Xapian 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?
Xapian
Mature open-source probabilistic search engine library
VS
ZincSearch
Lightweight search engine alternative to Elasticsearch
| Feature | Xapian | ZincSearch |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | GPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C++ | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 877 | ★ 17,884 |
| First released | 1999 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Elasticsearch | Elasticsearch, Algolia |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Xapian or ZincSearch better?
ZincSearch is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Xapian if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Xapian and ZincSearch free and open-source?
Yes. Xapian is licensed under GPL-2.0 and ZincSearch under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Xapian and ZincSearch with Docker?
Xapian: check the project docs for container support. ZincSearch: yes.