LibreX 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 | LibreX | LibreY |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 16 · At risk | 63 · Good |
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 846 | ★ 322 |
| First released | 2021 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Google Search | Google Search |
What are LibreX and LibreY?
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
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
LibreX vs LibreY: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. LibreX is the more established project (first released 2021), while LibreY arrived in 2023. LibreX has the considerably larger community, at 846 GitHub stars versus 322.
Why pick each one
Choose LibreX if…
- Simple to deploy
- Minimal footprint
Watch out for
- Smaller engine selection
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 LibreX or LibreY 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 LibreX and LibreY free and open-source?
Yes. LibreX is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and LibreY under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run LibreX and LibreY with Docker?
LibreX: yes. LibreY: yes.