Ivory Search vs powerSearch for bbPress
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 | powerSearch for bbPress v3.3.2 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 5.0/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 90,000+ | 100+ |
| Last updated | October 21, 2026 | October 25, 2026 |
| Editions | Ivory Search · Ivory Search Pro ($) · Ivory Search Pro Plus ($) | powerSearch for bbPress · powerSearch Pro for bbPress ($) |
| Pros | Several search forms, each set up separately; Widget, shortcode and menu search options; Search form customiser in the admin | Many filters: forums, author, type, status, tags, period; Per-filter control over roles and visitors; Can replace the default bbPress search form; Templates can be overridden from the theme |
| Cons | WooCommerce SKU search and stemming need Pro Plus; Advanced options are locked behind upgrade prompts; Freemius telemetry prompt on activation | Only useful with bbPress installed; Custom date range and keyword highlighting need Pro; Requires PHP 8.0 and WordPress 6.4 |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | — |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Custom search forms, Search form shortcode, Search widget, Search item for menus, WooCommerce SKU search ($), Word stemming in search ($), Upgrade prompts for locked features | Filter by forums including subforums, Filter by topic or reply author, Filter by topic tags, Filter by predefined date period, Filter by topic status, Results ordering controls, Limit each filter to chosen user roles, Replace default bbPress search form, Custom date/time range search ($), Keyword highlighting in results ($) |
| Integrations | ||
| E-commerce | WooCommerce | — |
| Plugins | — | bbPress |
| Other | — | Freemius |
| Requires WordPress | 3.9 | 6.4 |
| Requires PHP | 5.2.4 | 8.0 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.0 |
| Phones home | Only if you agree | Only if you agree |
| External services | — | api.freemius.com |
| Shortcodes | 1 | — |