The open-source alternative to Algolia, Coveo and Lucidworks
Hosted search services like Algolia, Coveo and Lucidworks are priced per record and per query, and index your content in the vendor cloud. Viglet Turing is open-source enterprise search you run yourself: faceted navigation, semantic and vector search, and cited RAG answers, on your own infrastructure under the Apache 2.0 license.
How they compare
Objective differences on the dimensions that decide a search platform.
| Viglet Turing | Hosted SaaS search | |
|---|---|---|
| License | Open source, Apache 2.0 | Proprietary / commercial |
| Deployment | Self-hosted from one Docker image, on your infrastructure | Vendor-hosted SaaS (managed / on-prem tiers vary by vendor) |
| Pricing model | No per-document or per-query fees. You pay for the infrastructure you run | Usage-based: priced per record, query or request |
| Where content lives | Inside your own perimeter. Indexed content and queries never leave it | The vendor cloud (with regional options on some plans) |
| Search engine | Apache Solr, Elasticsearch or embedded Lucene, your choice | Proprietary engine |
| Semantic & vector search | Built in: hybrid keyword + vector ranking (RRF) | Available, varies by plan and vendor |
| Generative answers (RAG) | Built in, with citations. Bring your own LLM (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Azure or local Ollama) | Available, varies by vendor |
| Source connectors | Via Viglet Dumont: Adobe AEM, WordPress, SQL databases, file systems and the web | Vendor connectors and crawlers |
Comparison column describes hosted SaaS search in general terms; capabilities and pricing vary by vendor and plan. See the guides below for detailed, vendor-by-vendor breakdowns.
The Viglet approach
Connect your sources with Dumont
Dumont connectors pull content from Adobe AEM, WordPress, SQL databases, file systems and the web into one flow, so there is no custom ETL to build and maintain.
Index into Turing
Turing indexes the flow into Apache Solr, Elasticsearch or Lucene and serves faceted, multilingual, typo-tolerant search with hybrid keyword + vector ranking.
Add cited RAG answers
A chatbot grounded in your own content returns answers with source citations, using the LLM you choose. It has a relevance gate and an optional groundedness check.
Guides & comparisons
Step-by-step how-tos and vendor-by-vendor comparisons on the Viglet blog.
Open-Source Alternatives to Algolia and Coveo for Adobe AEM
Comparing search options for Adobe Experience Manager: Algolia, Coveo, Lucidworks, raw Solr/Elasticsearch, and the open-source Viglet Turing. Pricing model, data residency, facets, semantic search, and RAG.
Coveo vs. Lucidworks Fusion (and an Open-Source Option)
Coveo is managed SaaS priced per query; Lucidworks Fusion is licensed, Solr-based and runs in your perimeter. How they compare on pricing, data residency, connectors and RAG, plus Viglet Turing as the open-source alternative.
When to Choose Apache Solr, Elasticsearch, or Viglet Turing
Raw Solr and Elasticsearch are search engines; Viglet Turing is an enterprise search platform built on top of them. Here's how to decide which layer you actually need.
Common questions
Is Viglet Turing really free?
Turing is open source under the Apache 2.0 license. There are no license fees and no per-document or per-query charges. Your cost is the infrastructure you run it on.
Can it do semantic search and RAG like the hosted vendors?
Yes. Turing bundles vector/semantic search (hybrid keyword + vector ranking with RRF) and Retrieval-Augmented Generation that returns cited answers grounded in your content, with the LLM of your choice.
How is data residency handled?
You self-host with Docker, so indexed content and user queries stay inside your own perimeter. With SaaS search, content is stored in the vendor cloud. This matters most in regulated industries.
Do I have to replace my search engine?
No. Turing runs on Apache Solr, Elasticsearch or embedded Lucene. You can keep the engine you already operate and change it later by switching a single property.
Own your search: open source, self-hosted
Free under Apache 2.0, deployed from a single Docker image.