Araa Search vs LibreY
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 | LibreY |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 54 · Fair | 63 · Good |
| 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 | ★ 322 |
| First released | 2023 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Google Search | Google Search |
What are Araa Search and LibreY?
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
LibreY
LibreY is a free and open-source metasearch engine that aggregates results from multiple sources without tracking users or showing ads. It is a lightweight, self-hostable front end for private web searching.
- Aggregates multiple sources
- No tracking or ads
- Lightweight and fast
- Instance federation
Araa Search vs LibreY: key differences
Araa Search is written in Python, while LibreY is built with PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Araa Search versus AGPL-3.0 for LibreY. LibreY is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Araa Search.
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 LibreY if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Araa Search or LibreY better?
Neither is universally better. Araa Search has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Araa Search and LibreY free and open-source?
Yes. Araa Search is licensed under GPL-3.0 and LibreY under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Araa Search and LibreY with Docker?
Araa Search: yes. LibreY: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Araa Search or LibreY?
LibreY 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.