LibreY vs YaCy
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted search engines options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
| Feature | LibreY | YaCy |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 312 | ★ 3,999 |
| First released | 2023 | 2003 |
| Replaces | Google Search | Google Search, Bing |
Why pick each one
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 LibreY or YaCy better?
Neither is universally better. YaCy has the larger community, while LibreY is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are LibreY and YaCy free and open-source?
Yes. LibreY is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and YaCy under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run LibreY and YaCy with Docker?
LibreY: yes. YaCy: yes.