Araa Search vs LibreX
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted search engines options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Araa Search | LibreX |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 54 · Fair | 16 · At risk |
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 334 | ★ 846 |
| First released | 2023 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Google Search | Google Search |
What are Araa Search and LibreX?
Araa Search
Araa Search is a privacy-respecting, ad-free, self-hosted Google metasearch engine with full API support. It uses Qwant for images and DuckDuckGo for autocomplete, and runs as a small container.
- Privacy metasearch
- No ads or tracking
- Full API support
- Self-hostable
LibreX
LibreX is a free, open-source metasearch engine that delivers private search results without ads or tracking. It aggregates results from multiple engines and proxies them for user privacy.
- Ad-free private search
- Aggregates multiple engines
- No JavaScript required
- Lightweight PHP implementation
Araa Search vs LibreX: key differences
Araa Search is written in Python, while LibreX is built with PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Araa Search versus AGPL-3.0 for LibreX. LibreX is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Araa Search. LibreX is the more established project (first released 2021), while Araa Search arrived in 2023. LibreX has the considerably larger community, at 846 GitHub stars versus 334.
Why pick each one
Choose Araa Search if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
Choose LibreX if…
- Simple to deploy
- Minimal footprint
Watch out for
- Smaller engine selection
Frequently asked questions
Is Araa Search or LibreX better?
Neither is universally better. LibreX has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Araa Search and LibreX free and open-source?
Yes. Araa Search is licensed under GPL-3.0 and LibreX under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Araa Search and LibreX with Docker?
Araa Search: yes. LibreX: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Araa Search or LibreX?
LibreX has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Araa Search. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.