Content Search vs Content Query Webpart

Compare the strengths and limitations of the Web Parts

It’s important that you understand the strengths and limitations of the two Web Parts because if you choose the wrong one, your site could run into performance problems. You can use both Web Parts to show content that is based on a query. In a simplified world, here’s how you can decide between the two:

·         Use the CQWP when you have a limited amount of content, your query is simple, and you don’t expect your content to grow much in the future.

·         Use the CSWP in all other scenarios when you want to show content that is based on a query.

The table below gives a comparison of the two Web Parts:

Web Part behavior	Content Query Web Part	Content Search Web Part
Query configuration	Easy	You’ll need to know about certain search features such as managed properties.
Query across large amounts of content	Limited	Yes
Handle complex queries	Limited	Yes
Scale to handle future content growth	Limited	Yes
Display content from other site collections	No	Yes (see section below)
Design of query results can be customized	Yes, by using XSLT.	Yes, by using HTML.
Maintenance cost in a complex site architecture	High	Small (see section below)
Narrow down the query results that are displayed in the Web Part	No	Yes, in combination with the Refinement Web Part.