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Perplexica: Open Source alternative to Perplexity AI in 2026

Perplexica is an open source AI search engine that combines a web search engine (SearXNG) with an LLM to give answers with cited sources, as an alternative to Perplexity AI.

Alternative to Perplexity AI
License MIT37.3k starsWebsite GitHub Repository

Audit Snapshot

View notes →

  • License — Matches GitHub

  • GitHub — Active

  • Latest release — v1.12.2 · 6 months ago

  • Docker Compose — Partial

  • Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack

Perplexica vs. Perplexity AI

Pros

  • Web search with no dependency on any commercial search API

Things to consider

  • Result quality depends on the engines configured in SearXNG

Quick Docker installation guide

Copy this docker-compose.yml, adjust the example passwords and run docker compose up -d on your server. See the full step-by-step guide →

💡 Official SaaS or self-hosted with AltFreeStack?

  • On the official cloud: a recurring monthly fee and usage limits on Perplexity AI.
  • On your own VPS: 100% free software on your own server, with no artificial row, project or user limits.
docker-compose.yml
version: "3.9"
services:
  perplexica:
    image: itzcrazykns1337/perplexica:v1.12.0
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      - SEARXNG_API_URL=http://perplexica-searxng:8080
    depends_on:
      - perplexica-searxng
  perplexica-searxng:
    image: searxng/searxng:2026.9.30-a9d990033
    restart: unless-stopped
volumes: {}

🚀 Deploy in 1 command

Recommended for beginners

Copy this single command and paste it into your freshly created VPS's console (Vultr, DigitalOcean...). It downloads the script, prints it to your screen so you can see exactly what it's about to do (never a blind direct pipe), and only then installs Docker if needed, writes the files with secrets already generated, and starts everything — no nano, no pasting code blocks.

curl -sSL ".../api/deploy?stack=perplexica" -o deploy.sh && cat deploy.sh && bash deploy.sh
See what this script does →

This docker-compose corresponds to an actively maintained project — last commit 1 month ago.

This docker-compose not working for you? Report it on GitHub →

Technical profile

License
MIT
Category
Artificial Intelligence
Replaces
Perplexity AI
Tech stack
Next.jsSearXNG

Under the hood

Database

SQLite

Language

TypeScript (Next.js)

Platforms

Web

Key features

  • Perplexity-style answers with cited sources
  • Uses SearXNG for private web search
  • Connects to local or cloud models

Preview

Perplexica interface preview

Public image provided by Perplexica on its own website.

💾 Backups in 3 steps (Day 2)

As long as the ./data folder (the "volume" mapped into the container) exists on your server, your data survives any restart or container update — that's the only thing you need to back up.

1. Create a compressed backup on the server

tar -czvf backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz ./data

2. Download it to your computer

From your computer's terminal (not your server's):

scp root@YOUR_IP:~/app/backup-*.tar.gz ./

3. Restore in case of emergency

tar -xzvf backup-file.tar.gz
🌐 Connect your domain with free SSL

Step 1 — Set up the DNS

In your domain registrar's dashboard (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy...), create a record:

Type
A
Name/Host
@ (root domain) or a subdomain, e.g. app
Content/Value
Your server's public IP

Wait 5 to 15 minutes for the record to propagate across the internet.

Step 2 — Automatic reverse proxy with Caddy

One single file, no Nginx config or manual certificates — Caddy issues and renews Let's Encrypt HTTPS on its own.

Create a file called Caddyfile:

yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:3000
}

Start Caddy with this command (pulls the image and runs it in the background):

docker run -d -p 80:80 -p 443:443 --name caddy --restart always -v $PWD/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile -v caddy_data:/data caddy