I'd lean sidebar for a template library. Once the categories grow, having them always visible saves a lot of clicks.

100% sidebar

Great design

Such a clean presentation. You can tell a lot of thought went into this.

I'll go with top filters

Top filters feel much cleaner for this kind of library. Since you have only a few main categories, it leaves more space for the cards and feels lighter. Great exploration!

Sidebar. When I’m hunting for a specific template I want the full category list in front of me the whole time, not behind a dropdown.

Though it depends on how most people land here. Someone who already knows the category needs the sidebar. Someone just browsing wants the templates taking up the space

Top filters make the site user friendly 👍

Top filters work for me

I’d compare them on mobile as well as desktop. For a larger library, a filter drawer with visible active-filter chips and a result count can preserve card space without hiding what the visitor has selected. A useful test is how quickly someone can find a template and then change one criterion.

If you're audience is English, left is better. If audience includes languages like Arabic, top is better

Nice

gives more room for content, top filter is what i went for.

sidebar for me. template libraries always end up with more categories than planned, and the top bar version already looks a bit tight with the search sitting in it

top filter

The design concepts are great and amazing but I will go for the sidebar filters

Sidebar for me. A template library usually grows fast, and having all the categories visible saves a lot of back and forth when you're browsing.

I would go with the top filters for this one. They keep the cards roomy and the page lighter, which matters when people are scanning a big template library.

Sidebar, from the support side of things. Half the "do you have a template for X?" questions disappear when people can see every category at once. If you add a small count next to each one (Courses 24, Coaching 9), they know it exists before they even click.

Amazing design

Interesting trade off here. I would lean toward sidebar filters for a larger library since keeping categories visible makes browsing feel more intentional.

Both looks really clean, but the side bar filter is much more easily accessible

Sidebar wins for me once the library grows. Top filters are fine at launch, but persistent categories save people from reopening a dropdown every time they refine a search.

The poll tells you taste, your search logs tell you behavior. If most people type a query before touching a category, filters are secondary and top wins. If they browse by category first, the sidebar earns its space.

Top filters for me, the cards get way more room that way.

Serge, the real call here isn't just visual — it's how many taps a user makes to get to the cards. Top filters win when there are three or four clean categories and the cards are the hero; the sidebar pays off the moment the taxonomy gets past six or the user needs to layer two...

Top filters feel right to me here. They keep the library open and scannable, while the sidebar version would work better once someone knows exactly what category they want.

sidebar filters win once the category list grows past 5-6, top filters only stay clean with a short list. worth asking how many categories you'll actually ship with