Ivory Search vs Category Wise Search
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | Ivory Search v5.5.20 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.9/5 Visit Details | Category Wise Search v1.3 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 4.8/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 90,000+ | 400+ |
| Last updated | October 21, 2026 | March 26, 2019 |
| Editions | Ivory Search · Ivory Search Pro ($) · Ivory Search Pro Plus ($) | Category Wise Search Widget |
| Pros | Several search forms, each set up separately; Widget, shortcode and menu search options; Search form customiser in the admin | Category dropdown in a search widget; Default category and excluded categories per widget |
| Cons | WooCommerce SKU search and stemming need Pro Plus; Advanced options are locked behind upgrade prompts; Freemius telemetry prompt on activation | Uses create_function, removed in PHP 8, so it fails on current PHP; Last tested with WordPress 5.1.1; not maintained |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | 1 |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Custom search forms, Search form shortcode, Search widget, Search item for menus, WooCommerce SKU search ($), Word stemming in search ($), Upgrade prompts for locked features | Category dropdown in the search form, Default category selection from the query string, Exclude categories and their children |
| Integrations | ||
| E-commerce | WooCommerce | — |
| Requires WordPress | 3.9 | 2.9 |
| Requires PHP | 5.2.4 | — |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 5.1.1 |
| Phones home | Only if you agree | No |
| Shortcodes | 1 | — |