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Elasticsearch vs Meilisearch

Learn how Elasticsearch and Meilisearch differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these search engines is best for you.

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Elasticsearch

Elasticsearch is an open-source, RESTful search engine designed for scalability, reliability, and easy management.
78,501stars+302(+0.4%)

Last 30 days

  • Last commit

    11 hours ago
  • Repository age

    17 years
  • Version

    v9.5.6
  • Self-hosted

    Yes
  • Repository

    elasticsearch
Screenshot of Elasticsearch

Meilisearch

A powerful, fast, and easy-to-use search engine that delivers instant and relevant results for your websites and applications.
59,793stars+289(+0.5%)

Last 30 days

  • Last commit

    21 hours ago
  • Repository age

    9 years
  • Version

    v1.56.1
  • License

    MIT
  • Self-hosted

    Yes
  • Repository

    meilisearch
Screenshot of Meilisearch

Detailed Comparison

Both Elasticsearch and Meilisearch have their unique strengths and serve similar purposes effectively. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.

Comparable
Community & Popularity

Both tools have similar popularity levels, with Elasticsearch having 78,501 stars and Meilisearch having 59,793 stars on GitHub. In terms of developer contributions, Elasticsearch has 26,198 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Comparable
Growth Momentum

Elasticsearch and Meilisearch are moving at much the same rate, adding 302 stars and adding 289 stars respectively over the last 30 days (+0.4% vs +0.5%). Neither is pulling away from the other on momentum alone.

Comparable
Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Elasticsearch last updated 11 hours ago and Meilisearch 21 hours ago.

Comparable
Technology Stack

Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with Bash. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Elasticsearch uses JavaScript, CSS, Typescript, Python, C, Objective-C, Java, C++ while Meilisearch leverages Rust.

Elasticsearch wins
Project Maturity

Elasticsearch has been in development longer, starting 17 years ago, compared to Meilisearch which began 9 years ago. This 8.3-year head start suggests Elasticsearch may have more mature features and established processes.

Meilisearch wins
Licensing

Meilisearch is licensed under MIT, while Elasticsearch's license terms are not publicly specified.

Comparable
Use Cases & Features

Both tools serve similar use cases in Search Engines. However, they also have distinct specializations: Elasticsearch also focuses on Log Management, NoSQL & Document Databases.

Comparable
Hosting & Deployment

Both Elasticsearch and Meilisearch offer self-hosting capabilities, giving you full control over your data and infrastructure.