Scira is an open source AI search engine that generates cited, real-time answers from live web content, offering a privacy-first alternative to Perplexity for developers and researchers who want to own their search stack.
The Problem
AI search tools like Perplexity are useful but opaque about data retention. Every query and response is processed on their servers. Researchers and developers handling sensitive queries have no way to audit what is logged, how long queries are retained, or whether their search patterns inform training. There is also no self-host path for teams with compliance requirements.
How Scira Solves It
Scira is open source and deployable on your own infrastructure. It connects to live web search providers and uses an LLM to synthesize cited answers from real-time results, similar to Perplexity's UX but with source code you can read and a deployment you control. MIT license applies.
Key Features
- Live web search with AI-synthesized, cited answers for research and factual queries
- Self-hostable via Docker with no mandatory cloud account or vendor dependency
- Multiple LLM provider support for the synthesis step
- Minimalist interface focused on answers, not engagement metrics
- MIT licensed: inspect, modify, and deploy the full codebase
Who It's For
Scira is best for developers and researchers who run frequent web research queries and want a Perplexity-style AI search experience they can self-host, audit, and operate without sharing queries with a managed service.
Compared to Perplexity
Unlike Perplexity, which processes all queries on its managed cloud and gates Pro features behind a subscription, Scira is MIT licensed and self-hostable. You run the search stack on your own infrastructure and retain full control over query data.
