Araa Search vs SearX

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted search engines options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureAraa SearchSearX
CategorySearch EnginesSearch Engines
LicenseGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguagePythonPython
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM256 MB256 MB
Deploymentdockerdocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 331★ 13,532
First released20232014
ReplacesGoogle SearchGoogle Search, Bing

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
Araa Search details

Choose SearX if…

  • Lightweight
  • Foundational privacy search
SearX details

Frequently asked questions

Is Araa Search 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 Araa Search and SearX free and open-source?

Yes. Araa Search is licensed under GPL-3.0 and SearX under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Araa Search and SearX with Docker?

Araa Search: yes. SearX: yes.

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