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Comparison · DevOps

Elasticsearch vs Manticore Search

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Elasticsearch and Manticore Search — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Elasticsearch vs Manticore Search: at a glance

FeatureElasticsearchManticore Search
SectorDevOps, Infra & APIsDevOps
Velocity score5.05.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themessecurity, authorization, fleet, kibanasearch-engine, open-source, sql, performance
Last editorial update1mo ago2d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Elasticsearch?

Elastic patches seven Kibana CVEs in a single wave, two rated High severity

Elasticsearch/Kibana is working through a broad security audit of its Fleet and agent management layer. The September 2026 patch wave disclosed seven CVEs across Kibana, Filebeat, and Fleet Server — all centered on incorrect or missing authorization checks. Two carry a CVSS 8.1 High rating: one allowing unauthorized configuration modification via Fleet, another enabling privilege escalation through under-validated integration package credentials.

Read the full Elasticsearch trajectory →

What is Manticore Search?

Manticore 31.0.7 undoes a 2x COUNT(DISTINCT) slowdown its own collation fix caused.

Manticore Search's 31.x tags so far are fixes rather than features. 31.0.3 and 31.0.4 were CI and packaging work; 31.0.7 restores string COUNT(DISTINCT) speed after the 29.18.5 collation fix made it 2x slower (1.1 s to 2.4 s on the logs10m benchmark) by calling tolower() per byte. A lookup table replaces the call without changing hash values, so secondary indexes and histograms stay compatible.

Read the full Manticore Search trajectory →

Elasticsearch vs Manticore Search: editorial side-by-side

Elasticsearch logo
Elasticsearch
DEVOPSINFRA · APIS
5.0

Elastic patches seven Kibana CVEs in a single wave, two rated High severity

◆ Current state

Elasticsearch/Kibana is working through a broad security audit of its Fleet and agent management layer. The September 2026 patch wave disclosed seven CVEs across Kibana, Filebeat, and Fleet Server — all centered on incorrect or missing authorization checks. Two carry a CVSS 8.1 High rating: one allowing unauthorized configuration modification via Fleet, another enabling privilege escalation through under-validated integration package credentials.

◆ Where it's heading

Fleet's growing role as the agent management backbone is exposing authorization boundary issues at scale. The pattern across these advisories — privilege checks missing or bypassed in Fleet-adjacent features — suggests a systematic review is underway rather than isolated bug hunting. Expect further patch batches as the audit reaches Fleet integrations, plugins, and cross-space access paths introduced in the 9.x line.

◆ Prediction

The Cribl integration code-injection fix (ESA-2026-151) signals that third-party integration templates are under scrutiny; more integration-specific CVEs in the 9.x series are likely before the current audit cycle closes.

M5.0

Manticore 31.0.7 undoes a 2x COUNT(DISTINCT) slowdown its own collation fix caused.

◆ Current state

Manticore Search's 31.x tags so far are fixes rather than features. 31.0.3 and 31.0.4 were CI and packaging work; 31.0.7 restores string COUNT(DISTINCT) speed after the 29.18.5 collation fix made it 2x slower (1.1 s to 2.4 s on the logs10m benchmark) by calling tolower() per byte. A lookup table replaces the call without changing hash values, so secondary indexes and histograms stay compatible.

◆ Where it's heading

October has been correctness work on string handling (range filters, collation-aware COUNT(DISTINCT)) followed by fixing the performance cost of those fixes. The 31.x line still appears in the feed without notes on what features justified the major version.

◆ Prediction

Expect more 31.0.x patches in this vein. What new capability defines 31.x remains unclear from these entries.

Alternatives to Elasticsearch and Manticore Search

Other DevOps products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Elasticsearch or Manticore Search.

See all Elasticsearch alternatives → · See all Manticore Search alternatives →

Recent activity from Elasticsearch and Manticore Search

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 3d agoManticore Search31.0.7: string COUNT(DISTINCT) 2x slowdown fixed
  2. 6d agoManticore Search31.0.4: CI fix for bundled Debian dependencies
  3. 6d agoManticore Search31.0.3: Test Kit pinned to Executor 1.4.6
  4. 8d agoManticore Search29.18.7: Manticore Buddy sidecar bumped to 4.4.8
  5. 9d agoManticore Search29.18.6: crash dumps now name the operation and table
  6. 9d agoManticore SearchFix: COUNT(DISTINCT) on strings now respects session collation
  7. 1mo agoElasticsearchKibana: High-severity unauthorized config modification via Fleet (CVE-2026-82302)
  8. 1mo agoElasticsearchKibana 9.4.6, 9.5.3 Security Update (ESA-2026-175)
  9. 1mo agoElasticsearchKibana 8.19.21, 9.4.6, 9.5.3 Security Update (ESA-2026-174)
  10. 1mo agoElasticsearchKibana 8.19.21, 9.4.6, 9.5.3 Security Update (ESA-2026-154)
  11. 1mo agoElasticsearchKibana 9.4.6, 9.5.3 Security Update (ESA-2026-153)
  12. 1mo agoElasticsearchKibana: Code injection via Cribl integration template lets Fleet users escalate Elasticsearch privileges (CVE-2026-78593)

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Elasticsearch and Manticore Search?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Elasticsearch and Manticore Search are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Elasticsearch better than Manticore Search?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Elasticsearch and Manticore Search are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other DevOps products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Elasticsearch?

Top Elasticsearch alternatives in DevOps are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Elasticsearch alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/elastic for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Manticore Search?

Top Manticore Search alternatives in DevOps are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Manticore Search alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/manticoresearch for the full list with editorial commentary on each.