Marqo vs tinysearch
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted search engines options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Marqo | tinysearch |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,030 | ★ 2,972 |
| First released | 2022 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Algolia, Pinecone | Algolia |
What are Marqo and tinysearch?
Marqo
Marqo is an open-source, end-to-end search engine that combines vector generation, storage and retrieval. It handles embedding creation automatically so you can run semantic search over text and images.
- Built-in embedding generation
- Text and image semantic search
- No separate ML pipeline needed
- Simple REST API
tinysearch
tinysearch is a lightweight full-text search engine that compiles a static site's content into a small WebAssembly module for client-side search. It is designed for blogs and documentation where a search server would be overkill.
- WebAssembly search module
- No backend required
- Tiny index size
- Client-side full-text search
Marqo vs tinysearch: key differences
Marqo is written in Python, while tinysearch is built with Rust. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Marqo versus MIT for tinysearch. Tinysearch is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for Marqo. Tinysearch is the more established project (first released 2019), while Marqo arrived in 2022. Marqo lists first-class Docker deployment; tinysearch does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Marqo if…
- All-in-one vector search
- No external embedding service required
Watch out for
- Heavy GPU or RAM needs for models
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 Marqo or tinysearch better?
Neither is universally better. Marqo has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Marqo and tinysearch free and open-source?
Yes. Marqo is licensed under Apache-2.0 and tinysearch under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Marqo and tinysearch with Docker?
Marqo: yes. tinysearch: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Marqo or tinysearch?
tinysearch has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for Marqo. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.