--- title: "deep-research vs MiniSearch" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/dzhng-deep-research-vs-felladrin-minisearch" tools: ["dzhng-deep-research", "felladrin-minisearch"] --- # deep-research vs MiniSearch *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## Verdict Pick deep-research if deep-research is an AI-powered research assistant that leverages search engines, web scraping, and large language models to conduct iterative and in-depth exploration of topics; pick MiniSearch if miniSearch is a minimalist web-search platform that integrates AI capabilities such as question answering and retrieval-augmented generation directly into browsers. [deep-research](https://github.com/dzhng/deep-research) reports 20k GitHub stars, 2.0k forks, and 93 open issues, last pushed Apr 11, 2026. [MiniSearch](https://felladrin-minisearch.hf.space) has 589 stars, 75 forks, and 8 open issues, last pushed Sep 19, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [deep-research's repository](https://github.com/dzhng/deep-research) and [MiniSearch's repository](https://github.com/felladrin/MiniSearch). | | [deep-research](/tools/dzhng-deep-research.md) | [MiniSearch](/tools/felladrin-minisearch.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | An AI-powered research assistant that refines its topic focus over time using search engines, web scraping, and large language models. | Minimalist web-searching platform featuring an AI assistant for browser-based queries. | | Stars | 19,571 | 589 | | Forks | 1,993 | 75 | | Open issues | 93 | 8 | | Language | TypeScript | TypeScript | | Adopt for | Deep-research is an AI-powered research assistant that leverages search engines, web scraping, and large language models to conduct iterative and in-depth exploration of topics. | MiniSearch is a minimalist web-search platform that integrates AI capabilities such as question answering and retrieval-augmented generation directly into browsers. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | Apache-2.0 | | Categories | AI Agents, Data & Retrieval | Data & Retrieval, Inference & Serving | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [deep-research](/tools/dzhng-deep-research.md) | [MiniSearch](/tools/felladrin-minisearch.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Slowing (36%) | Very active (96%) | | Days since push | 129d | 0d | | Open issues (now) | 93 | 8 | | Stars delta | +195 (30d) | +11 (30d) | | Open issues delta | +3 (30d) | -23 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/dzhng-deep-research/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/felladrin-minisearch/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: deep-research - **Requirements:** Requires Docker - **Adopt for:** Deep-research is an AI-powered research assistant that leverages search engines, web scraping, and large language models to conduct iterative and in-depth exploration of topics. ## Decision facts: MiniSearch - **Hosting:** unknown - The tool operates directly from the browser, suggesting it runs client-side; however, specifics on its model hosting are not provided in the repository. - **Requirements:** Dependencies on web browsers that support TypeScript and modern JavaScript features.; Access to online resources as the platform appears to rely on Internet connectivity for operation. - **Adopt for:** MiniSearch is a minimalist web-search platform that integrates AI capabilities such as question answering and retrieval-augmented generation directly into browsers. - **License detail:** Apache-2.0 ## Choose when ### Choose deep-research if… - License: deep-research is MIT, MiniSearch is Apache-2.0. - Requirements: Requires Docker. - Tags unique to deep-research: agent, gpt, o3-mini, research. - Also covers AI Agents. - When you need a tool that can refine its topic focus over time through repeated iterations. ### Choose MiniSearch if… - License: MiniSearch is Apache-2.0, deep-research is MIT. - The tool operates directly from the browser, suggesting it runs client-side; however, specifics on its model hosting are not provided in the repository. - Requirements: Dependencies on web browsers that support TypeScript and modern JavaScript features.; Access to online resources as the platform appears to rely on Internet connectivity for operation.. - Tags unique to MiniSearch: ai-search-engine, artificial-intelligence, generative-ai, gpu-accelerated. - Also covers Inference & Serving. - When you require an efficient browser-based solution for web searches with built-in AI assistance, specifically designed to operate without relying on heavy server dependencies. ## When NOT to use deep-research - When you prefer a language other than TypeScript, as deep-research specifically requires a Node.js environment. - If your use case does not necessitate the use of both Firecrawl and OpenAI APIs, preferring instead solutions with more API flexibility or that do not require API keys. ## When NOT to use MiniSearch - In scenarios where extensive offline functionalities are required because MiniSearch operates directly from the browser and may not be viable for operations without internet connectivity. - If you need heavy customization of the AI-assisted features beyond what is provided, as MiniSearch offers a compact setup which might limit deep feature personalization. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between deep-research and MiniSearch? deep-research: An AI-powered research assistant that refines its topic focus over time using search engines, web scraping, and large language models.. MiniSearch: Minimalist web-searching platform featuring an AI assistant for browser-based queries.. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose deep-research over MiniSearch? Choose deep-research over MiniSearch when License: deep-research is MIT, MiniSearch is Apache-2.0; Requirements: Requires Docker; Tags unique to deep-research: agent, gpt, o3-mini, research; Also covers AI Agents; When you need a tool that can refine its topic focus over time through repeated iterations. ### When should I choose MiniSearch over deep-research? Choose MiniSearch over deep-research when License: MiniSearch is Apache-2.0, deep-research is MIT; The tool operates directly from the browser, suggesting it runs client-side; however, specifics on its model hosting are not provided in the repository; Requirements: Dependencies on web browsers that support TypeScript and modern JavaScript features.; Access to online resources as the platform appears to rely on Internet connectivity for operation.; Tags unique to MiniSearch: ai-search-engine, artificial-intelligence, generative-ai, gpu-accelerated; Also covers Inference & Serving; When you require an efficient browser-based solution for web searches with built-in AI assistance, specifically designed to operate without relying on heavy server dependencies. ### When should I avoid deep-research? When you prefer a language other than TypeScript, as deep-research specifically requires a Node.js environment. If your use case does not necessitate the use of both Firecrawl and OpenAI APIs, preferring instead solutions with more API flexibility or that do not require API keys. ### When should I avoid MiniSearch? In scenarios where extensive offline functionalities are required because MiniSearch operates directly from the browser and may not be viable for operations without internet connectivity. If you need heavy customization of the AI-assisted features beyond what is provided, as MiniSearch offers a compact setup which might limit deep feature personalization. ### Is deep-research or MiniSearch more popular on GitHub? deep-research has more GitHub stars (19,571 vs 589). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are deep-research and MiniSearch open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (deep-research: MIT, MiniSearch: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to deep-research or MiniSearch? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [deep-research alternatives](/tools/dzhng-deep-research/alternatives) and [MiniSearch alternatives](/tools/felladrin-minisearch/alternatives) ([deep-research markdown twin](/tools/dzhng-deep-research/alternatives.md), [MiniSearch markdown twin](/tools/felladrin-minisearch/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/dzhng-deep-research-vs-felladrin-minisearch.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, deep-research or MiniSearch? deep-research: Slowing. MiniSearch: Very active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for deep-research and MiniSearch? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [deep-research trust report](/tools/dzhng-deep-research/trust); [MiniSearch trust report](/tools/felladrin-minisearch/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=dzhng-deep-research`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=dzhng-deep-research) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_