LibreX vs SearXNG
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted search engines options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
SearXNG
Privacy-respecting metasearch engine aggregating many sources
| Feature | LibreX | SearXNG |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 16 · At risk | 98 · Excellent |
| 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, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 846 | ★ 37,570 |
| First released | 2021 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Google Search | Google Search, Bing |
What are LibreX and SearXNG?
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
SearXNG
SearXNG is a free, open-source metasearch engine that aggregates results from more than 70 search services without tracking or profiling users. It is the actively maintained fork of the original SearX project.
- Aggregates 70+ search engines
- No tracking or user profiling
- Customizable engines and categories
- Optional result proxying
LibreX vs SearXNG: key differences
LibreX is written in PHP, while SearXNG is built with Python. LibreX is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for SearXNG. SearXNG has the considerably larger community, at 37,570 GitHub stars versus 846.
Why pick each one
Choose LibreX if…
- Simple to deploy
- Minimal footprint
Watch out for
- Smaller engine selection
Choose SearXNG if…
- Strong privacy guarantees
- Highly configurable
Watch out for
- Public instances can be rate limited
Frequently asked questions
Is LibreX or SearXNG better?
Neither is universally better. SearXNG has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are LibreX and SearXNG free and open-source?
Yes. LibreX is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and SearXNG under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run LibreX and SearXNG with Docker?
LibreX: yes. SearXNG: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, LibreX or SearXNG?
LibreX has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for SearXNG. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.