List of search engines


Search engines, including web search engines, selection-based search engines, metasearch engines, desktop search tools, and web portals and vertical market websites have a search facility for online databases.

By content/topic

General

Geographically localized

Accountancy

General:
Academic materials only:
Search engines dedicated to a specific kind of information

Datasets

These search engines work across the BitTorrent protocol.

Search appliances

engines listed on a light purple background are no longer in active development.
NamePlatformRemarksLicense
HP AutonomyWindowsIDOL Enterprise Desktop Search, HP Autonomy Universal Search.
BeagleLinuxOpen-source desktop search tool for Linux based on Lucene. Unmaintained since 2009.
Copernic Desktop SearchWindowsMajor desktop search program. The full trial version downgrades after the trial period automatically to the free version, which is limited to indexing a maximum of 10.000 files.
DocFetcherCross-platformOpen-source desktop search tool for Windows and Linux, based on Apache Lucene
dtSearch DesktopWindows
EverythingWindowsFind files and folders by name instantly on NTFS volumes
FoundmacOSSearches for files stored locally, and the cloud and inbox and, is summoned with a double-tap of the ctrl key. Program now discontinued.Free, proprietary
GNOME StorageLinuxOpen-source desktop search tool for Unix/Linux
Google DesktopLinux, macOS, WindowsIntegrates with main Google search engine page; discontinued by Google September 14, 2011
ISYS Search SoftwareWindowsISYS:Desktop search software
KRunnerLinux
Locate32WindowsGraphical port of Unix's locate & updatedb
LookeenWindowsDesktop search product with Outlook plugin and limited support for other formats via IFilters, uses Lucene search engine.
NepomukLinuxOpen-source semantic desktop search tool for Linux. Has been replaced by Baloo in KDE Applications from release 4.13 onward.Mix of SA 3.0 and GNU Free Documentation v1.2
RecollLinux, Unix, Windows, macOSOpen-source desktop search tool for Unix/Linux
SpotlightmacOSFound in Apple macOS "Tiger" and later OS X releases.
StrigiLinux, Unix, Solaris, macOS, WindowsCross-platform open-source desktop search engine. Unmaintained since 2011-06-02.
Terrier Search EngineLinux, macOS, UnixDesktop search for Windows, Mac OS X Tiger, Unix/Linux.
TrackerLinux, UnixOpen-source desktop search tool for Unix/Linux
Tropes ZoomWindowsSemantic Search Engine
Unity DashLinuxWas part of Ubuntu DesktopGPL v3, LGPL v2.1
Windows SearchWindowsPart of Windows Vista and later OSs. Available as Windows Desktop Search for Windows XP and Server 2003. Does not support indexing UNC paths on x86-64 systems.
X1 Desktop SearchWindowsMajor desktop search product along with Copernic Desktop Search
WumpusCross platformDesktop search focused on information retrieval researchGPL

Child-safe search engines

NameLanguage
DogpileEnglish
ExciteEnglish
Info.comEnglish
Kayak.comMultilingual
Mamma.com
MetaCrawlerEnglish
MetaGerMultilingual
MobissimoMultilingual
Otalo.comEnglish
Publisher's clearinghouse Search and Win
SearxMultilingual
SearXNGMultilingual
SkyscannerMultilingual
Wego.comMultilingual

Natural language

P2P search engines

Privacy search engines

Social search engines

Defunct or acquired search engines