Typesense vs YaCy

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?
FeatureTypesenseYaCy
CategorySearch EnginesSearch Engines
LicenseGPL-3.0GPL-2.0
LanguageC++Java
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM512 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, binarydocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 26,409★ 3,999
First released20192003
ReplacesAlgolia, ElasticsearchGoogle Search, Bing

Why pick each one

Choose Typesense if…

  • Fast and easy to operate
  • Open-source clustering
Typesense details

Choose YaCy if…

  • Truly decentralized
  • Censorship resistant
YaCy details

Frequently asked questions

Is Typesense or YaCy better?

Typesense is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider YaCy if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Typesense and YaCy free and open-source?

Yes. Typesense is licensed under GPL-3.0 and YaCy under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Typesense and YaCy with Docker?

Typesense: yes. YaCy: yes.

Related comparisons