Vane
ItzCrazyKnsAnswer engine that returns answers with citations, pairing a bundled SearXNG metasearch layer with local or cloud models so queries stay on the machine the operator runs. It works with Ollama, OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Groq or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, and offers web, academic, discussion, image and video search modes plus file-upload retrieval.
The project renamed itself from Perplexica to Vane during 2026, to put distance between it and Perplexity AI, and the old repository URL redirects. The slug stays perplexica because a slug is immutable once links are built on it; the new name resolves through the vane alias, and every source on the record already reads the Vane repository.
Openness
5 high confidence- license
- MIT(OSI)
- source
- public(github.com/ItzCrazyKns/Vane)
- self-host
- primary(single bundled Docker image)
- core features withheld
- no
The complete source is public, and self-hosting through a bundled Docker image is the primary way to run it, with no premium tier or gated functionality.
- https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/ItzCrazyKns/Vane@master/LICENSE recorded 2026-09-29
LICENSE file opens with "MIT License" and the copyright line "Copyright (c) 2026 ItzCrazyKns".
- https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/ItzCrazyKns/Vane@master/README.md recorded 2026-09-29
README badge reads "License: MIT", and it says "Vane's development is powered by the generous support of our sponsors" and that contributions "keep this project free, open-source, and accessible to everyone", with the source built via "git clone https://github.com/ItzCrazyKns/Vane.git".
- https://github.com/ItzCrazyKns/Vane recorded 2026-08-13
MIT license; ~35k stars; open Perplexity-alternative answer engine (formerly Perplexica)
Adoption
2 medium confidencePerplexica's adoption is measured as Docker Hub pulls across its two published images, itzcrazykns1337/perplexica since 2025-03-20 and its successor itzcrazykns1337/vane since 2026-03-09, read as lifetime averages rather than a current rate. That average understates a growing product, so the figure is treated as a floor rather than a higher reading.
- https://hub.docker.com/r/itzcrazykns1337/vane recorded 2026-08-13
itzcrazykns1337/perplexica: 645,952 cumulative Docker pulls since 2025-03-20 (~38,479/month over 16.8 months). Its successor itzcrazykns1337/vane: 284,672 cumulative pulls since 2026-03-09 (~55,000/month over 5.2 months). Combined: 931,112 lifetime pulls.
Capability
4 medium confidenceStrong provider breadth, bundled metasearch, search modes, and file-upload RAG; loses a point for no built-in multi-user/auth and limited multimodal generation. Scoped to search-and-answer.
- https://github.com/ItzCrazyKns/Vane recorded 2026-08-13
feature set: multi-provider, bundled SearXNG, search modes, file-upload RAG
Verified 2026-09-29, except some scores, still awaiting re-confirmation