LibreX vs SearX
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted search engines options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | LibreX | SearX |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 16 · At risk | 65 · Good |
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 846 | ★ 13,553 |
| First released | 2021 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Google Search | Google Search, Bing |
What are LibreX and SearX?
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
SearX
SearX is the original open-source metasearch engine that aggregates results from multiple search engines while protecting user privacy. It paved the way for the modern SearXNG fork.
- Privacy-respecting metasearch
- No tracking of queries
- Configurable engine list
- JSON API output
LibreX vs SearX: key differences
LibreX is written in PHP, while SearX is built with Python. LibreX is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for SearX. SearX is the more established project (first released 2014), while LibreX arrived in 2021. SearX has the considerably larger community, at 13,553 GitHub stars versus 846.
Why pick each one
Choose LibreX if…
- Simple to deploy
- Minimal footprint
Watch out for
- Smaller engine selection
Choose SearX if…
- Lightweight
- Foundational privacy search
Watch out for
- Largely superseded by SearXNG
Frequently asked questions
Is LibreX 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 LibreX and SearX free and open-source?
Yes. LibreX is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and SearX under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run LibreX and SearX with Docker?
LibreX: yes. SearX: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, LibreX or SearX?
LibreX has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for SearX. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.