SHSelfHostIndex

Lunr.js vs Pagefind

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?
LU Lunr.js Small full-text search library for the browser VS PA Pagefind Static-site search that runs fully in the browser
FeatureLunr.jsPagefind
Deploy effortRead-the-docs projectRead-the-docs project
Health score29 · At risk88 · Excellent
CategorySearch EnginesSearch Engines
LicenseMITMIT
LanguageJavaScriptRust
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM64 MB64 MB
Deploymentsourcesource, binary
GitHub stars★ 9,203★ 5,481
First released20132022
ReplacesAlgolia, ElasticsearchAlgolia, Elasticsearch

What are Lunr.js and Pagefind?

Lunr.js

Lunr.js is a small, full-text search library for use in the browser that provides a simple search index without needing a backend service. It is commonly used to add offline search to static sites and documentation.

  • Browser-based search
  • No backend needed
  • Prebuilt index support
  • Tiny library size

Pagefind

Pagefind is a fully static search library that indexes a built website and serves search entirely from the browser without a backend. It is designed to be low-bandwidth and easy to add to any static site.

  • Browser-side search index
  • No backend required
  • Low bandwidth
  • Multilingual support

Read the full Pagefind guide →

Lunr.js vs Pagefind: key differences

Lunr.js is written in JavaScript, while Pagefind is built with Rust. Lunr.js is the more established project (first released 2013), while Pagefind arrived in 2022.

Why pick each one

Choose Lunr.js if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Mature project with 9.2k GitHub stars
  • Written in JavaScript
Lunr.js details

Choose Pagefind if…

  • Zero server cost
  • Trivial to deploy

Watch out for

  • Static content only
  • Index rebuild on changes
Pagefind details

Frequently asked questions

Is Lunr.js or Pagefind better?

Neither is universally better. Lunr.js has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Lunr.js and Pagefind free and open-source?

Yes. Lunr.js is licensed under MIT and Pagefind under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Lunr.js and Pagefind with Docker?

Lunr.js: check the project docs for container support. Pagefind: check the project docs for container support.

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