SearXNG vs Vane
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
VS
Vane
AI-powered search engine, formerly Perplexica
| Feature | SearXNG | Vane |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 98 · Excellent | 96 · Excellent |
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 37,570 | ★ 36,903 |
| First released | 2021 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Google Search, Bing | Google Search |
What are SearXNG and Vane?
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
Vane
Perplexica is an open-source AI-powered answer engine that searches the web and uses language models to provide sourced answers. It can run fully self-hosted alongside SearXNG and local LLMs.
- AI answers with cited sources
- Works with local LLMs
- Multiple focus modes
- Uses SearXNG as a backend
SearXNG vs Vane: key differences
SearXNG is written in Python, while Vane is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for SearXNG versus MIT for Vane. SearXNG is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Vane. SearXNG is the more established project (first released 2021), while Vane arrived in 2024.
Why pick each one
Choose SearXNG if…
- Strong privacy guarantees
- Highly configurable
Watch out for
- Public instances can be rate limited
Choose Vane if…
- Self-hosted AI search
- Simple Docker deployment
- Free and open source
Watch out for
- LLM backend required
- Young project
Frequently asked questions
Is SearXNG or Vane better?
SearXNG is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Vane if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are SearXNG and Vane free and open-source?
Yes. SearXNG is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Vane under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run SearXNG and Vane with Docker?
SearXNG: yes. Vane: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, SearXNG or Vane?
SearXNG has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Vane. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.