European Alternatives to Elasticsearch
Search and analytics engine. Below are 2 alternatives from companies headquartered in France. 2 have a free plan.
Headquartered in Europe
Every company listed here has its headquarters in the EU, EEA, UK or Switzerland, not just a data centre there.
Data location you can check
The pricing table shows whether each one keeps data in the EU only, offers an EU region, or does not say.
Outside the US CLOUD Act
US providers can be ordered to hand over data held in their European data centres. A European company with no US parent or US operations is outside that reach.
Compare Elasticsearch Alternatives
| Company | Headquarters | Data Residency | Founded | Pricing | Open Source | Employees | Funding | Replaces | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris, France | 🇪🇺 EU Available | 2012 | Free tier, then usage-based | ❌ No | ~800 | Raised $330M+, Series D | Elasticsearch | Visit | |
Meilisearch Open Source | Paris, France | 🇪🇺 EU Available | 2018 | Free self-hosted, cloud from $30/mo | ✅ Yes | ~50 | Raised $15M+, Series A | Algolia, Elasticsearch | Visit |
Elasticsearch Alternatives: Pricing and Hosting Compared
Starting prices are the lowest paid plan each vendor publishes. Check the vendor's pricing page before you buy, as plans change.
| Alternative | Country | Free plan | Paid plans | Open source | Data residency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algolia | France | Yes | Usage-based | No | EU region available |
| Meilisearch | France | Yes | From $30/mo | Yes | EU region available |
2 European Alternatives
Algolia
French search-as-a-service. Lightning-fast search API used by thousands of companies.
French open source search engine. Typo-tolerant, fast, easy to use. Great Algolia alternative.
What to Check Before Switching from Elasticsearch
Where your data will be stored
Algolia and Meilisearch offer an EU region alongside others, so choose it explicitly when you set up the account.
How you can try it
Algolia and Meilisearch have a free plan, so you can run a real test before cancelling Elasticsearch.
Open source
Meilisearch releases its software or models under an open licence, which makes it easier to self-host, inspect what runs, and move again later.
Security certifications
We have not confirmed a security certification for any of these alternatives yet. If your procurement requires ISO 27001 or SOC 2, ask each vendor for its documentation.
What you need to bring from Elasticsearch
List the data, templates and integrations you rely on in Elasticsearch, then confirm each one can be exported and that the alternative can import it or offers an API to rebuild it.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the European alternatives to Elasticsearch?
- We list 2 companies headquartered in Europe that replace Elasticsearch: Algolia (France) and Meilisearch (France).
- Is there a free European alternative to Elasticsearch?
- Algolia and Meilisearch have a free plan. Free plans usually come with limits on usage or features, so check them against how you use Elasticsearch today.
- Which Elasticsearch alternatives keep data in the EU?
- Algolia and Meilisearch let you choose an EU region.
- Is there an open-source European alternative to Elasticsearch?
- Yes: Meilisearch.