Abstract The string-matching problem, ubiquitous in computer science, can significantly benefit from quantum algorithms due to their potential for greater efficiency compared to classical approaches. The practical implementation of the quantum string matching (QSM) algorithm requires fault-tolerant quantum computation due to the fragility of quantum information. A major obstacle in implementing fault-tolerant quantum computation is the high cost associated with executing T gates. This paper introduces the relative-phase Fredkin gate as a strategy to notably reduce the number of T gates (T-count) necessary for the QSM algorithm. This reduces the T-count from 14 N 3/2 log 2 N – O ( N 3/2 ) to 8 N 3/2 log 2 N – O ( N 3/2 ), where N represents the size of the database to be searched. Additionally, we demonstrate that our method is advantageous in terms of other circuit costs, such as the depth of T gates and the number of CNOT gates. This advancement contributes to the ongoing development of the QSM algorithm, paving the way for more efficient solutions in the field of computer science.