llama_index vs zvec-grep
llama_index is much bigger: 52.4k stars against 3.9k. Over the days we have tracked them llama_index moved +2.7% and zvec-grep +170.9%, so zvec-grep is growing faster right now.
llama_index leads on customization. zvec-grep does not take any axis by a clear margin.
Stars and commit dates come from our own daily tracking. The six axes are read off each project's documentation by our review pipeline, so they describe what a project says about itself, not what we measured in its code.
Where they stand today
A data-first RAG framework focused on document agents and agentic OCR with extensive indexing, retrieval, and 300+ integrations.
- Stars
- 52.4k
- Tracked growth
- +2.7%
- Maturity
- ●●●●●
- Last commit
- 1d ago
- Language
- Python
- License
- MIT
- Cost to run
- Your API key (or optional LlamaParse cloud)
Unifies ripgrep, BM25, and vector search into a local-first search layer that serves both humans and AI agents.
- Stars
- 3.9k
- Tracked growth
- +170.9%
- Maturity
- ●●●●●
- Last commit
- 22h ago
- Language
- Rust
- License
- Apache-2.0
- Cost to run
- Free local use; external models may require your API key.
Six axes, head to head
Each axis runs 0 to 5. The label under a score is what that project's own docs claim, not a category average.
| Axis | llama_index | zvec-grep |
|---|---|---|
Context depth How much of your codebase it sees before it answers: the open diff, the diff plus related files, or the whole repository. | ●●●●● Whole-data ingestion | ●●●●● Whole-repo index |
Noise control How it keeps output volume down — severity thresholds, deduplication, incremental runs over new commits only. | ●●●●● Rerankers + filters | ●●●●● Ranked + filters |
Customization How far it bends to your team: custom rules, prompts, style guides, per-path config. | ●●●●● Highly extensible | ●●●●● Configurable options |
Privacy Whether your code stays on your own infrastructure: fully local, self-hostable, or cloud API only. | ●●●●● Local model support | ●●●●● Fully local |
Model freedom Whether you can point it at any provider, or it is wired to one. | ●●●●● BYO models & keys | ●●●●● Bring-your-own-key |
Setup ease What it takes to get a first useful run out of it. | ●●●●● Config + API key | ●●●●● One-command start |
Which one to pick
Pick llama_index if…
Document-agent focused — pick LlamaIndex when you need a flexible, extensible RAG/document-agent/OCR framework with strong local model and integration support.
- Customization: Highly extensible (5/5 against 3/5)
Pick zvec-grep if…
Privacy-first — local-by-default indexing and search that works for both CLI users and agent integrations with a single install.
What people want from each one
run-llama/llama_index
zvec-ai/zvec-grep
Questions people ask
Is llama_index better than zvec-grep?
llama_index leads on customization. zvec-grep does not take any axis by a clear margin. llama_index is worth picking when document-agent focused — pick LlamaIndex when you need a flexible, extensible RAG/document-agent/OCR framework with strong local model and integration support.
Which of llama_index and zvec-grep keeps my code private?
llama_index: Local model support (5/5). zvec-grep: Fully local (5/5).
What does each one cost to run?
llama_index: Your API key (or optional LlamaParse cloud). zvec-grep: Free local use; external models may require your API key..
Full profiles: run-llama/llama_index and zvec-ai/zvec-grep. Everything else in RAG & retrieval.