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t Technology Privacy Tools ·Documentation · Added 7 days ago AI

Searx: A Privacy-Focused Metasearch Engine

searx.github.io/searx ↗
This page's summary, key points, and answers are generated by AI and may be inaccurate — always verify on the original source. How this works.

Searx is an open-source, privacy-preserving metasearch engine that aggregates results from dozens of search services without tracking or profiling users. It is designed to be self-hosted to ensure complete control over search privacy.

  • Aggregates over 70 search engines
  • Zero user tracking or profiling
  • Supports self-hosting for total control
  • Integrates with Tor for anonymity
Who it's for: Privacy-conscious users and developers looking for a secure, self-hostable search engine solution. AI

Searx is a metasearch engine that offers a privacy-centric alternative to mainstream search giants. By fetching results from multiple sources and stripping away tracking cookies and user-specific profiles, it protects the searcher's digital identity. The official documentation provides comprehensive guides for users on search syntax, as well as detailed instructions for administrators to deploy their own private instances.

Pros
  • Does not track or profile user behavior
  • Aggregates results from many diverse engines
  • Highly customizable via self-hosting
  • Supports advanced search syntax
Cons
  • Requires technical knowledge to self-host
  • Performance depends on the host instance speed
  • Less polished UI compared to commercial search engines
4 pros 3 cons
Github
searx.github.io
VS
DuckDuckGo
lite.duckduckgo.com

Choose Searx if you want full control via self-hosting; choose DuckDuckGo for a zero-configuration, ready-to-use private search experience.

Aspect Github DuckDuckGo ↗
Deployment Self-hosted requirement for full control Ready-to-use cloud service
Customization High: modify source, engines, and plugins Low: limited to basic user settings
Ease of use Moderate: requires setup Very easy: works immediately
Privacy model Strict: no server-side tracking Strict: no user-identifiable logging
Maintenance Requires user to update and manage instance Zero maintenance required
Does Searx track my search queries?
No, Searx is designed to provide search results without tracking, logging, or profiling user activity.
Can I host my own instance of Searx?
Yes, the documentation includes step-by-step guides for installing and managing your own Searx instance using Docker, uwsgi, or other web servers.
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Section headings detected on the page.

Original title
Welcome to searx — Searx Documentation (Searx-1.1.0.tex)
Updated
Wed, 05 Apr 2023 07:32:52 GMT
Reading time
~1 min · 278 words
Language
en
Mobile-friendly
Yes
Indexable
Yes
jQuery
Secure (HTTPS)
Yes
HTTP status
200 OK
Server
GitHub.com
Page size
3 KB
Load time
495 ms
Scanned
2026-06-10 07:02:30
100
Performance
91
Accessibility
100
Best practices
90
SEO
First Contentful Paint
1.1 s
Good
Largest Contentful Paint
1.2 s
Good
Total Blocking Time
0 ms
Good
Visual Stability (CLS)
0.00
Good

Lab data from Google Lighthouse via the PageSpeed Insights API (mobile) · tested Jun 11, 2026. Scores can vary between runs.

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