SHSelfHostIndex

Apache Solr vs Weaviate

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted search engines options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
AP Apache Solr Enterprise-grade open-source search platform VS WE Weaviate Open-source vector database for semantic and AI search
FeatureApache SolrWeaviate
CategorySearch EnginesSearch Engines
LicenseApache-2.0BSD-3-Clause
LanguageJavaGo
Setup difficultyHardMedium
Min. RAM1,024 MB2,048 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, bare-metaldocker, kubernetes, helm
GitHub stars★ 1,650★ 16,704
First released20062019
ReplacesElasticsearch, AlgoliaPinecone, Algolia

Why pick each one

Choose Apache Solr if…

  • Mature and battle-tested
  • Powerful faceting
Apache Solr details

Choose Weaviate if…

  • Great for AI semantic search
  • Easy to start
Weaviate details

Frequently asked questions

Is Apache Solr or Weaviate better?

Weaviate is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Apache Solr if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Apache Solr and Weaviate free and open-source?

Yes. Apache Solr is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Weaviate under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Apache Solr and Weaviate with Docker?

Apache Solr: yes. Weaviate: yes.

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