# Perplexica

Perplexica is a self-hosted ai app. Vane, formerly Perplexica, is an open-source, self-hosted, privacy-focused AI answer engine that combines web search with local or cloud language models to produce cited answers for users seeking a private alternative... It is open source and self-hosted, installable on Umbrel, Unraid and Docker Hub.

Canonical page: https://ourlocalhost.com/app/1155/perplexica

## Description

Vane, formerly Perplexica, is an open-source, self-hosted, privacy-focused AI answer engine that combines web search with local or cloud language models to produce cited answers for users seeking a private alternative to Perplexity AI.

## Platform availability

Available on 2 of 9 platforms: Unraid, Umbrel.

## Health score

70/100 (Good), based on 5 of 5 factors.
- Maintained: 70 (last commit 53 days ago)
- Popular: 91 (37,147 GitHub stars)
- Easy to install: 60 (2 install platforms, install notes, setup guide, Docker image)
- Light to run: 20 (8 GB minimum RAM, runs on ARM)
- Security check: 90 (no serious findings, CI)

## Links

- Documentation: https://deepwiki.com/ItzCrazyKns/Perplexica/1-overview
- Umbrel: https://apps.umbrel.com/app/perplexica
- Unraid: https://ca.unraid.net/apps/perplexica-0gujsqb0yp0be7?q=Perplexica
- Docker Hub: https://hub.docker.com/r/itzcrazykns1337/vane

## Common questions

### Does the Docker setup require a separate SearxNG container?

No. The guide describes one Docker image with SearXNG bundled, so you can start Perplexica without running another SearxNG service.

### Where should DATA_DIR point?

Point DATA_DIR to a folder you keep and back up, and mount it as a Docker volume. If that folder is lost, settings and saved files disappear.

### How should I configure SearXNG when it runs in another Docker container?

Set SEARXNG_API_URL to the SearXNG container name, not localhost. This prevents searches from failing because of an unreachable address.

### Can I use a local model instead of a hosted AI API?

Yes. It supports local LLMs through Ollama as well as cloud providers such as OpenAI, Claude, Groq, and Google Gemini.

---
Source: Our Local Host (https://ourlocalhost.com/app/1155/perplexica), the self-hosted and open-source app directory.