Mwmbl vs Perplexica
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?
Mwmbl
Free, open-source and non-profit web search engine
VS
Perplexica
Open-source AI-powered search engine
| Feature | Mwmbl | Perplexica |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,833 | ★ 36,045 |
| First released | 2021 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Google Search, Bing | Google Search |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Mwmbl or Perplexica better?
Neither is universally better. Perplexica has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Mwmbl and Perplexica free and open-source?
Yes. Mwmbl is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Perplexica under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mwmbl and Perplexica with Docker?
Mwmbl: yes. Perplexica: yes.