AI
Free and open-source Perplexity alternatives
Perplexity (AI answer engine with cited sources) is a commercial product. These 2 tools do the same job and are free to use or to self-host.
Short answer: the best free alternatives to Perplexity are Perplexica and SearXNG. Self-hosting is free; you pay only for the server (a small VPS is about $4–6/mo). Licenses and prices checked 2026-10-01.
Self-hosted AI answer engine (the project is now called Vane).
Open source (MIT) ·★ 37k GitHub stars · last commit 2026-09-01 · details
Self-hosted metasearch with no AI answers; pairs with Perplexica.
Open source (AGPL-3.0) ·★ 38k GitHub stars · last commit 2026-10-07 · details
Want paid options too? See all Perplexity alternatives or the full free alternatives list.
FAQ
Is there a free alternative to Perplexity?+
Yes. Perplexica and SearXNG do the same job for free; Perplexica and SearXNG are open source.
What is the best open-source alternative to Perplexity?+
SearXNG is the most starred on GitHub (38k stars). Self-hosted metasearch with no AI answers; pairs with Perplexica.
Open source: OSI-approved license. Free to self-host: the code is public and free to run yourself, with limits in the license.