Marginalia Search vs Websurfx
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?
Marginalia Search
Independent search engine focused on the non-commercial web
VS
Websurfx
Privacy-respecting metasearch engine written in Rust
| Feature | Marginalia Search | Websurfx |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,892 | ★ 1,171 |
| First released | 2021 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Google Search | Google Search |
Why pick each one
Choose Marginalia Search if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.9k GitHub stars)
- Written in Java
Choose Websurfx if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Marginalia Search or Websurfx better?
Neither is universally better. Marginalia Search has the larger community, while Websurfx is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Marginalia Search and Websurfx free and open-source?
Yes. Marginalia Search is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Websurfx under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Marginalia Search and Websurfx with Docker?
Marginalia Search: yes. Websurfx: yes.