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Algolia vs Meilisearch

Algolia is a paid search service with a free starting allowance [S1]. Meilisearch's code is on GitHub, with its Enterprise Edition parts under the Business Source License 1.1 [S2]. We checked every figure on this page against the vendors' own pages on 16 Oct 2026. Prices on this page are list prices as of that date.

Algolia vs Meilisearch at a glance

Algolia and Meilisearch compared, from the vendors' own pages and the GitHub API
AlgoliaMeilisearch
LicenseNot documented on the pages we readMIT AND BUSL-1.1 on Forkshelf [S4]; Enterprise Edition parts under BUSL-1.1 [S2]
Free allowanceGrow: 10K search requests a month and 100K records included [S1]Not documented on the pages we read
Usage priceGrow US$0.50, Grow Plus US$1.75, per extra 1K search requests [S1]Not documented on the pages we read
GitHub starsNot applicable in our reading59,806 on 8 Nov 2026 [S3]
Last code pushNot applicable in our reading5 Nov 2026 [S3]

What is Meilisearch?

Meilisearch's code is on GitHub at meilisearch/meilisearch. Its LICENSE says: "Part of this work fall under the Meilisearch Enterprise Edition (EE) and are licensed under the Business Source License 1.1" [S2]. Forkshelf records it as "MIT AND BUSL-1.1" [S4]. The repo had 59,806 stars on 8 Nov 2026 [S3]. It is not archived, and the last push was on 5 Nov 2026 [S3].

Algolia vs Meilisearch pricing

Algolia's Grow plan lets you start for free with 10K search requests a month and 100K records included [S1]. After that, Grow charges US$0.50 per extra 1K search requests [S1]. Grow Plus also includes 10K search requests a month [S1]. After that, it charges US$1.75 per extra 1K search requests [S1].

Meilisearch pricing is not documented on the pages we read. In our reading, the Enterprise parts under BUSL-1.1 need a license check before you use them [S2].

Algolia is the better fit when

  • Your search traffic fits in 10K requests a month and 100K records [S1].
  • You want usage-based pricing per 1K search requests [S1].

Meilisearch is the better fit when

  • You want the code on GitHub with the license terms published in full [S2].
  • You want a project with recent activity. The repo had a push on 5 Nov 2026 [S3].

Run Meilisearch on Railway

Railway lists a community template by Ray Chen for Meilisearch (railway.com/deploy/meilisearch) [S5]. Railway shows it as unverified [S5]. Railway verifies a template only when the maker of the technology "becomes a partner and reviews the template" [S7]. The template had 873 projects on 16 Oct 2026 [S5]. Read the template page and its source before you deploy.

The template describes Meilisearch as "a flexible and powerful user-focused search engine." [S5] It pins a fixed Meilisearch image version, so check which version it deploys before you start. Volume needs are not stated on the template page.

Affiliate disclosure: Forkshelf earns a commission if you sign up for Railway through the links marked "Paid link" on this page. This does not change the order or content of any comparison here.

To get started, create a Railway account (Paid link). The Free plan allows up to 1 vCPU and 0.5 GB RAM per service, with 0.5 GB of volume storage per volume [S6]. The Hobby plan has a US$5 minimum usage per month, with US$5 of monthly usage credits included [S6][S8]. It allows up to 5 GB of volume storage per volume [S6].

Railway is one option. Pricing on Railway is as of 16 Oct 2026.

Other Algolia alternatives

Forkshelf lists 45 tools with open-source alternatives. See the Algolia alternatives page for the open-source options we list for Algolia.

What it is and who should self-host

Algolia sells hosted search with a free starting allowance. Meilisearch publishes its code on GitHub, and part of it, the Enterprise Edition, sits under the Business Source License 1.1. A team planning to host search itself should read that license split before it builds on the Enterprise parts.

GitHub stats

  • Meilisearch (meilisearch/meilisearch): 59,806 GitHub stars (8 Nov 2026)
  • Last code push: 5 Nov 2026
  • Archived: no (8 Nov 2026)
  • License: "MIT AND BUSL-1.1" on Forkshelf, with Enterprise Edition parts under BUSL-1.1 (as shown on the page)

From the projects

  • Meilisearch README: "Meilisearch is available in two editions:" (source, captured 19 Oct 2026)
  • Meilisearch README, Community Edition: "Fully open source under the MIT license" (source, captured 19 Oct 2026)

FAQ

Is Meilisearch open source?
Forkshelf records it as "MIT AND BUSL-1.1" [S4]. Its LICENSE puts the Enterprise Edition parts under the Business Source License 1.1 [S2].

Is Algolia free?
Grow starts free with 10K search requests a month and 100K records included [S1]. Extra requests cost US$0.50 per 1K [S1].

How many GitHub stars does Meilisearch have?
59,806 as of 8 Nov 2026 [S3].

Which parts of Meilisearch fall under the Business Source License?
The Enterprise Edition parts. Its LICENSE says they are licensed under the Business Source License 1.1.

When was Meilisearch's code last pushed?
On 5 Nov 2026, as of the GitHub data read on 8 Nov 2026.

Self-host guides

Sources (all fetched 16 Oct 2026)