Pagefind vs Toshi
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted search engines options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Pagefind | Toshi |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 79 · Good |
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Rust | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | source, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,481 | ★ 4,256 |
| First released | 2022 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Algolia, Elasticsearch | Elasticsearch |
What are Pagefind and Toshi?
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
Toshi
Toshi is a self-hosted full-text search server that exposes an Elasticsearch-like JSON REST API on top of the Tantivy search engine. It targets developers who want a simple, fast search service in Rust.
- JSON REST API
- Tantivy-backed indexing
- Fast Rust core
- Simple to run
Pagefind vs Toshi: key differences
Both projects are written in Rust. Pagefind is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Toshi. Toshi is the more established project (first released 2018), while Pagefind arrived in 2022. Toshi lists first-class Docker deployment; Pagefind does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Pagefind if…
- Zero server cost
- Trivial to deploy
Watch out for
- Static content only
- Index rebuild on changes
Choose Toshi if…
- Lightweight search server
- Familiar API style
Watch out for
- Less mature than ES
- Smaller feature set
Frequently asked questions
Is Pagefind or Toshi better?
Pagefind is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Toshi if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Pagefind and Toshi free and open-source?
Yes. Pagefind is licensed under MIT and Toshi under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pagefind and Toshi with Docker?
Pagefind: check the project docs for container support. Toshi: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Pagefind or Toshi?
Pagefind has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Toshi. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.