Ivory Search vs Swiftype 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 | Swiftype Search v2.0.5 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 3.7/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 90,000+ | 400+ |
| Last updated | October 21, 2026 | September 15, 2021 |
| Editions | Ivory Search · Ivory Search Pro ($) · Ivory Search Pro Plus ($) | Swiftype Search |
| Pros | Several search forms, each set up separately; Widget, shortcode and menu search options; Search form customiser in the admin | Replaces the default search without changing the theme template; Posts re-index automatically when saved; Relevance tuning and search analytics in the Swiftype dashboard |
| Cons | WooCommerce SKU search and stemming need Pro Plus; Advanced options are locked behind upgrade prompts; Freemius telemetry prompt on activation | Needs a Swiftype Site Search account and API key; Search runs on an external service, so results depend on its availability; Last tested against WordPress 5.8 and not updated since 2021 |
| 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 | Replaces WordPress search results, Re-indexes posts on save, Bulk indexing of existing posts from the admin, Search facets configuration, WP-CLI commands for indexing |
| Integrations | ||
| E-commerce | WooCommerce | — |
| Other | — | Swiftype Site Search API |
| Requires WordPress | 3.9 | 3.3 |
| Requires PHP | 5.2.4 | — |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 5.8.1 |
| Phones home | Only if you agree | No |
| External services | — | api.swiftype.com |
| Shortcodes | 1 | — |