elasticsearchvsOrca
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| elasticsearch | Orca | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 | 91/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 41 in Search Engines | #1 of 209 in AI Agents |
| GitHub stars | 78 420 | 108 739 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +451 | +8 832 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 32 | 15 |
| Latest release | v9.5.5 · 6 Oct 2026 | v1.4.243 · 28 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | Other | MIT |
| Main language | Java | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
Orca scores 91/100 against 83/100 for elasticsearch, so it is the safer default.
elasticsearch ships more often: 32 stable releases in the past year, against 15 for Orca.
If you want the quickest setup, Orca is easier to run; elasticsearch needs more configuration.
Orca is growing faster right now (+8 832 stars in 30 days).
elasticsearch details →Orca details →
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