Lunr.js vs Vald
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
Vald
Cloud-native distributed vector search engine
| Feature | Lunr.js | Vald |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | source | kubernetes, helm, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,202 | ★ 1,716 |
| First released | 2013 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Algolia, Elasticsearch | Pinecone, Elasticsearch |
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 Vald if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Active community (1.7k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Lunr.js or Vald better?
Lunr.js is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Vald if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Lunr.js and Vald free and open-source?
Yes. Lunr.js is licensed under MIT and Vald under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Lunr.js and Vald with Docker?
Lunr.js: check the project docs for container support. Vald: yes.