diff --git a/.changeset/stupid-foxes-type.md b/.changeset/stupid-foxes-type.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c00d58edba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/stupid-foxes-type.md
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-catalog-react': patch
+---
+
+Use the history API directly in `useEntityListProvider`.
+
+This replaces `useSearchParams`/`useNavigate`, since they cause at least one additional re-render compared to using this method.
+
+Table re-render count is down additionally:
+
+- Initial render of catalog page: 12 -> 9
+- Full `CatalogPage` test: 57 -> 48
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-react/src/hooks/useEntityListProvider.test.tsx b/plugins/catalog-react/src/hooks/useEntityListProvider.test.tsx
index 815c9e289e..5d711016a4 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-react/src/hooks/useEntityListProvider.test.tsx
+++ b/plugins/catalog-react/src/hooks/useEntityListProvider.test.tsx
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 
 import React, { PropsWithChildren } from 'react';
 import qs from 'qs';
-import { MemoryRouter as Router } from 'react-router-dom';
 import { act, renderHook } from '@testing-library/react-hooks';
 import { MockStorageApi } from '@backstage/test-utils';
 import { CatalogApi } from '@backstage/catalog-client';
@@ -86,26 +85,30 @@ const apis = ApiRegistry.from([
 
 const wrapper = ({
   userFilter,
-  queryParams,
   children,
 }: PropsWithChildren<{
   userFilter?: UserListFilterKind;
-  queryParams?: string;
 }>) => {
   return (
-    <Router initialEntries={[`/?${queryParams ?? ''}`]}>
-      <ApiProvider apis={apis}>
-        <EntityListProvider>
-          <EntityKindPicker initialFilter="component" hidden />
-          <UserListPicker initialFilter={userFilter} />
-          {children}
-        </EntityListProvider>
-      </ApiProvider>
-    </Router>
+    <ApiProvider apis={apis}>
+      <EntityListProvider>
+        <EntityKindPicker initialFilter="component" hidden />
+        <UserListPicker initialFilter={userFilter} />
+        {children}
+      </EntityListProvider>
+    </ApiProvider>
   );
 };
 
 describe('<EntityListProvider />', () => {
+  const origReplaceState = window.history.replaceState;
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    window.history.replaceState = jest.fn();
+  });
+  afterEach(() => {
+    window.history.replaceState = origReplaceState;
+  });
+
   beforeEach(() => {
     jest.clearAllMocks();
   });
@@ -137,16 +140,13 @@ describe('<EntityListProvider />', () => {
   });
 
   it('resolves query param filter values', async () => {
+    const query = qs.stringify({
+      filters: { kind: 'component', type: 'service' },
+    });
+    delete (window as any).location;
+    (window as any).location = new URL(`http://localhost/catalog?${query}`);
     const { result, waitFor } = renderHook(() => useEntityListProvider(), {
       wrapper,
-      initialProps: {
-        queryParams: qs.stringify({
-          filters: {
-            kind: 'component',
-            type: 'service',
-          },
-        }),
-      },
     });
     await waitFor(() => !!result.current.queryParameters);
     expect(result.current.queryParameters).toEqual({
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-react/src/hooks/useEntityListProvider.tsx b/plugins/catalog-react/src/hooks/useEntityListProvider.tsx
index d5c4668079..a4e5f6b2ee 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-react/src/hooks/useEntityListProvider.tsx
+++ b/plugins/catalog-react/src/hooks/useEntityListProvider.tsx
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ import React, {
   useMemo,
   useState,
 } from 'react';
-import { useSearchParams } from 'react-router-dom';
 import { useAsyncFn, useDebounce, useMountedState } from 'react-use';
 import { catalogApiRef } from '../api';
 import {
@@ -105,18 +104,25 @@ export const EntityListProvider = <EntityFilters extends DefaultEntityFilters>({
 }: PropsWithChildren<{}>) => {
   const isMounted = useMountedState();
   const catalogApi = useApi(catalogApiRef);
-  const [searchParams, setSearchParams] = useSearchParams();
-  const allQueryParams = qs.parse(searchParams.toString());
   const [requestedFilters, setRequestedFilters] = useState<EntityFilters>(
     {} as EntityFilters,
   );
-  const [outputState, setOutputState] = useState<OutputState<EntityFilters>>({
-    appliedFilters: {} as EntityFilters,
-    entities: [],
-    backendEntities: [],
-    queryParameters:
-      (allQueryParams.filters as Record<string, string | string[]>) ?? {},
-  });
+  const [outputState, setOutputState] = useState<OutputState<EntityFilters>>(
+    () => {
+      const query = qs.parse(window.location.search, {
+        ignoreQueryPrefix: true,
+      });
+      return {
+        appliedFilters: {} as EntityFilters,
+        entities: [],
+        backendEntities: [],
+        queryParameters: (query.filters ?? {}) as Record<
+          string,
+          string | string[]
+        >,
+      };
+    },
+  );
 
   // The main async filter worker. Note that while it has a lot of dependencies
   // in terms of its implementation, the triggering only happens (debounced)
@@ -167,12 +173,20 @@ export const EntityListProvider = <EntityFilters extends DefaultEntityFilters>({
       }
 
       if (isMounted()) {
-        setSearchParams(
-          qs.stringify({ ...allQueryParams, filters: queryParams }),
-          {
-            replace: true,
-          },
+        const oldParams = qs.parse(window.location.search, {
+          ignoreQueryPrefix: true,
+        });
+        const newParams = qs.stringify(
+          { ...oldParams, filters: queryParams },
+          { addQueryPrefix: true },
         );
+        const newUrl = `${window.location.pathname}${newParams}`;
+        // We use direct history manipulation since useSearchParams and
+        // useNavigate in react-router-dom cause unnecessary extra rerenders.
+        // Also make sure to replace the state rather than pushing, since we
+        // don't want there to be back/forward slots for every single filter
+        // change.
+        window.history?.replaceState(null, document.title, newUrl);
       }
     },
     [catalogApi, requestedFilters, outputState],
@@ -208,15 +222,7 @@ export const EntityListProvider = <EntityFilters extends DefaultEntityFilters>({
       loading,
       error,
     }),
-    [
-      outputState.appliedFilters,
-      outputState.entities,
-      outputState.backendEntities,
-      updateFilters,
-      outputState.queryParameters,
-      loading,
-      error,
-    ],
+    [outputState, updateFilters, loading, error],
   );
 
   return (
diff --git a/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogPage/CatalogPage.test.tsx b/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogPage/CatalogPage.test.tsx
index b625451ca0..15f72b32ea 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogPage/CatalogPage.test.tsx
+++ b/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogPage/CatalogPage.test.tsx
@@ -44,6 +44,14 @@ import {
 } from '@backstage/core-plugin-api';
 
 describe('CatalogPage', () => {
+  const origReplaceState = window.history.replaceState;
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    window.history.replaceState = jest.fn();
+  });
+  afterEach(() => {
+    window.history.replaceState = origReplaceState;
+  });
+
   const catalogApi: Partial<CatalogApi> = {
     getEntities: () =>
       Promise.resolve({