ParadeDB vs Tantivy
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?
ParadeDB
Postgres extension for full-text and analytical search
VS
Tantivy
Full-text search engine library written in Rust
| Feature | ParadeDB | Tantivy |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Rust | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | source, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,135 | ★ 15,656 |
| First released | 2023 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Elasticsearch | Elasticsearch |
Why pick each one
Choose ParadeDB if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 9.1k GitHub stars
- Written in Rust
Frequently asked questions
Is ParadeDB or Tantivy better?
Neither is universally better. Tantivy has the larger community, while ParadeDB is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are ParadeDB and Tantivy free and open-source?
Yes. ParadeDB is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Tantivy under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ParadeDB and Tantivy with Docker?
ParadeDB: yes. Tantivy: check the project docs for container support.