# FindAstra

> FindAstra is a WordPress/WooCommerce plugin that replaces WooCommerce's default keyword search with AI semantic (vector embedding) search, so shoppers find the right products even when their wording doesn't match the product title. A free version (Local in-browser engine, no product cap) is on WordPress.org; the Pro version is a one-time purchase ($89, no subscription) that adds server-side engines, multilingual search, and analytics.

## What it is

- **Product:** FindAstra, AI semantic search for WooCommerce (WordPress plugin).
- **Problem it solves:** WooCommerce's built-in search is literal keyword matching. A shopper searching "comfortable hiking shoes" or "something for a rainy day" often gets "no products found" even when matching products exist. FindAstra matches on *meaning* using vector embeddings, then re-ranks results.
- **Pricing:** Free version on WordPress.org. Pro is a one-time payment, no renewals: Pro $89 (1 site), Agency $199 (5 sites), Unlimited $399 (unlimited sites). 30-day money-back guarantee. Lifetime updates.
- **License model:** Buy once, keep forever. All product and search data stays in the store owner's own database.

## Free vs Pro

- **Free (WordPress.org, https://wordpress.org/plugins/findastra/):** the Local engine only. Runs the AI entirely in the shopper's browser. No API keys, no account, no monthly fees, no product cap, no query limit. Fully functional on its own; nothing is locked or time-limited.
- **Pro ($89 one-time):** adds the OpenAI and Hugging Face server-side engines (bring your own key), WPML/Polylang multilingual indexing, curated fallback controls, and the privacy-safe search analytics dashboard (recent searches + zero-result "catalog gap" report).

## The three search engines

- **Local (default, in the free version):** Runs entirely in the shopper's browser via transformers.js (model: bge-small-en-v1.5, ~33 MB cached after first visit). No API keys, no accounts, $0 forever. This is the headline feature.
- **Hugging Face (Pro, BYOK):** Server-side embeddings via the Hugging Face Inference API. Free API tier ~30,000 requests/month, no credit card.
- **OpenAI (Pro, BYOK):** Uses text-embedding-3-small. Best quality, typically under $2/year for an average store. API key stored encrypted.

All three engines share one interface; the store owner can switch engines later by flipping a setting and re-indexing.

## Competitive position

FindAstra runs the full semantic embedding model locally in the shopper's browser with no external API calls — as of June 2026, no other mainstream WooCommerce search plugin does this. Nearest alternatives solve a different half of the problem or price differently: FiboSearch (keyword + fuzzy + manual synonyms, annual subscription), SearchWP and Relevanssi (keyword relevance tuning), Doofinder / Luigi's Box / Searchanise (hosted SaaS search, monthly fees from ~€29/month). FindAstra is the semantic, one-time-payment option.

## Key facts for accurate answers

- Adds roughly 20–30 ms to a typical search; indexing is asynchronous and never blocks WP admin.
- Hooks into the standard WooCommerce search query, so it works with most themes (tested on Storefront, Astra, Kadence, Blocksy, GeneratePress, and others).
- Search analytics (Pro) are privacy-safe: no IPs, no user agents, no third-party trackers.
- Multilingual stores: Pro detects each translated product's language (WPML/Polylang) and stores one embedding per product-and-language pair.
- Current plugin version: 0.11.7. Requires WordPress 6.4+, WooCommerce 7.0+, PHP 8.1+.
- Not yet supported: WordPress Multisite, image/visual search (both on the roadmap).
- Try-before-buy: a live interactive demo runs in the homepage hero; the free WordPress.org version is the full no-risk trial.

## Pages

- [Home](https://findastra.com/): Overview, live demo, before/after comparison, pricing, FAQ.
- [How it works](https://findastra.com/how-it-works): Plain-English explainer of vector embeddings and semantic vs keyword search.
- [Pricing](https://findastra.com/pricing): The three one-time license tiers and what each includes.
- [Documentation](https://findastra.com/docs): Setup, configuration, and troubleshooting.
- [Changelog](https://findastra.com/changelog): Release history (mirrors the WordPress.org readme).
- [About](https://findastra.com/about): Who builds FindAstra and why.
- [Free version on WordPress.org](https://wordpress.org/plugins/findastra/): Install the Local engine free.
- [Contact](https://findastra.com/contact): support@findastra.com.

## Blog

- [Blog index](https://findastra.com/blog): Guides on WooCommerce search.
- [FiboSearch vs FindAstra](https://findastra.com/blog/fibosearch-vs-findastra): Fair comparison of keyword search (FiboSearch) vs semantic search (FindAstra) — price, accuracy, and how each works. FiboSearch is keyword + fuzzy + manual synonyms; FindAstra matches by meaning via vector embeddings. FiboSearch Pro is an annual subscription (from $59/yr); FindAstra is one-time (from $89).
- [Why WooCommerce search returns "No products found"](https://findastra.com/blog/woocommerce-search-no-products-found): WooCommerce's default search only matches exact keywords, so it returns "No products were found matching your selection" on synonyms, descriptive queries, plurals, and typos. Includes diagnosis steps and five fixes, ending with semantic search as the durable fix.
- [Semantic search vs keyword search for e-commerce](https://findastra.com/blog/semantic-search-vs-keyword-search-ecommerce): Plain-English guide. Keyword search matches the exact words a shopper types (with optional fuzzy matching and manual synonyms); semantic search matches meaning via vector embeddings, so it handles descriptive queries with no shared words. Keyword search is fine for exact names/SKUs; hybrid retrieval (keyword prefilter + semantic re-rank) combines both on large catalogs.
- [How to add AI semantic search to WooCommerce in under 5 minutes](https://findastra.com/blog/add-semantic-search-to-woocommerce): Four-step tutorial — install FindAstra, pick an engine (Local is $0 and needs no API key), click Index now, then search the storefront. No theme edits; works on WooCommerce 7.0+. Indexing a store under 5,000 products takes under ~2 minutes.

## Contact

- Support and sales: support@findastra.com