Open Source Brave Search Alternatives

SearXNG is a metasearch engine that pulls results from more than 270 search sources simultaneously, then presents them without logging your queries, building a profile, or selling your data. It's built for anyone who wants search results without being the product.

The core premise is simple: you get aggregated results from dozens of engines at once, and none of those engines (or SearXNG itself) learns anything persistent about you. JavaScript and cookies are entirely optional, which matters if you're running a hardened browser setup. You can also route queries through Tor for an extra layer of anonymity.

Key capabilities:

• Source breadth: aggregates across general web, news, images, video, maps, and more from 270+ configurable engines
• No tracking: no user accounts required, no query logging, no behavioral profiling
• Tor-compatible: works as a hidden service or over Tor Browser for full anonymity
• Lightweight: runs without mandatory JavaScript or cookies, keeping the attack surface small
• Self-hostable: deploy your own instance so you control the infrastructure entirely

Public instances are available if you want to try it immediately, but running your own instance is the stronger privacy choice since you're not sharing query traffic with a third-party operator. The project maintains a list of community-run instances for those who want a middle ground.

SearXNG started as a fork of the searx project in 2021 and has since grown into an active community effort. It's a natural complement to tools like OpenSERP if you're building privacy-respecting search infrastructure. Unlike closed search engines or even some OpenSearch-compatible tools, SearXNG gives you full visibility into what sources are queried and how results are ranked.