diff --git a/src/controllers/krate/search.rs b/src/controllers/krate/search.rs
index 318e8239e2a..2d897481194 100644
--- a/src/controllers/krate/search.rs
+++ b/src/controllers/krate/search.rs
@@ -58,10 +58,11 @@ pub fn search(req: &mut dyn Request) -> CargoResult<Response> {
         has_filter = true;
         if !q_string.is_empty() {
             let sort = params.get("sort").map(|s| &**s).unwrap_or("relevance");
+
             let q = plainto_tsquery(q_string);
             query = query.filter(
                 q.matches(crates::textsearchable_index_col)
-                    .or(Crate::with_name(q_string)),
+                    .or(Crate::like_name(&q_string)),
             );
 
             query = query.select((
diff --git a/src/models/krate.rs b/src/models/krate.rs
index 8a546c292b1..376dcdb5a7d 100644
--- a/src/models/krate.rs
+++ b/src/models/krate.rs
@@ -86,6 +86,8 @@ pub const MAX_NAME_LENGTH: usize = 64;
 type CanonCrateName<T> = self::canon_crate_name::HelperType<T>;
 type All = diesel::dsl::Select<crates::table, AllColumns>;
 type WithName<'a> = diesel::dsl::Eq<CanonCrateName<crates::name>, CanonCrateName<&'a str>>;
+/// The result of a loose search
+type LikeName = diesel::dsl::Like<CanonCrateName<crates::name>, CanonCrateName<String>>;
 type ByName<'a> = diesel::dsl::Filter<All, WithName<'a>>;
 type ByExactName<'a> = diesel::dsl::Filter<All, diesel::dsl::Eq<crates::name, &'a str>>;
 
@@ -234,6 +236,13 @@ impl<'a> NewCrate<'a> {
 }
 
 impl Crate {
+    /// SQL filter with the `like` binary operator. Adds wildcards to the beginning and end to get
+    /// substring matches.
+    pub fn like_name(name: &str) -> LikeName {
+        let wildcard_name = format!("%{}%", name);
+        canon_crate_name(crates::name).like(canon_crate_name(wildcard_name))
+    }
+    /// SQL filter with the = binary operator
     pub fn with_name(name: &str) -> WithName<'_> {
         canon_crate_name(crates::name).eq(canon_crate_name(name))
     }
diff --git a/src/tests/krate.rs b/src/tests/krate.rs
index 4e2b803ce51..a14621fe554 100644
--- a/src/tests/krate.rs
+++ b/src/tests/krate.rs
@@ -414,6 +414,46 @@ fn exact_match_on_queries_with_sort() {
     assert_eq!(json.crates[3].name, "other_sort");
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn loose_search_order() {
+    let (app, anon, user) = TestApp::init().with_user();
+    let user = user.as_model();
+
+    let ordered = app.db(|conn| {
+        // exact match should be first
+        let one = CrateBuilder::new("temp", user.id)
+            .readme("readme")
+            .description("description")
+            .keyword("kw1")
+            .expect_build(conn);
+        // temp_udp should match second because of _
+        let two = CrateBuilder::new("temp_utp", user.id)
+            .readme("readme")
+            .description("description")
+            .keyword("kw1")
+            .expect_build(conn);
+        // evalrs should match 3rd because of readme
+        let three = CrateBuilder::new("evalrs", user.id)
+            .readme("evalrs_temp evalrs_temp evalrs_temp")
+            .description("description")
+            .keyword("kw1")
+            .expect_build(conn);
+        // tempfile should appear 4th
+        let four = CrateBuilder::new("tempfile", user.id)
+            .readme("readme")
+            .description("description")
+            .keyword("kw1")
+            .expect_build(conn);
+        vec![one, two, three, four]
+    });
+    let search_temp = anon.search("q=temp");
+    assert_eq!(search_temp.meta.total, 4);
+    assert_eq!(search_temp.crates.len(), 4);
+    for (lhs, rhs) in search_temp.crates.iter().zip(ordered) {
+        assert_eq!(lhs.name, rhs.name);
+    }
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn show() {
     let (app, anon, user) = TestApp::init().with_user();