SearX vs Websurfx
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted search engines options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | SearX | Websurfx |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 65 · Good | 82 · Excellent |
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,553 | ★ 1,200 |
| First released | 2014 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Google Search, Bing | Google Search |
What are SearX and Websurfx?
SearX
SearX is the original open-source metasearch engine that aggregates results from multiple search engines while protecting user privacy. It paved the way for the modern SearXNG fork.
- Privacy-respecting metasearch
- No tracking of queries
- Configurable engine list
- JSON API output
Websurfx
Websurfx is an open-source, privacy-respecting, fast metasearch engine written in Rust that aggregates results from multiple search engines. It is self-hosted with a hot-reloadable theming engine.
- Rust metasearch engine
- Privacy-respecting
- Hot-reloadable themes
- Lightweight
SearX vs Websurfx: key differences
SearX is written in Python, while Websurfx is built with Rust. Websurfx is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for SearX. SearX is the more established project (first released 2014), while Websurfx arrived in 2023. SearX has the considerably larger community, at 13,553 GitHub stars versus 1,200.
Why pick each one
Choose SearX if…
- Lightweight
- Foundational privacy search
Watch out for
- Largely superseded by SearXNG
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 SearX or Websurfx better?
Neither is universally better. SearX has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are SearX and Websurfx free and open-source?
Yes. SearX is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Websurfx under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run SearX and Websurfx with Docker?
SearX: yes. Websurfx: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, SearX or Websurfx?
Websurfx has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for SearX. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.