What is the main difference between Elasticsearch and Meilisearch?

Elasticsearch and Meilisearch are both search engines but differ in their approach, features, and target audience. Compare their GitHub stats, technology stack, and community adoption to make the best choice.

Which is better: Elasticsearch or Meilisearch?

The choice between Elasticsearch and Meilisearch depends on your specific needs, technical requirements, and team preferences. Both are quality open source solutions with active communities.

Can I migrate from Elasticsearch to Meilisearch?

Migration between Elasticsearch and Meilisearch is possible but requires careful planning. Consider data export/import capabilities, feature parity, and potential workflow changes.

Bright Data – Web data for AI agents and apps. Built-in unblocking, proxies, and ready-made APIs.

Learn More

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.

Elasticsearch

Elasticsearch is an open-source, RESTful search engine designed for scalability, reliability, and easy management.

Visit Elasticsearch Read more

78,288stars+367(+0.5%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
9 hours ago
Repository age
17 years
Version
v9.5.5
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
elasticsearch

Meilisearch

A powerful, fast, and easy-to-use search engine that delivers instant and relevant results for your websites and applications.

Visit Meilisearch Read more

59,585stars+281(+0.5%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
2 days ago
Repository age
8 years
Version
v1.55.0
License
MIT
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
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 78,288 stars and Meilisearch having 59,585 stars on GitHub. In terms of developer contributions, Elasticsearch has 26,126 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Comparable

Growth Momentum

Elasticsearch and Meilisearch are moving at much the same rate, adding 367 stars and adding 281 stars respectively over the last 30 days (+0.5% 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 9 hours ago and Meilisearch 2 days 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 8 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