Better Search Replace Pro Now Available


Better Search Replace is a WordPress plugin that was designed to make it easier to run a safe search/replace on a WordPress database. It was based heavily on the battle-tested Search Replace DB script by Interconnect/It, with some modifications to make sure it works without configuration in every WordPress install.

The plugin got pretty popular, getting over 10,000 active installs within just a few months. I want the plugin to succeed and be helpful for many more people in the future- so I created Better Search Replace Pro as a means of supporting the free plugin.

There are a few features that differentiate it from the free counterpart:

  • The ability to backup and/or migrate a database with just a few clicks
  • The ability to view exactly what changed during a search/replace
  • Priority email support from me, the developer of the plugin

My goal with this is to make sure that the plugin has the resources to stay updated and live up to its name. I also want to make migrations as easy as possible- and I find myself using this tool frequently on sites that don’t necessarily need a full-blown deployment setup like Revisr.

Be on the lookout for further updates in this area in the coming weeks, and please don’t hesitate to reach out via email or the comments below if you have any questions or suggestions.

4 comments


  1. Nice work on this — I see that not only do you handle PHP-serialized objects, you also handle JSON-serialized objects.

    We have used BackupBuddy to migrate sites, taking advantage of their URL search-and-replace, but they don’t handle JSON objects. Worse, their support got uppity with me, saying that “nobody” uses JSON objects (yeah, nobody except for Revolution Slider, one of the most popular sliders in use today).

    • Thanks! Glad this plugin is helpful to you.

      Yep, this plugin should handle everything. I do see quite a few plugins like sliders and page builders storing data as objects- usually when they need to store a lot of data at once.

  2. I am having a problem using the ampersand “&” with better search and replace – it doesn’t seem to recognize it –

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