choice removes the need to work on product data, merchandising and analytics.
For a deeper comparison, see Algolia vs Klevu for Ecommerce Search.
Best ecommerce search tool for Shopify
For many Shopify stores I would start with Shopify’s own free Search & Discovery app.
If that is not giving you enough control, Boost AI Search & Filter is a logical next step because it is designed around Shopify and can improve filtering as well as search.
For larger Shopify Plus stores or more customised storefronts I would also look at:
- Algolia
- Klevu
- Nosto
- Clerk.io
The right choice depends on whether the problem is purely search or part of a wider product discovery and merchandising project.
Best ecommerce search tool for Magento
Magento is where I would be particularly careful about treating all search products as interchangeable.
For a store that wants a relatively contained Magento implementation, Mirasvit Search Ultimate is worth considering.
For larger catalogues and more ambitious search or merchandising requirements I would look at:
- Klevu
- Algolia
- Nosto
- Clerk.io
The integration architecture matters as much as the feature list. Check indexing, price handling, stock updates, customer-group pricing, store views and compatibility with your frontend before choosing the platform.
Ecommerce search is not just the search box
One of the biggest mistakes I see is treating onsite search as a plugin selection exercise.
A good search project normally includes work on:
- product titles
- attributes
- synonyms
- SKU data
- filters
- category structure
- ranking
- merchandising rules
- zero-result queries
- search analytics
- search page performance
- mobile UX
A retailer can spend heavily on an AI search platform and still get mediocre results if the catalogue behind it is inconsistent.
The opposite is also true. A well-structured catalogue with sensible synonyms and merchandising can often get much more out of a relatively modest search tool.
How I would evaluate ecommerce search software
I would not choose from a vendor demo alone.
I would take a representative slice of the real catalogue and build a test set of queries such as:
- top internal search terms
- common misspellings
- exact SKUs
- partial SKUs
- model numbers
- brand plus product queries
- attribute-heavy searches
- broad natural-language searches
- queries that currently return no results
Then I would compare:
- Result relevance
- Search speed
- Filter usability
- Merchandising control
- Indexing speed
- Stock and price accuracy
- Analytics
- Mobile experience
- Developer effort
- Ongoing operating cost
This normally tells you far more than comparing AI feature lists.
FAQs
What is the best ecommerce search tool?
There is no single best ecommerce search platform.
Algolia is a strong option for highly customised implementations. Klevu is well suited to larger ecommerce stores wanting search and merchandising together. Nosto makes sense where personalisation is also important. Clerk.io offers a more modular approach. Mirasvit is a strong Magento-specific option and Boost is a practical choice for Shopify.
What is the best ecommerce search engine for Shopify?
For smaller stores, Shopify Search & Discovery may be enough and it is free.
Boost AI Search & Filter is a practical step up for stores that need stronger search and filtering. Larger Shopify stores may also consider Algolia, Klevu, Nosto or Clerk.io.
What is the best ecommerce search engine for Magento?
Mirasvit Search Ultimate is worth considering if you want a Magento-focused extension and predictable licensing.
Larger Magento stores may benefit from Klevu, Algolia, Nosto or Clerk.io depending on catalogue complexity, technical resource and merchandising requirements.
Is Algolia good for ecommerce?
Yes. Algolia has dedicated ecommerce integrations and is particularly strong when a retailer needs a fast, flexible search platform that developers can customise.
It usually requires more implementation work than a platform-specific search app.
Is Klevu good for Magento?
Yes. Klevu has a Magento 2 integration and its wider Discovery Suite can power search, category merchandising and recommendations.
As with any Magento search implementation, test catalogue sync, pricing, indexing and frontend performance with your own store.
Is AI search worth paying for?
Sometimes.
AI can improve ranking, language understanding and personalisation. It does not replace good catalogue data or sensible merchandising.
I would pay for better search when the existing search is demonstrably losing product discovery opportunities rather than buying AI because it appears on a feature list.
Does ecommerce search improve conversion rate?
It can.
Search users often have strong purchase intent because they are actively looking for a product. Better relevance and product discovery can remove friction for those users.
I would still measure the impact on your own store rather than relying on a vendor conversion statistic. Track search usage, result clicks, search-led conversion and zero-result rates before and after the change.
How much does ecommerce search software cost?
It ranges from free to enterprise contracts.
Shopify Search & Discovery is free. Boost starts at $29/month. Algolia offers a free tier and usage-based plans. Clerk.io also prices search by usage. Klevu is typically quote-led. Nosto uses modular pricing based on store volume and selected products. Magento extensions such as Mirasvit use a more traditional software licensing model.
The implementation and ongoing merchandising cost can be just as important as the software fee.
Final thoughts
The best ecommerce search tool is the one that fits your catalogue, ecommerce platform, internal team and budget.
I would not choose Algolia simply because it offers the most technical flexibility. I would not choose an AI-focused platform just because the existing search feels old. Start with the actual customer problem and work backwards.
For a smaller Shopify store, improving native Search & Discovery or using Boost may solve the problem without a large project. For Magento, Mirasvit can make sense where the retailer wants more control inside the platform. Larger stores with more complex discovery requirements are where Algolia, Klevu, Nosto and Clerk.io become much more interesting.
Whichever platform you choose, product data and ongoing merchandising still matter. Search is not something I would configure once and forget about.
If you’re reviewing ecommerce search, these related guides may also be useful:
- Algolia vs Klevu for Ecommerce Search
- AI Ecommerce Search Explained
- Ecommerce Search for Magento
- Ecommerce Search Best Practices
I’m an independent ecommerce consultant working across Shopify and Magento. If you want a second opinion on your current search setup or help comparing platforms against the requirements of your catalogue, feel free to get in touch.