Pagefind vs Whoogle Search
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?
Pagefind
Static-site search that runs fully in the browser
VS
Whoogle Search
Self-hosted, ad-free, privacy-respecting Google search proxy
| Feature | Pagefind | Whoogle Search |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Rust | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | source, binary | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,390 | ★ 11,595 |
| First released | 2022 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Algolia, Elasticsearch | Google Search |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Pagefind or Whoogle Search better?
Neither is universally better. Whoogle Search has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Pagefind and Whoogle Search free and open-source?
Yes. Pagefind is licensed under MIT and Whoogle Search under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pagefind and Whoogle Search with Docker?
Pagefind: check the project docs for container support. Whoogle Search: yes.