4get vs Farfalle
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted search engines options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | 4get | Farfalle |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 800 | ★ 3,543 |
| First released | 2022 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Google Search, Bing | Google Search |
What are 4get and Farfalle?
4get
4get is a free and open-source metasearch engine that proxies results from many providers with a focus on privacy and a clean, minimal interface. It requires no JavaScript and stores no user data.
- JavaScript-free metasearch
- Image, video and news search
- No tracking or logging
- Clean minimal interface
Farfalle
Farfalle is an open-source AI-powered search engine that can run with local language models. It provides conversational, sourced answers while keeping queries on your own infrastructure.
- Run with local or cloud LLMs
- Cited conversational answers
- Self-hostable search pipeline
- Expert agent modes
4get vs Farfalle: key differences
4get is written in PHP, while Farfalle is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for 4get versus Apache-2.0 for Farfalle. 4get is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Farfalle. 4get is the more established project (first released 2022), while Farfalle arrived in 2024. Farfalle has the considerably larger community, at 3,543 GitHub stars versus 800.
Why pick each one
Choose 4get if…
- Very lightweight
- No JavaScript needed
Watch out for
- Less known, fewer public instances
Choose Farfalle if…
- Supports fully local operation
- Clean UI
Watch out for
- Newer project with rough edges
Frequently asked questions
Is 4get or Farfalle better?
Neither is universally better. Farfalle has the larger community, while 4get is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are 4get and Farfalle free and open-source?
Yes. 4get is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Farfalle under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run 4get and Farfalle with Docker?
4get: yes. Farfalle: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, 4get or Farfalle?
4get has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Farfalle. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.