# MeiliSearch vs polar

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

| | MeiliSearch | polar |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 ✓ | 71/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 41 in Search Engines | #1 of 13 in Billing |
| GitHub stars | 59 702 ✓ | 10 436 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +298 ✓ | +157 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 33 ✓ | 1 |
| Latest release | v1.56.0 · 26 Oct 2026 ✓ | @polar-sh/cli@3.0.0 · 16 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | Other | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Rust | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

MeiliSearch scores 82/100 against 71/100 for polar, so it is the safer default.

MeiliSearch ships more often: 33 stable releases in the past year, against 1 for polar.

If you want the quickest setup, MeiliSearch is easier to run; polar needs more configuration.

## Details

- [MeiliSearch](https://selfhost.directory/project/meilisearch) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/meilisearch.md)
- [polar](https://selfhost.directory/project/polar) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/polar.md)

## Related comparisons

- [MeiliSearch vs Typesense](https://selfhost.directory/compare/meilisearch-vs-typesense)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/meilisearch-vs-polar