ElasticSearch
Distributed, RESTful search and analytics engine.
ElasticSearch vs SearXNG
Two self-hosted Search Engines apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.
Side by side
| ElasticSearch | SearXNG | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Distributed, RESTful search and analytics engine. | Internet metasearch engine which aggregates results from various search services and databases (fork of Searx). |
| GitHub stars | 78,682 | 39,566 |
| Forks | 26.2k | 3.6k |
| Open issues (incl. PRs) | 6.6k | 212 |
| Commits (12 months) | 14.5k | 774 |
| Last activity | 2026-11-10 | 2026-11-09 |
| Latest release | v9.5.6 (2026-11-02) | – |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | SSPL-1.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language / platform | Java | Python, Docker |
| Docker Hub image | elastic/elasticsearch | – |
| Docker pulls | 28027.3k | – |
| Est. server size | ~4 GB, 2 vCPU | ~2 GB, 1 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $20/mo | $10/mo |
| Categories | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- ElasticSearch is more popular on GitHub: 78.7k stars vs 39.6k for SearXNG.
- ElasticSearch had more commits in the last 12 months (14,470 vs 774).
- ElasticSearch publishes GitHub releases (latest v9.5.6); no GitHub release was found for SearXNG.
- ElasticSearch is licensed under SSPL-1.0, SearXNG under AGPL-3.0.
- ElasticSearch is written in Java; SearXNG in Python.
- Deployment options listed upstream: ElasticSearch: none listed; SearXNG: Docker.
- Only ElasticSearch has a Docker Hub image that we detected (elastic/elasticsearch).
- Our rough hardware estimate is lighter for SearXNG (~2 GB server) than ElasticSearch (~4 GB); this is an estimate from the stack and category, not a benchmark.
Summary: ElasticSearch leads on GitHub popularity, commit activity and Docker Hub availability. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.
This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-15. It does not rate features or quality.
Get the Docker images
ElasticSearch
docker pull elastic/elasticsearchImage on Docker Hub. Ports, volumes and environment variables differ per app; follow the official docs.
Frequently asked questions
Is ElasticSearch or SearXNG more popular?
ElasticSearch has more GitHub stars (78,682 vs 39,566 for SearXNG, as of 2026-11-15). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, ElasticSearch or SearXNG?
ElasticSearch had more commits over the last 12 months (14,470 vs 774). The last recorded activity was 2026-11-10 for ElasticSearch and 2026-11-09 for SearXNG. Our health labels: ElasticSearch is “Active”, SearXNG is “Active”.
What licenses do ElasticSearch and SearXNG use?
ElasticSearch: SSPL-1.0. SearXNG: AGPL-3.0. Note: ElasticSearch includes a non-free license component.
Can I run ElasticSearch and SearXNG with Docker?
ElasticSearch has a Docker Hub image (elastic/elasticsearch). We did not find one for SearXNG, though the upstream listing mentions Docker as a deployment option.
Read more
SearXNG
Internet metasearch engine which aggregates results from various search services and databases (fork of Searx).
Browse all self-hosted Search Engines apps.