Lunr.js vs tinysearch
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?
Lunr.js
Small full-text search library for the browser
VS
tinysearch
Tiny WebAssembly-powered static site search
| Feature | Lunr.js | tinysearch |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,202 | ★ 2,953 |
| First released | 2013 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Algolia, Elasticsearch | Algolia |
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
Choose tinysearch if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Rust
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Lunr.js or tinysearch better?
Lunr.js is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider tinysearch if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Lunr.js and tinysearch free and open-source?
Yes. Lunr.js is licensed under MIT and tinysearch under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Lunr.js and tinysearch with Docker?
Lunr.js: check the project docs for container support. tinysearch: check the project docs for container support.