4get vs PeARS
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted search engines options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | 4get | PeARS |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | HTML |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 800 | ★ 38 |
| First released | 2022 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Google Search, Bing | Google Search |
What are 4get and PeARS?
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
PeARS
PeARS is a lightweight, distributed web search engine designed to run on modest hardware. It lets communities index and share parts of the web without a central server.
- Runs on low-power hardware
- Community-shared indexes
- Decentralized search
- Privacy preserving
4get vs PeARS: key differences
4get is written in PHP, while PeARS is built with HTML. 4get is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for PeARS. PeARS is the more established project (first released 2017), while 4get arrived in 2022. 4get has the considerably larger community, at 800 GitHub stars versus 38.
Why pick each one
Choose 4get if…
- Very lightweight
- No JavaScript needed
Watch out for
- Less known, fewer public instances
Choose PeARS if…
- Very lightweight
- Community oriented
Watch out for
- Small project and index
Frequently asked questions
Is 4get or PeARS better?
4get is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider PeARS if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are 4get and PeARS free and open-source?
Yes. 4get is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and PeARS under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run 4get and PeARS with Docker?
4get: yes. PeARS: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, 4get or PeARS?
4get has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for PeARS. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.