SearXNG vs YaCy

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?
FeatureSearXNGYaCy
CategorySearch EnginesSearch Engines
LicenseAGPL-3.0GPL-2.0
LanguagePythonJava
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM256 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, bare-metaldocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 35,091★ 3,999
First released20212003
ReplacesGoogle Search, BingGoogle Search, Bing

Why pick each one

Choose SearXNG if…

  • Strong privacy guarantees
  • Highly configurable
SearXNG details

Choose YaCy if…

  • Truly decentralized
  • Censorship resistant
YaCy details

Frequently asked questions

Is SearXNG or YaCy better?

SearXNG is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider YaCy if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are SearXNG and YaCy free and open-source?

Yes. SearXNG is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and YaCy under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run SearXNG and YaCy with Docker?

SearXNG: yes. YaCy: yes.

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