Algolia vs Typesense
Self-hosted for $4/mo on hetzner CAX11, versus $0-$0/user/mo on Algolia.
Side-by-side
| Algolia | Typesense (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $0-$0/user/mo | $4.13/mo flat (any team size) |
| Hosting | Algolia's servers | Your VPS (hetzner CAX11) |
| Data ownership | Algolia controls the data | Your disk, your encryption |
| Source code | Closed | Open (GPL-3.0) |
| Customization | API + integrations only | Full source access; modify freely |
| Maintenance burden | Zero | Backups + updates (Docker available) |
| Health score (ossreplace) | — | 70 / 100 |
Why teams leave Algolia
Typesense answers this by: Open-source alternatives that can replace Algolia.
The cost math
Assumes 5-person team using Algolia at the midpoint price ($0/user/mo).
| Period | Algolia | Typesense on hetzner | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $0 | $4.13 | $-4.13 |
| Yearly | $0 | $49.56 | $-49.56 |
| 3 years | $0 | $149 | $-149 |
Deploy Typesense now
One-click deploys at the cheapest provider for this workload:
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Common questions
Is Typesense a good alternative to Algolia?
Typesense is an open-source, self-hostable alternative to Algolia with an ossreplace health score of 70/100 — a composite of project activity, maturity, community, security, and adoption. It runs on your own hetzner VPS from $4.13/mo with full source access under the GPL-3.0 license, versus Algolia's $0–0/user/mo hosted plans.
How much cheaper is Typesense than Algolia?
A 5-person team pays about $0/mo on Algolia. Self-hosting Typesense on hetzner CAX11 costs a flat $4.13/mo regardless of team size — roughly $-149 less over three years (-Infinity% lower).
Is Typesense hard to self-host?
Typesense ships a Docker setup, so deployment is usually a single docker-compose command on a $4.13/mo VPS. You own the backups and updates, and there are no per-seat fees.
Do you keep control of your data with Typesense vs Algolia?
Yes. Because Typesense runs on your own server, the data lives on your disk under your encryption. With Algolia, Algolia controls the hosting, storage, and access.