# elasticsearch vs Forem Selfhost

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | elasticsearch | Forem Selfhost |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 84/100 ✓ | 51/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 41 in Search Engines | #2 of 6 in Community |
| GitHub stars | 78 428 ✓ | 1 479 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +448 ✓ | +-1 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 32 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | v9.5.5 · 6 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Advanced ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Java | Jinja |

## Which one should you pick?

elasticsearch scores 84/100 against 51/100 for Forem Selfhost, so it is the safer default.

elasticsearch ships more often: 32 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Forem Selfhost.

elasticsearch is growing faster right now (+448 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [elasticsearch](https://selfhost.directory/project/elasticsearch) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/elasticsearch.md)
- [Forem Selfhost](https://selfhost.directory/project/selfhost) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/selfhost.md)

---
Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/elasticsearch-vs-selfhost