head to head · open source
SearXNG vs OpenSearch
SearXNG has 37,253 GitHub stars, 3,396 forks, 215 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenSearch has 13,726 stars, 2,958 forks, 3,167 open issues and last shipped yesterday. SearXNG leads on adoption by 171% (37,253 vs 13,726 stars). SearXNG is written in Python under AGPL-3.0; OpenSearch is written in Java under Apache-2.0. SearXNG has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, OpenSearch 22%. OpenSearch 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 | OpenSearch | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 14K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.4K | ⑂ 3.0K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick SearXNG if
- You weight community size — 37K 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 OpenSearch if
- You want the OpenSearch feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and OpenSearch fits your workflow better
About SearXNG
SearXNG is a free, self hostable metasearch engine that aggregates results from more than 270 search services and databases, and it is meant for people and organizations that want web search without being tracked or profiled.
read the full SearXNG overview →
About OpenSearch
OpenSearch is an open source, distributed, and RESTful search engine, described in its README as an enterprise grade search and observability suite. It lives in the open source search and analytics ecosystem, is written in Java, and is licensed under Apache 2.0. The project states that it includes certain Apache licensed Elasticsearch code from Elasticsearch B.V., and that OpenSearch is a registered trademark of LF Projects, LLC.
read the full OpenSearch overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is SearXNG or OpenSearch more popular?
SearXNG has 37,253 GitHub stars and OpenSearch has 13,726. SearXNG has the larger community by that measure.
Are SearXNG and OpenSearch free?
Both are open source. SearXNG is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and OpenSearch under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between SearXNG and OpenSearch?
SearXNG is written in Python and OpenSearch in Java. 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 OpenSearch?
Choose SearXNG if you want the larger community (37,253 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose OpenSearch if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.