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Business Intelligence · head to head

Evidence vs OpenSearch

Evidence logo

Evidence

Business Intelligence

Business intelligence as code for teams and AI agents

From
$2500/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OpenSearch logo

OpenSearch

Databases

Open-source search and analytics suite forked from Elasticsearch

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only OpenSearch has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Evidence high starting price at $2,500/month limits small team adoption; OpenSearch diverged from Elasticsearch since 7.10, so clients, plugins and features no longer map one to one
  • They diverge on capability: Evidence covers Analytics Agent, OpenSearch covers Full-text search.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Evidence and OpenSearch actually diverge.

Attributes where Evidence and OpenSearch differ
AttributeEvidenceOpenSearch
Starting price$2500/monthFree
Pricing modelFlat team pricing with no per-user feesOpen source, no licence fee; managed services billed separately
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud, EmbeddedLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceDatabases

Identical on both: 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 Evidence

  • Analytics Agent
  • Code-based infrastructure
  • Development environment
  • Visualization tools
  • Embedded analytics
  • Enterprise security
  • Multi-channel access

Only in OpenSearch

  • Full-text search
  • OpenSearch Dashboards
  • Log analytics
  • Vector search

What people use each for

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

Evidence

  • Building version-controlled analytics infrastructurenot OpenSearch
  • Enabling AI agents to answer business questionsnot OpenSearch
  • Delivering analytics through multiple channels (web, Slack, ChatGPT)not OpenSearch
  • Embedding white-labeled analytics in productsnot OpenSearch

OpenSearch

  • Log and observability storage where an Apache-2.0 licence is a requirementnot Evidence
  • Replacing Elasticsearch after the licence change without changing architecturenot Evidence
  • Search plus analytics on one cluster rather than two systemsnot Evidence

Where each one falls short

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

Evidence

  • High starting price at $2,500/month limits small team adoption
  • No freemium option for evaluation or learning
  • Code-based approach has steeper learning curve than visual tools
  • AI credits limited on Team plan; additional credits cost extra
  • Requires Git workflow familiarity for effective collaboration

OpenSearch

  • Diverged from Elasticsearch since 7.10, so clients, plugins and features no longer map one to one
  • Operationally heavy in the way Elasticsearch is: cluster sizing, shard strategy and JVM tuning are ongoing work
  • Smaller ecosystem of third-party tooling than Elasticsearch, which most integrations still target first
  • Overkill for plain application search, where a dedicated search engine is far simpler

Pricing, plan by plan

Evidence

$2500/month
  • Team$2500/month
    • Unlimited users
    • Monthly billing
    • Analytics Agent
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • All Team features
    • SSO/SAML authentication
    • SCIM directory sync

OpenSearch

Free
  • OpenSearchFree
    • Full functionality
    • Self-hosted
    • No usage limits

Which should you pick?

Choose Evidence if

  • You need analytics agent.
  • You work on Cloud, Embedded.
  • You also want code-based infrastructure.
Evidence review

Choose OpenSearch if

  • You need full-text search.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted.
  • You also want opensearch dashboards.
OpenSearch review

Questions people ask

Is Evidence or OpenSearch better?
Neither clearly leads. Evidence starts at $2500/month and OpenSearch at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Evidence or OpenSearch?
OpenSearch has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $2500/month for Evidence and Free for OpenSearch.
Does Evidence or OpenSearch run on more platforms?
Evidence runs on Cloud, Embedded. OpenSearch runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted.
Can I use OpenSearch for free?
Yes. OpenSearch has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Evidence starts at $2500/month.
What is Evidence best used for?
Evidence is most often used for building version-controlled analytics infrastructure, enabling ai agents to answer business questions, delivering analytics through multiple channels (web, slack, chatgpt), embedding white-labeled analytics in products. Of those, building version-controlled analytics infrastructure and enabling ai agents to answer business questions are not what OpenSearch is typically brought in for.
What can Evidence do that OpenSearch cannot?
Evidence covers Analytics Agent, Code-based infrastructure, Development environment, Visualization tools. OpenSearch covers Full-text search, OpenSearch Dashboards, Log analytics, Vector search.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Evidence: Does Evidence have per-user pricing?

No, Evidence offers one flat price for unlimited users at $2,500/month on the Team plan with a 30-day free trial.

Source
OpenSearch: Is OpenSearch free?

Yes, Apache 2.0 licensed under the Linux Foundation. Amazon OpenSearch Service is a paid managed option.

Evidence: How many AI credits come with Team plan?

Team plan includes 20,000 AI credits monthly at $0.01 per additional credit. Enterprise offers custom credit packages.

Source
OpenSearch: Why does OpenSearch exist?

Elastic moved Elasticsearch off the Apache 2.0 licence in 2021. AWS forked the last Apache-licensed version, and the project now sits under the Linux Foundation.

Evidence: What is included in the Enterprise plan?

Enterprise adds SSO/SAML, SCIM directory sync, row-level access rules, embedding capabilities, and custom deployment options at custom pricing.

Source
OpenSearch: Is OpenSearch compatible with Elasticsearch?

It was at the 7.10 fork point. Both have developed independently since, so compatibility weakens with every release and should be verified for the features you use.

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