LibreX vs PeARS
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted search engines options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | LibreX | PeARS |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 16 · At risk | 0 · At risk |
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | HTML |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 846 | ★ 38 |
| First released | 2021 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Google Search | Google Search |
What are LibreX and PeARS?
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
PeARS
PeARS is a lightweight, distributed web search engine designed to run on modest hardware. It lets communities index and share parts of the web without a central server.
- Runs on low-power hardware
- Community-shared indexes
- Decentralized search
- Privacy preserving
LibreX vs PeARS: key differences
LibreX is written in PHP, while PeARS is built with HTML. LibreX is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for PeARS. PeARS is the more established project (first released 2017), while LibreX arrived in 2021. LibreX has the considerably larger community, at 846 GitHub stars versus 38.
Why pick each one
Choose LibreX if…
- Simple to deploy
- Minimal footprint
Watch out for
- Smaller engine selection
Choose PeARS if…
- Very lightweight
- Community oriented
Watch out for
- Small project and index
Frequently asked questions
Is LibreX or PeARS better?
LibreX is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider PeARS if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are LibreX and PeARS free and open-source?
Yes. LibreX is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and PeARS under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run LibreX and PeARS with Docker?
LibreX: yes. PeARS: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, LibreX or PeARS?
LibreX has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for PeARS. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.