MeiliSearch vs SearXNG

Two self-hosted Search Engines apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.

Side by side

MeiliSearchSearXNG
DescriptionUltra relevant, instant and typo-tolerant full-text search API.Internet metasearch engine which aggregates results from various search services and databases (fork of Searx).
GitHub stars59,78739,220
Forks2.8k–
Open issues (incl. PRs)311–
Commits (12 months)1.9k762
Last activity2026-11-042026-11-02
Latest releasev1.56.1 (2026-11-02)–
Maintenance healthActiveActive
LicenseMITAGPL-3.0
Language / platformRust, Docker, debPython, Docker
Docker Hub image––
Docker pulls––
Est. server size~2 GB, 1 vCPU~2 GB, 1 vCPU
Est. hosting from$10/mo$10/mo
CategoriesSearch EnginesSearch Engines
LinksWebsite · SourceWebsite · Source

What the numbers say

Summary: MeiliSearch leads on GitHub popularity and commit activity. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.

This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-05. It does not rate features or quality.

Frequently asked questions

Is MeiliSearch or SearXNG more popular?

MeiliSearch has more GitHub stars (59,787 vs 39,220 for SearXNG, as of 2026-11-05). Stars measure interest, not quality.

Which is more actively maintained, MeiliSearch or SearXNG?

MeiliSearch had more commits over the last 12 months (1,935 vs 762). The last recorded activity was 2026-11-04 for MeiliSearch and 2026-11-02 for SearXNG. Our health labels: MeiliSearch is “Active”, SearXNG is “Active”.

What licenses do MeiliSearch and SearXNG use?

MeiliSearch: MIT. SearXNG: AGPL-3.0. MeiliSearch's license is permissive; SearXNG's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).

Can I run MeiliSearch and SearXNG with Docker?

We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. The upstream listing mentions Docker as a deployment option for MeiliSearch and SearXNG. Check each project's documentation for install options.

Read more

MeiliSearch

Ultra relevant, instant and typo-tolerant full-text search API.

Active ★ 59.8k MIT 🐳 Docker~$10/mo

SearXNG

Internet metasearch engine which aggregates results from various search services and databases (fork of Searx).

Active ★ 39.2k AGPL-3.0 🐳 Docker~$10/mo

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