Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

YaCy VS GhostMyData

Compare YaCy VS GhostMyData and see what are their differences

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YaCy logo YaCy

YaCy is a free search engine that anyone can use to build a search portal for their intranet or to...

GhostMyData logo GhostMyData

GhostMyData continuously scans 1,500+ data brokers, removes your exposed data, and automatically re-removes it when brokers re-collect. Free scan, no credit card.
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  • YaCy Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-10
  • GhostMyData Automated data removal from 1,500+ broker sites
    Automated data removal from 1,500+ broker sites //
    2026-04-08
  • GhostMyData Real-time exposure dashboard monitoring 1,529+ data broker sites
    Real-time exposure dashboard monitoring 1,529+ data broker sites //
    2026-04-08
  • GhostMyData Broker compliance report โ€” real data on which brokers actually delete your data
    Broker compliance report โ€” real data on which brokers actually delete your data //
    2026-04-08

GhostMyData is a privacy protection platform that scans 1,500+ data broker sites to find your exposed personal information. We automatically submit legal CCPA and state privacy law deletion requests on your behalf, verify each removal, and continuously monitor for re-listings.

Key features: - 1,500+ data broker coverage (3.5x more than Incogni, 17x more than DeleteMe's auto-removal) - Legal CCPA deletion requests, not just opt-out forms - Automated re-removal when brokers re-list your data - Family plans protect up to 5 household members - Live broker compliance report showing which brokers actually delete - Free scan with 3 free trial removals โ€” no credit card required

Plans start at $9.99/month billed annually.

GhostMyData

$ Details
freemium $119.88 / Annually
Release Date
2024 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
Wyoming
City
Sheridan
Founder(s)
Rocky Kathuria
Employees
1 - 9

YaCy features and specs

  • Decentralization
    YaCy is a decentralized search engine, meaning it doesn't rely on a central server. This ensures that no single entity has control over the search index, promoting openness and censorship resistance.
  • Privacy
    Since it operates in a peer-to-peer network, user queries are not logged or tracked by a centralized server. This provides a high degree of privacy.
  • Community-Driven
    Being an open-source project, it thrives on community contributions. This can lead to more rapid innovation and features built to meet specific user needs.
  • Cost
    YaCy is free to use, reducing potential expenses for both individuals and organizations looking for a customizable search solution.
  • Customization
    Users have the ability to customize their search engine and crawler settings to suit their specific needs, making it highly flexible.

Possible disadvantages of YaCy

  • Performance
    As a peer-to-peer network, search speeds can be inconsistent and generally slower compared to centralized search engines like Google.
  • Complexity
    Setting up and maintaining a YaCy node can be complex and may require a fair amount of technical expertise.
  • Search Quality
    Because it doesnโ€™t have the massive infrastructure of major search engines, the quality and relevance of the search results may vary.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running a YaCy node can be resource-intensive, requiring significant CPU, memory, and bandwidth.
  • Community Size
    Despite being community-driven, its user base is relatively small which can limit the breadth of the indexed web content compared to mainstream search engines.

GhostMyData features and specs

  • Data Broker Coverage
    1,500+ sites scanned and monitored
  • CCPA Legal Requests
    Automated deletion requests citing state privacy laws
  • Removal Verification
    Re-scans to confirm brokers actually deleted data
  • Continuous Monitoring
    Auto re-removes when brokers re-list your data
  • Family Plans
    Protect up to 5 household members
  • Free Trial
    Free scan + 3 free removals, no credit card

Analysis of YaCy

Overall verdict

  • Whether YaCy is 'good' depends on the user's priorities. If privacy and decentralization are your main concerns, YaCy is a solid choice. However, it might not match the search result quality and speed of mainstream search engines due to its unique infrastructure.

Why this product is good

  • YaCy is a decentralized, open-source search engine that focuses on user privacy. It operates on a peer-to-peer network, meaning it does not rely on a central server. This ensures that no single entity controls the search data, making it appealing to users concerned about privacy and data ownership. Additionally, its open-source nature allows for transparency and community-driven development.

