MetaGer 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 | MetaGer | SearXNG |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | ≈5-minute setup |
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 200 | ★ 37,570 |
| First released | 1996 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Google Search, Bing | Google Search, Bing |
What are MetaGer and SearXNG?
MetaGer
MetaGer is an open-source metasearch engine that aggregates results from multiple sources while protecting user privacy. Its core software can be deployed to run a self-hosted private search portal.
- Aggregated metasearch
- Privacy protection
- Result anonymization
- Configurable sources
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
MetaGer vs SearXNG: key differences
MetaGer is written in PHP, while SearXNG is built with Python. SearXNG is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for MetaGer. MetaGer is the more established project (first released 1996), while SearXNG arrived in 2021. SearXNG has the considerably larger community, at 37,570 GitHub stars versus 200.
Why pick each one
Choose MetaGer if…
- Strong privacy stance
- Long-running project
Watch out for
- Heavier than minimal metasearch
- PHP stack
Choose SearXNG if…
- Strong privacy guarantees
- Highly configurable
Watch out for
- Public instances can be rate limited
Frequently asked questions
Is MetaGer or SearXNG better?
SearXNG is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider MetaGer if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are MetaGer and SearXNG free and open-source?
Yes. MetaGer is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and SearXNG under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MetaGer and SearXNG with Docker?
MetaGer: yes. SearXNG: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, MetaGer or SearXNG?
SearXNG has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for MetaGer. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.