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SearXNG public instances

searx.space/Search APIcrawler-scraper/searxngJSONcomparereport an errorprovider JSON

Free allowance
Keyless and anonymous: a public instance takes GET /search?q=...&format=json with no key or account.
Verdict
deadthe offer or the service no longer exists
Cost
no price stated
Identity
anonymousno card, no phone
Binding limit
request-rateunpublished per instance; public instances asked for format=json answered 429, a refusal or an HTML human-verification page, and none answered JSON
Evidence
measured54 sources; a live request was made and its output kept
Freshness
checked 2026-11-02checked 2026-11-02 (live)
Free tierKeyless and anonymous: a public instance takes GET /search?q=...&format=json with no key or account. Each instance is run by its own operator and listed on searx.space. JSON output is off by default (search.formats lists html only) and an operator must enable it. Asked a scripted format=json query on 2026-10-31, none of 20 listed instances returned results: 14 answered 429 Too Many Requests, 3 a bot-challenge page, 1 a 418 cookie-setting script, 1 a 403 and 1 a redirect to its front page; a plain query without format=json returned no results from any of the 20 either (16 answered 429, 3 a bot-challenge page, 1 a 418).
unit requests; metered on request-count
Pricenone stated
Limits
  • request-rate (binding) unpublished per instance; public instances asked for format=json answered 429, a refusal or an HTML human-verification page, and none answered JSON
Bindingrequest-rate a public instance refuses a scripted client per request, before any volume matters
Identityanonymous no key on a public instance
Egressnot applicable: HTML or JSON, and JSON is off by default
Per-object capnot applicable: the unit is a query
Retentionan instance disappears with its operator
Interfacerest a metasearch endpoint aggregating about 70 engines
Toolingcurl or any HTTP client: GET or POST /search with q and format=json, no key. A plain scripted request is refused before any result is returned, for example by the SearXNG limiter with 429 Too Many Requests (its bot detection classes a request as a bot when Accept-Language is unset, Accept lacks text/html or the User-Agent matches a bot list that includes curl, wget and python-requests), by an instance that has not enabled json with 403, or by a bot-challenge page in front of the instance, from Anubis or Substation, that needs JavaScript.
Composes withPublic instances do not chain as a scripted search source, since every listed instance probed on 2026-10-31 answered a scripted query with 429, 403, 418, a redirect or a bot-challenge page; scripted search goes to the hosted search APIs of this topic (for example crawler-scraper/tavily, crawler-scraper/exa and crawler-scraper/youdotcom), and a self-run SearXNG instance with the json format enabled is the last resort.
ReliabilityOn 2026-10-31, 20 listed instances were asked a scripted json query and none returned results: 14 answered 429 Too Many Requests, the default refusal of SearXNG's bot detection, 3 a bot-challenge page, 1 a 403, 1 a 418 cookie-setting script and 1 a redirect to its front page.
NotesEvery public instance probed answered format=json with 429, a refusal or a challenge page, and none answered JSON; a plain HTML query was refused with 429 too. The public instances are not a search API.
Evidence notemeasured public instances probed for JSON with registered probe records; the instance count read on searx.space
Parsed numbers
  • has-free-tier 0
Evidence 54
datesourcewhat it proved
2026-10-30probe: https://search.utilibre.org/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsona public instance asked for format=json answered 429 with a 17-byte Too Many Requests body and no JSON
2026-10-30probe: https://search.utilibre.org/search?q=wikipediathe same instance answered 429 to a plain HTML query without format=json, so the refusal is not about the format
2026-10-30probe: https://search.jeremyh.xyz/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsona public instance asked for format=json answered 200 with an HTML human-verification page instead of JSON
2026-10-30probe: https://searx.oloke.xyz/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsona public instance asked for format=json answered 202 with an HTML bot challenge instead of JSON
2026-10-30probe: https://searxng.site/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsona public instance asked for format=json answered 403
2026-10-30searx.space/the public instance list holds 72 online instances
2026-10-30docs.searxng.org/admin/settings/settings_search.htmlthe default settings list only the html result format; JSON answers only where an operator adds it
2026-10-30docs.searxng.org/admin/searx.limiter.htmlthe limiter exists to block scripted requests, which is the refusal a scripted client meets
2026-10-31probe: searxng-public-instances20 public instances listed online on searx.space, asked a scripted format=json query, returned no results: 14 answered 429, 3 a bot-challenge page, 1 a 418 script, 1 a 403, 1 a redirect
2026-10-31probe: searxng-public-instancesno listed public instance answered a scripted format=json query with results on 2026-10-31
2026-10-31probe: searxng-public-instancesthe same 20 instances asked a plain query without format=json returned no results either: 16 answered 429, 3 a bot-challenge page, 1 a 418 script
2026-10-31docs.searxng.org/dev/search_api.htmlthe documented search API call is a plain HTTP GET with the query and the format, and carries no key or token
2026-10-31docs.searxng.org/dev/search_api.htmlthe SearXNG documentation states that many public instances leave the json, csv and rss formats off
2026-10-31docs.searxng.org/src/searx.botdetection.htmlthe 17-byte Too Many Requests answer with HTTP 429 is the default refusal of SearXNG's own bot detection
2026-10-31docs.searxng.org/src/searx.botdetection.htmla scripted request without browser headers is classed as a bot by the limiter, whatever the format asked
2026-10-31docs.searxng.org/own-instance.htmlpublic instances are run by their own operators, not by the SearXNG project
2026-10-31searx.space/searx.space lists instances that their operators submit
2026-10-31searx.space/the public instance list held 70 online instances on 2026-10-31
