Araa Search vs Websurfx
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 | Websurfx |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 54 · Fair | 82 · Excellent |
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 334 | ★ 1,200 |
| First released | 2023 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Google Search | Google Search |
What are Araa Search and Websurfx?
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
Websurfx
Websurfx is an open-source, privacy-respecting, fast metasearch engine written in Rust that aggregates results from multiple search engines. It is self-hosted with a hot-reloadable theming engine.
- Rust metasearch engine
- Privacy-respecting
- Hot-reloadable themes
- Lightweight
Araa Search vs Websurfx: key differences
Araa Search is written in Python, while Websurfx is built with Rust. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Araa Search versus AGPL-3.0 for Websurfx. Websurfx is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Araa Search. Websurfx has the considerably larger community, at 1,200 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 Websurfx if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Araa Search or Websurfx better?
Neither is universally better. Websurfx has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Araa Search and Websurfx free and open-source?
Yes. Araa Search is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Websurfx under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Araa Search and Websurfx with Docker?
Araa Search: yes. Websurfx: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Araa Search or Websurfx?
Websurfx 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.