head to head · open source
SearXNG vs Manticore Search
SearXNG has 39,138 GitHub stars, 3,572 forks, 215 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Manticore Search has 12,075 stars, 655 forks, 651 open issues and last shipped yesterday. SearXNG leads on adoption by 224% (39,138 vs 12,075 stars). SearXNG is written in Python under AGPL-3.0; Manticore Search is written in C++ under GPL-3.0. SearXNG has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, Manticore Search 5%. SearXNG was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (search, search-engine), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| SearXNG | Manticore Search | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 39K | ★ 12K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.6K | ⑂ 655 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick SearXNG if
- You weight community size — 39K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Manticore Search if
- You want the Manticore Search feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and Manticore Search fits your workflow better
About SearXNG
.. SPDX License Identifier: AGPL 3.0 or later .. metasearch engine: .. Installation guide: .. Configuration guide: .. CONTRIBUTING: .. LICENSE: .. figure:: :target: :alt: SearXNG :width: 512px SearXNG is a metasearch engine . Users are neither tracked nor profiled. .. image:: :target: :alt: Organization .. image:: :target: :alt: Documentation .. image:: :target: :alt: License .. image:: :target: :alt: Commits .. image:: :target: :alt: Translated Setup ===== To install SearXNG, see Installation guide . To fine tune SearXNG, see Configuration guide . Further information on how to can be found here . Connect…
read the full SearXNG overview →
About Manticore Search
Easy to use open source fast database for search Manticore Search is an easy to use, open source, and fast database designed for search. It is a great alternative to Elasticsearch. Website • Downloads • Docs • Blog • Courses • Forum • Slack • Telegram (En) • Telegram (Ru) • Twitter • User feedback Introduction What distinguishes Manticore from other solutions is: It's very fast and therefore more cost efficient than alternatives. In the current reproducible benchmarks, Manticore Search 27.1.5 is: 340x faster than MySQL 9.7.1 and 6.51x faster than Typesense 27.1 for 1.1M Hacker News comments 3.85x faster than…
read the full Manticore Search overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is SearXNG or Manticore Search more popular?
SearXNG has 39,138 GitHub stars and Manticore Search has 12,075. SearXNG has the larger community by that measure.
Are SearXNG and Manticore Search free?
Both are open source. SearXNG is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Manticore Search under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between SearXNG and Manticore Search?
SearXNG is written in Python and Manticore Search in C++. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, SearXNG or Manticore Search?
Choose SearXNG if you want the larger community (39,138 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Manticore Search if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.