Elasticsearch vs Manticore Search
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?
Elasticsearch
Distributed search and analytics engine
VS
Manticore Search
Fast, low-footprint database for search
| Feature | Elasticsearch | Manticore Search |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | Elastic-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 77,808 | ★ 11,928 |
| First released | 2010 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Algolia, Splunk | Elasticsearch, Algolia |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Elasticsearch or Manticore Search better?
Neither is universally better. Elasticsearch has the larger community, while Manticore Search is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Elasticsearch and Manticore Search free and open-source?
Yes. Elasticsearch is licensed under Elastic-2.0 and Manticore Search under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Elasticsearch and Manticore Search with Docker?
Elasticsearch: yes. Manticore Search: yes.