2026-10-31searx.space/data/instances.jsonthe instance list the probed hosts were taken from lists them as clearnet instances that answered its check, search.utilibre.org among them
2026-10-31probe: https://anonsearch.win/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonanonsearch.win answered a scripted format=json query with 429 Too Many Requests and no JSON
2026-10-31probe: https://baresearch.org/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonbaresearch.org answered a scripted format=json query with HTTP 200 and a bot-challenge page instead of JSON
2026-10-31probe: https://etsi.me/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonetsi.me answered a scripted format=json query with 429 Too Many Requests and no JSON
2026-10-31probe: https://kantan.cat/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonkantan.cat answered a scripted format=json query with 429 Too Many Requests and no JSON
2026-10-31probe: https://opnxng.com/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonopnxng.com answered a scripted format=json query with 429 Too Many Requests and no JSON
2026-10-31probe: https://paulgo.io/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonpaulgo.io answered a scripted format=json query with 429 Too Many Requests and no JSON
2026-10-31probe: https://priv.au/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonpriv.au answered a scripted format=json query with 429 Too Many Requests and no JSON
2026-10-31probe: https://search.inetol.net/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonsearch.inetol.net answered a scripted format=json query with HTTP 200 and a security-check page instead of JSON
2026-10-31probe: https://searx.tiekoetter.com/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonsearx.tiekoetter.com answered a scripted format=json query with 429 Too Many Requests and no JSON
2026-10-31probe: https://search.rhscz.eu/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonsearch.rhscz.eu answered a scripted format=json query with 429 Too Many Requests and no JSON
2026-10-31probe: https://search.utilibre.org/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonsearch.utilibre.org answered a scripted format=json query with 429 Too Many Requests and no JSON
2026-10-31probe: https://searx.oloke.xyz/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonsearx.oloke.xyz answered a scripted format=json query with HTTP 202 and a bot-challenge page instead of JSON
2026-10-31probe: https://searxng.site/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonnot published
2026-10-31probe: https://search.ctq.ro/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonsearch.ctq.ro answered a scripted format=json query with HTTP 418 and a cookie-setting script instead of JSON
2026-10-31probe: https://searx.dresden.network/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonsearx.dresden.network answered a scripted format=json query with 429 Too Many Requests and no JSON
2026-10-31probe: https://searx.mxchange.org/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonsearx.mxchange.org answered a scripted format=json query with 429 Too Many Requests and no JSON
2026-10-31probe: https://sx.catgirl.cloud/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonsx.catgirl.cloud answered a scripted format=json query with 429 Too Many Requests and no JSON
2026-10-31probe: https://search.hbubli.cc/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonsearch.hbubli.cc answered a scripted format=json query with 429 Too Many Requests and no JSON
2026-10-31probe: https://www.isci.si/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonwww.isci.si answered a scripted format=json query with a 302 redirect to its front page and no JSON
2026-10-31probe: https://xka.cz/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonxka.cz answered a scripted format=json query with 429 Too Many Requests and no JSON
2026-10-31probe: https://searxng.site/search?q=wikipediasearxng.site answered a scripted plain query without format=json with 429, so it refuses a user, not only the format
2026-10-31probe: https://www.isci.si/search?q=wikipediawww.isci.si answered a scripted plain query without format=json with 429
2026-10-31probe: searxng-public-instancesthe first listed public instance in the probe record was probed at 2026-10-31T06:33:18.951Z, so the listed public instances were probed on 2026-10-31
2026-11-01searx.space/the public instance list holds 72 online instances
2026-11-01docs.searxng.org/dev/search_api.htmlan instance answers a request for a format that its settings do not enable with 403
2026-11-01docs.searxng.org/src/searx.botdetection.htmlthe limiter's Accept check classes a request as a bot when its Accept header does not contain text/html
2026-11-01docs.searxng.org/src/searx.botdetection.htmlthe limiter's User-Agent check matches a bot list that names curl, wget and python-requests
2026-11-02github.com/TecharoHQ/anubis/blob/main/docs/docs/design/how-aAnubis checks with a proof-of-work challenge that a client is a modern browser
2026-11-01baresearch.org/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonbaresearch.org, a listed instance, answers a format=json query with an Anubis challenge page
2026-11-01baresearch.org/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonthe Anubis challenge page states that it requires modern JavaScript features
2026-11-02probe: https://search.inetol.net/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonsearch.inetol.net answered a scripted format=json query with a Substation security-check page that says it requires JavaScript
2026-11-02probe: https://search.utilibre.org/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonsearch.utilibre.org answered a scripted format=json query with 429 and the 17-byte body Too Many Requests, the text of the SearXNG default refusal
2026-11-02probe: https://search.ctq.ro/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonsearch.ctq.ro answered a scripted format=json query with HTTP 418 and a script that sets a cookie and reloads the page, with no results
2026-11-01probe: https://www.isci.si/search?q=wikipedia&format=jsonwww.isci.si answered a scripted format=json query with 429 Too Many Requests and no JSON
2026-11-01docs.searxng.org/dev/search_api.htmlthe SearXNG search API takes GET and POST requests on / and /search