--- title: "paradedb vs cherche" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/paradedb-paradedb-vs-raphaelsty-cherche" tools: ["paradedb-paradedb", "raphaelsty-cherche"] --- # paradedb vs cherche *GraphCanon updated Jul 12, 2026* ## Verdict Pick paradedb when paradedb is primarily Rust; cherche is Python; pick cherche when cherche is primarily Python; paradedb is Rust. [paradedb](https://paradedb.com) reports 9.0k GitHub stars, 419 forks, and 155 open issues, last pushed Jul 11, 2026. [cherche](https://github.com/raphaelsty/cherche) has 331 stars, 14 forks, and 4 open issues, last pushed Jun 1, 2024. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [paradedb's repository](https://github.com/paradedb/paradedb) and [cherche's repository](https://github.com/raphaelsty/cherche). | | [paradedb](/tools/paradedb-paradedb.md) | [cherche](/tools/raphaelsty-cherche.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | One Postgres for your application data, full-text search, vector retrieval, and aggregations. Home of the pg_search extension. | Neural Search | | Stars | 9,036 | 331 | | Forks | 419 | 14 | | Open issues | 155 | 4 | | Language | Rust | Python | | Adopt for | - | Cherche is a Python library for implementing neural search capabilities. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT | | Categories | Vector Databases, Data & Retrieval | Data & Retrieval, Vector Databases, Evaluation & Observability | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [paradedb](/tools/paradedb-paradedb.md) | [cherche](/tools/raphaelsty-cherche.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Dormant (18%) | | Days since push | 0d | 769d | | Open issues (now) | 155 | 4 | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/paradedb-paradedb/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/raphaelsty-cherche/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: cherche - **Adopt for:** Cherche is a Python library for implementing neural search capabilities. ## Choose when ### Choose paradedb if… - paradedb is primarily Rust; cherche is Python. - License: paradedb is AGPL-3.0, cherche is MIT. - Tags unique to paradedb: full-text-search, htap, analytics, database. ### Choose cherche if… - cherche is primarily Python; paradedb is Rust. - License: cherche is MIT, paradedb is AGPL-3.0. - Tags unique to cherche: neural-networks, neural-search, nlp, machine-learning. - Also covers Evaluation & Observability. - Cherche is a Python library for implementing neural search capabilities. ## When NOT to use paradedb - Vector Databases: Don't reach for a dedicated vector DB under ~100k vectors; pgvector on your existing Postgres is simpler to operate. - Data & Retrieval: Skip a heavy ingestion framework when your corpus is small and static; a script plus the embedding API is enough. ## When NOT to use cherche - Last GitHub push was 770 days ago (dormant maintenance, Jun 1, 2024). Validate activity before betting a new project on cherche. - Data & Retrieval: Skip a heavy ingestion framework when your corpus is small and static; a script plus the embedding API is enough. - Vector Databases: Don't reach for a dedicated vector DB under ~100k vectors; pgvector on your existing Postgres is simpler to operate. - Evaluation & Observability: Defer heavyweight eval infra only until you have real traffic - never skip it once users depend on answers. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between paradedb and cherche? paradedb: One Postgres for your application data, full-text search, vector retrieval, and aggregations. Home of the pg_search extension.. cherche: Neural Search. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose paradedb over cherche? Choose paradedb over cherche when paradedb is primarily Rust; cherche is Python; License: paradedb is AGPL-3.0, cherche is MIT; Tags unique to paradedb: full-text-search, htap, analytics, database. ### When should I choose cherche over paradedb? Choose cherche over paradedb when cherche is primarily Python; paradedb is Rust; License: cherche is MIT, paradedb is AGPL-3.0; Tags unique to cherche: neural-networks, neural-search, nlp, machine-learning; Also covers Evaluation & Observability; Cherche is a Python library for implementing neural search capabilities. ### When should I avoid paradedb? Vector Databases: Don't reach for a dedicated vector DB under ~100k vectors; pgvector on your existing Postgres is simpler to operate. Data & Retrieval: Skip a heavy ingestion framework when your corpus is small and static; a script plus the embedding API is enough. ### When should I avoid cherche? Last GitHub push was 770 days ago (dormant maintenance, Jun 1, 2024). Validate activity before betting a new project on cherche. Data & Retrieval: Skip a heavy ingestion framework when your corpus is small and static; a script plus the embedding API is enough. Vector Databases: Don't reach for a dedicated vector DB under ~100k vectors; pgvector on your existing Postgres is simpler to operate. Evaluation & Observability: Defer heavyweight eval infra only until you have real traffic - never skip it once users depend on answers. ### Is paradedb or cherche more popular on GitHub? paradedb has more GitHub stars (9,036 vs 331). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are paradedb and cherche open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (paradedb: AGPL-3.0, cherche: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to paradedb or cherche? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [paradedb alternatives](/tools/paradedb-paradedb/alternatives) and [cherche alternatives](/tools/raphaelsty-cherche/alternatives) ([paradedb markdown twin](/tools/paradedb-paradedb/alternatives.md), [cherche markdown twin](/tools/raphaelsty-cherche/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/paradedb-paradedb-vs-raphaelsty-cherche.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, paradedb or cherche? paradedb: Very active. cherche: Dormant. 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 paradedb and cherche? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [paradedb trust report](/tools/paradedb-paradedb/trust); [cherche trust report](/tools/raphaelsty-cherche/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=paradedb-paradedb`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=paradedb-paradedb) - 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/_