Do I need full-text search for a small app?

Maybe, but often no.

For a small app, full-text search is usually overkill unless you have a clear need for things like:

• searching across lots of text fields
• ranking results by relevance
• handling typos, stemming, synonyms, or phrases
• searching large datasets efficiently
• advanced filters combined with text search

You probably do not need full-text search if:

• your app has only a few hundred or a few thousand records
• users mostly search by exact names, IDs, or tags
• simple LIKE / ILIKE queries are good enough
• you want the simplest possible setup and maintenance

You probably do need it if:

• users expect “Google-like” search
• you’re searching articles, docs, product descriptions, messages, etc.
• search quality matters a lot
• you expect the dataset to grow

Good middle ground

Start simple:

• use normal database queries
• maybe add indexes on common searchable fields
• only introduce full-text search when the limitations become real

Rule of thumb

If you’re asking about it before launch, start without full-text search unless you already know you need it.

If you want, I can help you decide based on your app’s data model and expected search behavior.