SearXNG

Free, open-source metasearch engine you can self-host to query many engines without being tracked.

Open sourceSelf-hostableSearch engines

Verified facts: 4 of 4
Alternatives ranked: 5
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About SearXNG

SearXNG is an open-source metasearch engine: it sends your query to many search services at once, merges the results and shows them without storing anything about you. It is a community fork of the older searx project. You can configure which engines it uses, from Google and Bing to Wikipedia, GitHub, scientific databases and torrent sites, and it supports categories, bangs and an optional JSON API. Most people either use one of the public instances listed on searx.space or run their own with the official container image or install script, which is the best way to avoid rate limits and keep full control. It is free under the AGPL-3.0 licence. The trade-offs are maintenance and reliability: upstream engines sometimes block instances, so results can vary from day to day, and public instances differ in speed and settings.

Best for: Self-hosters who want private search pulling from many engines at once.

What works

Combines results from many engines in one page
No tracking or profiling, with optional JavaScript and cookies
Fully self-hostable and configurable

Why people leave

Upstream engines sometimes block or rate-limit instances
Public instances vary in speed and reliability
Running your own takes some server know-how

Top SearXNG alternatives

See all 5

1
YaCy
Self-hosted too, but builds its own peer-to-peer index instead of querying other engines.
66.5
2
DuckDuckGo
Private search with no server to maintain.
62.6
3
Startpage
Hosted, private access to Google-sourced results without running anything.
59.6
4
MetaGer
Hosted, open-source metasearch run by a non-profit.
57.2
5
Kagi
Paid hosted search with similar control over which sites you see.
55.3

Why people left SearXNG

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SearXNG: common questions

Is SearXNG free?

Yes. SearXNG is free, open-source software that you can host yourself.

Is SearXNG open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at searxng/searxng. You can also run it on your own server.

What platforms does SearXNG run on?

SearXNG is available for Web and Self-hosted.

What are the best alternatives to SearXNG?

The highest-ranked SearXNG alternatives right now are YaCy, DuckDuckGo and Startpage. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 5 SearXNG alternatives

SearXNG facts

4 of 4 verified

License: AGPL-3.0; Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab); “License This project is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL-3.0).”
Engines supported: Up to 261 search services; Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.searxng.org(opens source in a new tab); “SearXNG is a free internet metasearch engine which aggregates results from up to 261 search services .”
Origin: Fork of searx (2021); Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.searxng.org(opens source in a new tab); “SearXNG development has been started in the middle of 2021 as a fork of the searx project.”
Self-hosting: Container, script or manual install; Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.searxng.org(opens source in a new tab); “Installation container Installation Script Step by step installation”