Meilisearch vs OpenSearch
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Meilisearch
Fast, typo-tolerant search engine for applications
VS
OpenSearch
Search and observability suite with logs and dashboards
| Feature | Meilisearch | OpenSearch |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search Engines | Monitoring & Status |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 58,904 | ★ 13,480 |
| First released | 2018 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Algolia, Elasticsearch | Elasticsearch, Splunk |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Meilisearch or OpenSearch better?
Meilisearch is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider OpenSearch if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Meilisearch and OpenSearch free and open-source?
Yes. Meilisearch is licensed under MIT and OpenSearch under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Meilisearch and OpenSearch with Docker?
Meilisearch: yes. OpenSearch: yes.