Marginalia Search alternatives: 4 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave Marginalia Search: not useful for shopping, news or local searches, and small index with limited coverage. We ranked 4 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Marginalia Search, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Mojeek currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#	App	Pricing	Open source	Platforms	Verified facts	Score
1	Mwmbl	Free	Yes	Web	3 of 3	62.6
2	YaCy	Open source	Yes	Windows, macOS, Linux +1	3 of 3	57.2

1. MwmblTop pick
Best for: Open-source supporters who want to help build a community-run search index
FreeOpen sourceWeb
62.6
score / 100
Why switch from Marginalia Search
Non-profit, open-source engine with a community-curated index.
Pros
Non-profit, ad-free and open source
Community can curate results directly
Fully independent index
Cons
Very small index with limited coverage
Not practical as an everyday search engine yet
Few features beyond basic web results
Visit Mwmbl Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.387
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.1585
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Mwmbl a good Marginalia Search alternative?
Verified facts
3 of 3 verified
License
AGPL-3.0
Checked Oct 25, 2026mwmbl.org(opens source in a new tab)
Organisation
Non-profit
Checked Oct 25, 2026mwmbl.org(opens source in a new tab)
Community indexing
Yes, users help build the index
Checked Oct 25, 2026mwmbl.org(opens source in a new tab)
2. YaCy
Best for: Tinkerers and organisations wanting their own crawler, index and intranet search
Open sourceSelf-hostableWindows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted
57.2
score / 100
Why switch from Marginalia Search
Run your own crawler and index with peer-to-peer search.
Pros
Runs your own crawler and index, no central provider
Works for intranet and file-share search too
No data collection or phoning home
Cons
Peer-to-peer web results are slow and patchy
Needs a machine running continuously
Interface feels dated
Visit YaCy Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.369
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.1585
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is YaCy a good Marginalia Search alternative?
Verified facts
3 of 3 verified
License
GPL 2.0 or later
Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
Modes
P2P network, own portal or intranet
Checked Oct 25, 2026yacy.net(opens source in a new tab)
Data collection
None, no phoning home
Checked Oct 25, 2026yacy.net(opens source in a new tab)

The best Marginalia Search alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Best Marginalia Search alternative for most people

Mojeek

Independent index with broader coverage for everyday searches.

Best Marginalia Search alternative for a free option

Mwmbl

Non-profit, open-source engine with a community-curated index.