Websurfx vs ZincSearch
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?
Websurfx
Privacy-respecting metasearch engine written in Rust
VS
ZincSearch
Lightweight search engine alternative to Elasticsearch
| Feature | Websurfx | ZincSearch |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,171 | ★ 17,884 |
| First released | 2023 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Google Search | Elasticsearch, Algolia |
Why pick each one
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 Websurfx or ZincSearch better?
Neither is universally better. ZincSearch has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Websurfx and ZincSearch free and open-source?
Yes. Websurfx is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and ZincSearch under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Websurfx and ZincSearch with Docker?
Websurfx: yes. ZincSearch: yes.