4get vs SearX
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted search engines options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | 4get | SearX |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 800 | ★ 13,553 |
| First released | 2022 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Google Search, Bing | Google Search, Bing |
What are 4get and SearX?
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
SearX
SearX is the original open-source metasearch engine that aggregates results from multiple search engines while protecting user privacy. It paved the way for the modern SearXNG fork.
- Privacy-respecting metasearch
- No tracking of queries
- Configurable engine list
- JSON API output
4get vs SearX: key differences
4get is written in PHP, while SearX is built with Python. 4get is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for SearX. SearX is the more established project (first released 2014), while 4get arrived in 2022. SearX has the considerably larger community, at 13,553 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 SearX if…
- Lightweight
- Foundational privacy search
Watch out for
- Largely superseded by SearXNG
Frequently asked questions
Is 4get or SearX better?
Neither is universally better. SearX has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are 4get and SearX free and open-source?
Yes. 4get is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and SearX under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run 4get and SearX with Docker?
4get: yes. SearX: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, 4get or SearX?
4get has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for SearX. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.