searchbase

SearchBase is a European, privacy-first web search and content extraction platform built specifically for AI agents, Large Language Models (LLMs), and developers.

AI applications increasingly rely on proprietary, often US-based services to access information from the web. SearchBase provides an open-source, European alternative to platforms such as Tavily, Exa, and Firecrawl, giving developers more independence and control over how their applications retrieve information. Through its REST API and native Model Context Protocol (MCP) support, SearchBase enables AI agents to search the web and extract clean, token-optimized Markdown content from websites, reducing unnecessary data and context window usage. Unlike proprietary alternatives, SearchBase offers an open-source core licensed under AGPLv3 that developers can inspect, modify, and self-host on their own infrastructure. It also supports multiple search backends, allowing users to choose their preferred search provider rather than being locked into a single service. For developers who prefer a managed solution, SearchBase Cloud provides pay-as-you-go access without monthly subscriptions. The service is hosted on European infrastructure provided by Scaleway and uses a European search provider for its search backend. Developed and operated by Coolapso, an independent Swedish software company, SearchBase aims to make web access for AI applications more private, transparent, efficient, and independent.