Guides · Comparison
Pleatora vs Shopify Search & Discovery recommendations
Shopify's free Search & Discovery app and Pleatora both help shoppers find more of your collection, but they do different jobs. Search & Discovery adds related and complementary products to your product pages. Pleatora is an AI stylist shoppers talk to, which builds complete looks.
Many Shopify fashion brands will want both. Here's how they differ, based on Shopify's own documentation, checked in October 2026.
What Search & Discovery does
It shows two kinds of product recommendations on product pages: related products, which are alternatives to the one being viewed, and complementary products, which go with it. You can pick up to 10 of each per product by hand, and Shopify also generates them automatically from data like purchase history and product descriptions. It's free and built into Shopify.
What Pleatora does
Pleatora is a chat in the corner of every page. Shoppers ask in their own words, like "a black bag" or "something for a wedding", and get pieces from your catalogue or complete looks of four to six pieces, styled together and shown as a flatlay with one total. They can keep a piece and swap the rest, and every piece links to its product page.
The key differences
- Where it lives: Search & Discovery sits on product pages. Pleatora is available on every page, including the homepage and collections.
- What it starts from: Search & Discovery starts from the product being viewed. Pleatora starts from what the shopper asks for, a piece, an occasion or a mood.
- What it shows: Search & Discovery shows a row of individual products. Pleatora shows complete looks with a top, a bottom and the pieces that finish them.
- Setup: Search & Discovery is free and native to Shopify. Pleatora is one script tag in your theme, and we index your catalogue for you.
Using them together
They don't conflict. Keep complementary products on your product pages for shoppers who browse, and add Pleatora for shoppers who'd rather ask, or who want to see a full outfit. The Shopify install guide takes about five minutes.
Questions
Is Shopify Search & Discovery free?
Yes. It's Shopify's own app and costs nothing to use.
Will Pleatora replace my product recommendations?
It doesn't need to. Pleatora adds a way for shoppers to ask for what they want and see complete looks, alongside whatever you already show on product pages.