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Software · head to head

Elasticsearch vs SingleStore

Elasticsearch logo

Elasticsearch

Software

The heart of the Elastic Stack for search and analytics

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SingleStore logo

SingleStore

Software

The real-time distributed SQL database for data-intensive applications

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Elasticsearch eventual consistency model with 1-second default refresh interval, not suitable for real-time transactional requirements; SingleStore high licensing costs that increase with data scale and cluster size
  • They diverge on capability: Elasticsearch covers Full-text Search, SingleStore covers Fast Data Ingest.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Elasticsearch and SingleStore actually diverge.

Attributes where Elasticsearch and SingleStore differ
AttributeElasticsearchSingleStore
PlatformsLinux, Windows, macOS, Docker, KubernetesCloud (SingleStoreDB Cloud), Self-Managed
Founded20102011

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

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 Elasticsearch

  • Full-text Search
  • RESTful API
  • Schema-free JSON
  • Aggregations
  • Machine Learning
  • Kibana
  • Logstash
  • Beats

Only in SingleStore

  • Fast Data Ingest
  • In-memory Processing
  • MySQL Compatible
  • Columnar Storage
  • Vector Search
  • Kafka
  • Spark
  • Tableau

Both cover

  • Real-time Analytics
  • Distributed Architecture
  • Linux support
  • Docker support
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Elasticsearch

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

SingleStore

  • Transaction processingnot Elasticsearch
  • Data storagenot Elasticsearch
  • Application backendnot Elasticsearch
  • Reportingnot Elasticsearch
  • Data analyticsnot Elasticsearch

Where each one falls short

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

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

SingleStore

  • High licensing costs that increase with data scale and cluster size
  • Eventual consistency in replication: secondary replicas may lag during high write loads
  • Complex operational setup requiring specialized knowledge for optimization
  • Vendor lock-in due to proprietary technology without open-source alternatives
  • Disorganized documentation and lack of online training resources

Pricing, plan by plan

Elasticsearch

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

SingleStore

Free
  • Free Tier$0.99/month
    • Usage-based pricing
    • Limited resources

Which should you pick?

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 restful api.
Elasticsearch review

Choose SingleStore if

  • You need fast data ingest.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud (SingleStoreDB Cloud), Self-Managed.
  • You also want in-memory processing.
SingleStore review

Questions people ask

Is Elasticsearch or SingleStore better?
Neither clearly leads. Elasticsearch starts at Free and SingleStore at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Elasticsearch or SingleStore?
Elasticsearch starts at Free and SingleStore at Free.
Does Elasticsearch or SingleStore run on more platforms?
Elasticsearch runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, Docker, Kubernetes. SingleStore runs on Cloud (SingleStoreDB Cloud), Self-Managed.
Can I use Elasticsearch for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Elasticsearch best used for?
Elasticsearch is most often used for real-time applications, content management, user profiles, mobile backends. Of those, real-time applications and content management are not what SingleStore is typically brought in for.
What can Elasticsearch do that SingleStore cannot?
Elasticsearch covers Full-text Search, RESTful API, Schema-free JSON, Aggregations. SingleStore covers Fast Data Ingest, In-memory Processing, MySQL Compatible, Columnar Storage. Both handle Real-time Analytics, Distributed Architecture, Linux support, Docker support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
SingleStore: Does SingleStore offer a free tier?

Yes, SingleStore offers a free tier starting from $0.99/month with usage-based pricing. The free tier allows developers to evaluate the platform with limited resources before scaling to production workloads.

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
SingleStore: Can SingleStore handle both transactional and analytical workloads?

Yes, SingleStore is a hybrid transactional/analytical processing (HTAP) database that combines operational (OLTP) and analytical (OLAP) workloads in a single unified engine, eliminating the need for separate systems.

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
SingleStore: Does SingleStore integrate with Apache Spark?

Yes, SingleStore provides the Spark Connector 3.0 for bidirectional data integration with Apache Spark. The connector supports SQL, Python, Scala, Java, and R for data loading and extraction.

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
SingleStore: Can SingleStore ingest data from Kafka?

Yes, SingleStore supports high-throughput streaming ingestion from Apache Kafka and other sources, enabling millions of events per second without requiring ETL pipelines or data movement.

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
SingleStore: Is SingleStore available as cloud or self-managed?

SingleStore offers both deployment options: SingleStoreDB Cloud (managed service) and SingleStore Self-Managed for on-premises or private cloud deployments. The managed service handles infrastructure, scaling, and maintenance automatically.

Source
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