Yes, you can keep Coveo when you move from Sitecore XP to SitecoreAI. We did it for Regal Rexnord, whose headless XM Cloud platform (now part of SitecoreAI) runs Coveo search across its brand sites. The real question is whether keeping Coveo is still the best choice now that SitecoreAI includes entry-level access to Sitecore Search. This guide covers both paths.
What changes for search in a SitecoreAI migration
- The front end becomes headless (typically Next.js). Search UI built as XP renderings must be rebuilt as front-end components.
- Content is delivered from Sitecore's SaaS edge, so indexing moves from server-side hooks on your XP instance to API- or crawl-based indexing.
- SitecoreAI includes entry-level access to Sitecore Search, which changes the cost comparison.
Option 1: keep Coveo
Keep Coveo when search is business-critical and already tuned: large catalogs or document libraries, machine-learning relevance you rely on, analytics and query pipelines your team manages, or search that spans non-Sitecore sources.
What the work looks like:
- Rebuild the search UI as headless components using Coveo's front-end libraries.
- Re-establish indexing of Sitecore content from the SaaS platform (for example via crawlers or push-based indexing triggered on publish).
- Carry over query pipelines, relevance rules and analytics, then compare relevance before and after cut-over.
Option 2: move to Sitecore Search
Consider Sitecore Search when search mostly covers your Sitecore content, your Coveo setup is lightly customised, or you want fewer vendors and licences. Check what the entry-level SitecoreAI allowance covers for your traffic and content volume before you plan around it.
Decision checklist
| Question | Points to Coveo | Points to Sitecore Search |
|---|---|---|
| What does search index? | Sitecore plus other systems (PIM, docs, portals) | Mainly Sitecore content |
| How tuned is relevance today? | Heavily tuned, ML-driven, measured | Mostly default |
| Licence timing | Coveo contract runs well past go-live | Coveo renewal falls near the migration |
| Team skills | Team already runs Coveo pipelines | Team prefers one Sitecore stack |
| Migration risk appetite | Change one thing at a time | Happy to swap search with the replatform |
Our recommendation
Don't change the CMS and the search engine in the same release unless you must. If Coveo works and the contract runs on, keep it through the migration and revisit search afterwards with real data. If the Coveo renewal is due anyway and search is simple, pilot Sitecore Search on one site first.
Planning a migration? Read our phased XP to SitecoreAI plan, learn what SitecoreAI includes, or talk to our Sitecore team.
FAQs
Can we keep Coveo when migrating to SitecoreAI?
Yes. Coveo works with a headless SitecoreAI front end; the search UI is rebuilt as front-end components and indexing is re-established from the SaaS platform. Regal Rexnord runs Coveo on its headless XM Cloud platform.
Is Sitecore Search included in SitecoreAI?
SitecoreAI includes entry-level access to Sitecore Search. Check the allowance against your traffic and content volume.
Should we change search during the CMS migration?
Usually not. Changing one major system at a time lowers risk and makes relevance changes easier to measure.
