LocalSearch vs X1 Search

LocalSearch8.4Visit X1 Search7.9Visit

Higher score LocalSearch #6 in Desktop Search Software 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 4 features Visit LocalSearch

vs

X1 Search #10 in Desktop Search Software 7.9/10 14-day trial Free trial✓ 3 of 4 features Visit X1 Search

• LocalSearch fits best

  Linux users indexing file metadata locally

• X1 Search fits best

  Teams searching email, chats, files, and cloud data

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Side by side

Feature	LocalSearch 8.4/10 Visit ↗	X1 Search 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.4	7.9
Ranking	#6 in Desktop Search Software	#10 in Desktop Search Software
Best for	Linux users indexing file metadata locally	Teams searching email, chats, files, and cloud data
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starting price	Free plan	$79/user/yr
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	14 days
Deployment	Self-hosted	Desktop
Platforms	Linux	Windows
Support	Community, Docs	Email, Tickets, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features LocalSearch 1/4 · X1 Search 3/4
Content search	✓	✓
Email search	—	✓ (best)
Message search	—	✓ (best)
OCR search	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Supported platforms	Linux	Windows
Index locations	User home directory by default; configurable indexed locations	Local files, removable media, network shares, cloud-synced and remote data sources
Indexed-item limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Indexes the home directory by default and supports configurable locations Extracts structured metadata from several file types and monitors filesystem changes Offers SPARQL queries, command-line utilities, and supported metadata writeback	Searches email, files, chats, cloud data, and removable media Supports metadata filters, previews, hit highlighting, and fast-as-you-type search Includes AI classification, categorization, and tagging
Cons	Centers on metadata and RDF queries rather than direct full-text search Does not provide email or message search Designed as a GNOME framework, not a standalone commercial search app	Windows only; macOS is not currently supported No free plan; paid access starts at $79 per user per year The 3-year term requires a longer commitment
Our verdict	LocalSearch is an open-source filesystem indexer and search framework used by core GNOME desktop components. It is aimed at Linux users and applications that need to find files through names, filesystem characteristics, and structured… Read the review →	X1 Search is a Windows desktop search application for personal and business users who need one interface for email, files, chats, and cloud data. It searches local, network, and removable files alongside Microsoft Teams chats and channels,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• LocalSearch — where it wins

  • Indexes the home directory by default and supports configurable locations
  • Extracts structured metadata from several file types and monitors filesystem changes
  • Offers SPARQL queries, command-line utilities, and supported metadata writeback

  Where it doesn't

  • Centers on metadata and RDF queries rather than direct full-text search
  • Does not provide email or message search
  • Designed as a GNOME framework, not a standalone commercial search app

• X1 Search — where it wins

  • Searches email, files, chats, cloud data, and removable media
  • Supports metadata filters, previews, hit highlighting, and fast-as-you-type search
  • Includes AI classification, categorization, and tagging

  Where it doesn't

  • Windows only; macOS is not currently supported
  • No free plan; paid access starts at $79 per user per year
  • The 3-year term requires a longer commitment

• LocalSearch8.4/10 · Free plan

  A GNOME search framework for Linux users who want queryable local file metadata.

  Visit LocalSearchFull verdict →
• X1 Search7.9/10 · 14-day trial

  A Windows-focused search hub for email, files, chats, and cloud data.

  Visit X1 SearchFull verdict →