Summa vs ZincSearch
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?
Summa
Full-text search server able to run in the browser via WASM
VS
ZincSearch
Lightweight search engine alternative to Elasticsearch
| Feature | Summa | ZincSearch |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 291 | ★ 17,884 |
| First released | 2021 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Elasticsearch | Elasticsearch, Algolia |
Why pick each one
Choose Summa if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Rust
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Summa or ZincSearch better?
ZincSearch is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Summa if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Summa and ZincSearch free and open-source?
Yes. Summa is licensed under MIT and ZincSearch under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Summa and ZincSearch with Docker?
Summa: yes. ZincSearch: yes.