SearXNG review

SearXNG is not a company but an open-source project: a free metasearch engine that queries up to 260 search services and merges the results, without tracking or profiling users. You can use one of about 70 maintained public instances listed on searx.space, or install your own with a container or install script if you do not want to trust anyone else. JavaScript and cookies are optional, the interface has 58 translations, and SearXNG can be used over Tor. Because it aggregates, you choose which engines feed results, from general web engines to sources such as arXiv, PubMed and GitHub. That flexibility comes with effort. Public instances differ in speed and uptime, and its own docs include guidance on answering CAPTCHAs from a server's IP, a sign that upstream engines can push back. For non-technical users, a hosted engine is simpler.

Who it is for

technical users who want to self-host search

Price

Free and open source; use a public instance or host your own.

SearXNG is a free internet metasearch engine which aggregates results from up to 260 search services .
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 14, 2026.

Key features

• Aggregates results from up to 260 search services
• Users are neither tracked nor profiled
• JavaScript and cookies are optional
• Can be used over Tor
• About 70 maintained public instances listed on searx.space

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Free, with full control when self-hosted
• Strength: Choose which engines feed your results
• Strength: 58 translations
• Weakness: Public instances vary in speed and reliability
• Weakness: Self-hosting needs a server and setup
• Weakness: Upstream engines can rate-limit or block instances

Key facts

• Price: Free, open source
• Sources: Up to 260 search services
• Public instances: About 70 on searx.space
• Hosting: Public instance or self-hosted

Where it ranks

SearXNG is No. 8 in our Best Private Search Engines verdict.