Skip to content
SPECIFICTION
Get listed

Meilisearch

meilisearch.com

From $20/mo Free plan WebWindowsmacOSLinuxAPISelf-hosted
Visit meilisearch.com
Spec score 8.4 #5 of 25 in Site Search Software

What it is

Meilisearch is a search engine that can be added to websites and applications, with self-hosted and cloud deployment options. Full-text search includes automatic typo tolerance and relevance ranking; hybrid search combines keyword precision with semantic understanding. The product also provides retrieval infrastructure for RAG with hybrid retrieval and LangChain support, alongside faceted, federated, multimodal, personalized, and conversational search. Meilisearch supports more than 30 languages with automatic language detection and smart tokenization. Its SDKs, plugins, and integrations cover programming languages and frameworks including JavaScript, Python, PHP, Ruby, Go, Rust, Java,.NET, Swift, and Dart. The company says results return in under 50 milliseconds for typical workloads. Self-hosting costs nothing under the MIT license, but users manage infrastructure, updates, backups, and scaling. Cloud starts at $20 a month, with a 14-day free trial, usage- or resource-based billing, and email support. Enterprise pricing is custom and includes dedicated resources and Slack support. Meilisearch says its security measures include encryption, monitoring, assessments, and compliance measures including GDPR and SOC 2 Type 2.

Spec sheet

What it does
Meilisearch is a flexible, powerful user-focused search engine that can be added to any website or application.Read 30 Sep 2026 · meilisearch.com
Integrations
Official SDKs, plugins, and integrations cover major programming languages and frameworks, including JavaScript, Python, PHP, Ruby, Go, Rust, Java, .NET, Swift, and Dart.Read 30 Sep 2026 · meilisearch.com
Security
The Trust Center states that Meilisearch uses encryption, continuous monitoring, regular assessments, and compliance measures including GDPR and SOC 2 Type 2.Read 30 Sep 2026 · trust.meilisearch.com
Headquarters
Paris, FranceRead 28 Sep 2026 · meilisearch.com
Founded
2019Read 28 Sep 2026 · meilisearch.com
AI retrieval
Meilisearch provides RAG infrastructure with hybrid retrieval and LangChain support.Read 30 Sep 2026 · meilisearch.com
Cloud and self-hosting
Meilisearch is available for self-hosting or through its cloud-based SaaS solution.Read 30 Sep 2026 · trust.meilisearch.com
Cloud support
Cloud includes email support, while Enterprise includes a dedicated Slack support channel.Read 30 Sep 2026 · meilisearch.com
Full-text search
Full-text search provides automatic typo tolerance and relevance ranking.Read 30 Sep 2026 · meilisearch.com
Hybrid search
Hybrid search combines keyword precision with semantic understanding.Read 30 Sep 2026 · meilisearch.com
Languages
Meilisearch works in 30+ languages with automatic language detection and smart tokenization.Read 30 Sep 2026 · meilisearch.com
Operating systems
Official binaries support Windows Server 2022 and later, macOS 12 and later, and Linux distributions using amd64/x86_64 or aarch64/arm64 with glibc 2.35 or later.Read 30 Sep 2026 · meilisearch.com
Performance
Meilisearch returns search results in under 50 milliseconds for typical workloads.Read 30 Sep 2026 · meilisearch.com
Search capabilities
The product lineup includes faceted, federated, multimodal, personalization, and conversational search.Read 30 Sep 2026 · meilisearch.com
Target users
Meilisearch says it powers search experiences from startups to enterprises across e-commerce, SaaS applications, media and streaming, knowledge bases, and enterprise use cases.Read 30 Sep 2026 · meilisearch.com

Plans and prices

Self-hosted Free Free (infra costs) MIT license · deploy on your own infrastructure · no usage limits · you manage updates, backups, and scaling Read 30 Sep 2026 · meilisearch.com
Cloud $20 a month Starting at $20/month 14-day free trial · no credit card required · usage-based or resource-based billing · email support included Read 30 Sep 2026 · meilisearch.com
Enterprise Priced on request Custom custom infrastructure · dedicated resources · up to 99.999% uptime SLA · dedicated Slack support · SSO SAML · SOC 2 compliance Read 30 Sep 2026 · meilisearch.com

Every Meilisearch plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Self-hosted plan costs nothing
  • Cloud starts at $20 a month
  • Supports more than 30 languages
  • Offers both keyword and hybrid search
  • SDKs cover multiple languages and frameworks

Limits

  • Self-hosting requires users to manage infrastructure and backups
  • Cloud billing is usage-based or resource-based
  • Enterprise pricing is custom

Who it suits

Meilisearch suits developers adding search to a website or application who want a choice between self-hosting and cloud service. Its search modes, language support, and integrations may also suit varied application needs.

Verdict

Meilisearch offers several search approaches and deployment choices, with a free self-hosted option and cloud starting at $20 a month. The operational work of self-hosting and the cloud billing model are important distinctions when selecting a plan.

Where Specifiction places it

Alternatives to MeilisearchAll alternatives →