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SearXNG

Open-source metasearch engine that aggregates results from 70+ search engines — self-hostable with API access.

AI search APIs are the infrastructure layer that gives large language models access to current web information. Unlike traditional search engines, these APIs return semantically relevant, structured results optimized for retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and AI agent workflows. They're essential for any AI product that needs to answer questions about the real world beyond its training data.

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Features

—JS Rendering
✓Structured Output
✓Open Source
✓Self-Hosted Option
Pricing:Free

Editorial assessment

The only fully self-hosted option in this category. Aggregates results from 70+ engines including Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and niche sources. Popular with privacy advocates. Quality depends entirely on upstream sources and your instance configuration. Rate limiting from aggregated engines is a constant headache at scale. Best for privacy-first teams comfortable with ops overhead.

How SearXNG compares

Tavily

Tavily is the managed alternative — zero ops burden, but you're trusting a third party with your queries.

Brave Search API

Brave Search API offers independent index results without the self-hosting complexity.

LLMLayer

LLMLayer adds AI synthesis on top of search results at low cost, without requiring self-hosting.

Frequently asked questions

What is SearXNG?

Open-source metasearch engine that aggregates results from 70+ search engines — self-hostable with API access. It falls under the AI-Native Search APIs category in our directory. SearXNG is open source, meaning you can inspect the code and self-host it.

How much does SearXNG cost?

SearXNG uses a free pricing model. It is completely free to use.

What are the best alternatives to SearXNG?

The top alternatives to SearXNG include Tavily, Brave Search API, LLMLayer. Each offers a different approach to ai-native search apis — see our comparison section above for detailed analysis.

Does SearXNG support JavaScript rendering?

No, SearXNG does not include built-in JavaScript rendering. For dynamic websites, you may need to pair it with a headless browser or choose a tool that includes JS rendering.

Does SearXNG provide structured output?

Yes, SearXNG returns structured output (typically JSON), making it straightforward to integrate into AI pipelines, RAG systems, and data processing workflows.

Can I self-host SearXNG?

Yes, SearXNG offers a self-hosted option, giving you full control over the infrastructure, data privacy, and deployment environment.

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