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Business Intelligence · head to head

Cyfe vs Elasticsearch

Cyfe logo

Cyfe

Business Intelligence

All-in-one business dashboard

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Elasticsearch logo

Elasticsearch

Databases

The heart of the Elastic Stack for search and analytics

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Cyfe dashboards are the billing unit, at 2 on the $29 Starter plan and 5 on the $39 Standard plan; Elasticsearch eventual consistency model with 1-second default refresh interval, not suitable for real-time transactional requirements
  • They diverge on capability: Cyfe covers Pre-built Widgets, Elasticsearch covers Full-text Search.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cyfe and Elasticsearch actually diverge.

Attributes where Cyfe and Elasticsearch differ
AttributeCyfeElasticsearch
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Mobile, TvLinux, Windows, macOS, Docker, Kubernetes
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceDatabases
Founded20122010

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Cyfe

  • Pre-built Widgets
  • Custom Metrics
  • Historical Data
  • White-labeling
  • Embedding
  • Google Analytics
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Only in Elasticsearch

  • Full-text Search
  • Real-time Analytics
  • Distributed Architecture
  • RESTful API
  • Schema-free JSON
  • Aggregations
  • Machine Learning
  • Kibana

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Cyfe

  • Building business dashboards from marketing, sales and finance sourcesnot Elasticsearch
  • Displaying live metrics on office screens and shared public URLsnot Elasticsearch

Elasticsearch

  • Real-time applicationsnot Cyfe
  • Content managementnot Cyfe
  • User profilesnot Cyfe
  • Mobile backendsnot Cyfe
  • Cachingnot Cyfe

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Cyfe

  • Dashboards are the billing unit, at 2 on the $29 Starter plan and 5 on the $39 Standard plan
  • Users are capped separately, at 1 on Starter and 2 on Standard, so a two person team needs the second tier for seats alone
  • Unlimited users only appears on the $119 Premier plan
  • Additional dashboards beyond a plan are $5 each
  • The Agency plan includes 10 clients with further clients at $19 each

Elasticsearch

  • Eventual consistency model with 1-second default refresh interval, not suitable for real-time transactional requirements
  • No support for ACID transactions or rollbacks; updates delete and re-insert documents
  • JVM-dependent architecture requires careful memory management and monitoring to prevent garbage collection issues at scale

Pricing, plan by plan

Cyfe

Free
  • Starter$29/month
    • 2 Dashboards
    • 1 User
    • 14-day free trial
  • Standard$39/month
    • 5 Dashboards
    • 2 Users
    • 14-day free trial
  • Pro$65/month
    • 10 Dashboards
    • 5 Users
    • 14-day free trial
  • Premier$119/month
    • 20 Dashboards
    • Unlimited Users
    • Additional dashboards available at $5 per dashboard

Elasticsearch

Free
  • Self-ManagedFree
    • Open source
    • Self-hosted
  • Elasticsearch Cloud$16.4/month
    • Managed service
    • 14-day free trial

Which should you pick?

Choose Cyfe if

  • You need pre-built widgets.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Tv.
  • You also want custom metrics.
Cyfe review

Choose Elasticsearch if

  • You need full-text search.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, macOS, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want real-time analytics.
Elasticsearch review

Questions people ask

Is Cyfe or Elasticsearch better?
Neither clearly leads. Cyfe starts at Free and Elasticsearch at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cyfe or Elasticsearch?
Cyfe starts at Free and Elasticsearch at Free.
Does Cyfe or Elasticsearch run on more platforms?
Cyfe runs on Web, Mobile, Tv. Elasticsearch runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, Docker, Kubernetes.
Can I use Cyfe for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Cyfe best used for?
Cyfe is most often used for building business dashboards from marketing, sales and finance sources, displaying live metrics on office screens and shared public urls. Of those, building business dashboards from marketing, sales and finance sources and displaying live metrics on office screens and shared public urls are not what Elasticsearch is typically brought in for.
What can Cyfe do that Elasticsearch cannot?
Cyfe covers Pre-built Widgets, Custom Metrics, Historical Data, White-labeling. Elasticsearch covers Full-text Search, Real-time Analytics, Distributed Architecture, RESTful API. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cyfe: How much does Cyfe cost?

Cyfe offers five subscription plans: Starter at $29/month (2 dashboards, 1 user), Standard at $39/month (5 dashboards, 2 users), Pro at $65/month (10 dashboards, 5 users), Premier at $119/month (20 dashboards, unlimited users), and Agency at $190/month (100 dashboards, 15 users, 10 clients).

Source
Elasticsearch: Is Elasticsearch free?

Yes, Elasticsearch can be deployed as free and open-source software for self-managed installations. Elastic Cloud managed service starts at $16.40 per month, with a free 14-day trial available.

Source
Cyfe: What features are included in all Cyfe plans?

All Cyfe tiers include unlimited history, TV mode for dashboard displays, public shareable URLs, custom logos and themes, custom SSL domain support, unlimited data exports, and embedded analytics capabilities. The 14-day free trial is available for every plan.

Source
Elasticsearch: Can I use Elasticsearch without Kibana?

Yes, Elasticsearch is a search engine independent of Kibana. Kibana is a visualization and analytics tool that works with Elasticsearch but is optional. You can use the Elasticsearch API directly for searching.

Source
Cyfe: What is included in Cyfe's Agency plan?

The Agency plan at $190/month includes 100 dashboards, 15 users, and 10 clients. Additional clients cost $19 each. The plan provides 100% white label branding, branded widgets, custom CSS, and full client management features.

Source
Elasticsearch: Does Elasticsearch support real-time indexing?

Elasticsearch indexes data with a refresh interval, typically 1 second. Data becomes searchable after the refresh cycle, making it near-real-time but not instantaneous. This can be configured but impacts performance.

Source
Elasticsearch: What are Elasticsearch's scaling limitations?

Elasticsearch requires careful operational management at scale, including shard balancing, heap sizing, and monitoring. Large clusters can suffer from garbage collection issues and become expensive to operate.

Source
Elasticsearch: Does Elasticsearch support transactions and rollbacks?

No, Elasticsearch does not support ACID transactions or rollbacks. Updates are expensive operations that delete and re-insert documents, making it unsuitable for transactional workloads.

Source
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