Elasticsearch vs Meme 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?
| Feature | Elasticsearch | Meme Search |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | Elastic-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Java | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 77,808 | ★ 712 |
| First released | 2010 | 2026 |
| Replaces | Algolia, Splunk | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Meme Search if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Ruby
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Elasticsearch or Meme Search better?
Neither is universally better. Elasticsearch has the larger community, while Meme Search is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Elasticsearch and Meme Search free and open-source?
Yes. Elasticsearch is licensed under Elastic-2.0 and Meme Search under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Elasticsearch and Meme Search with Docker?
Elasticsearch: yes. Meme Search: yes.