Recommended for

  • Privacy enthusiasts
  • Technically inclined users
  • Open-source advocates
  • Decentralization supporters
  • Users interested in contributing to search engine technology

Analysis of GhostMyData

Overall verdict

  • GhostMyData is a solid data removal service that helps individuals reduce their online footprint by removing personal information from data broker sites and people-search databases. It offers a reasonable option for those concerned about privacy, though as with any such service, results can vary and no service can guarantee 100% removal of all data across the internet.

Why this product is good

  • Automates the tedious process of opting out from numerous data broker and people-search sites
  • Helps protect against identity theft, spam, and unwanted solicitations by reducing exposed personal data
  • Provides ongoing monitoring and re-removal since data brokers often re-list information
  • Saves significant time compared to manually contacting each data broker
  • Can offer peace of mind for individuals worried about their digital privacy

Recommended for

  • Individuals concerned about online privacy and their digital footprint
  • People who want to reduce spam calls, emails, and unwanted solicitations
  • Those at higher risk of identity theft or stalking who want personal info removed
  • Public-facing professionals, executives, or public figures wanting to limit exposure
  • Anyone who lacks the time to manually opt out of dozens of data broker sites

YaCy videos

YaCy: The P2P Search Engine

More videos:

  • Review - YaCy Creator Interview | Linux Action Show s30e09
  • Review - Derryn Hinch 2 Weeks on YaCy review results A historical record on Yacy

GhostMyData videos

Your personal data is being bought and sold by data brokers

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to YaCy and GhostMyData)
Search Engine
100 100%
0% 0
Privacy
0 0%
100% 100
Internet Search
100 100%
0% 0
Online Services
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing YaCy and GhostMyData.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

GhostMyData's answer:

More coverage (1,500+ brokers), lower price ($9.99/mo vs $14.98 for Incogni), free scan with 3 free trial removals (no credit card), family plans covering 5 members, and transparent compliance reporting. We also use dual search engines (Google + Brave) to find exposures competitors miss.

What makes your product unique?

GhostMyData's answer:

We cover 1,500+ data broker sites โ€” 3.5x more than Incogni and 17x more than DeleteMe's auto-removal. We send legally-enforceable CCPA deletion requests, not just opt-out forms. And we publish a live broker compliance report showing which brokers actually delete your data and which ignore requests.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

GhostMyData's answer:

Privacy-conscious individuals and families who want their personal data removed from people-search sites and data brokers. Also businesses protecting employees from social engineering attacks that exploit exposed personal data.

What's the story behind your product?

GhostMyData's answer:

I discovered my full name, home address, phone numbers, and family members' details were publicly listed on hundreds of people-search sites โ€” available to anyone for under a dollar. After spending 40+ hours manually submitting opt-out forms, I realized the data just comes back. So I built GhostMyData to automate the entire process.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

GhostMyData's answer:

Next.js, React, TypeScript, Prisma ORM, PostgreSQL, Vercel, Resend for transactional email, Amazon SES for broker CCPA emails, Google and Brave Search APIs for exposure detection.

Who are some of the biggest customers of your product?

GhostMyData's answer:

  • Individual privacy-conscious consumers
  • Families protecting household members (up to 5 per plan)
  • Businesses protecting employee data from social engineering

User comments

Share your experience with using YaCy and GhostMyData. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare YaCy and GhostMyData

YaCy Reviews

Alternative search engines
YaCy stands out from other search engines because it runs on open source, peer-to-peer software. Not everyone wants to go through the hassle of installing software to run searches, but if its decentralized nature appeals to you, give it a shot.
Best DuckDuckGo Alternative: Private Search Engines in 2024
Each YaCy peer crawls the internet to find and index web pages, which become available to other peers in the network. Typical privacy concerns are non-existent in the YaCy network since no single entity is in charge of user data. YaCyรขย€ย™s open-source software is not subject to any nationรขย€ย™s censorship laws (read our internet censorship guide to learn how censorship works...

GhostMyData Reviews

  1. Rocky Kathuria
    ยท Founder & CEO at GhostMyData ยท
    Finally a privacy service that actually removes your data from 1,500+ brokers

    I built GhostMyData because I was tired of finding my personal information โ€” home address, phone numbers, family members โ€” plastered across dozens of data broker sites. After trying other services, I realized most only cover a fraction of brokers and charge premium prices for basic scans. GhostMyData scans 1,500+ data broker sites, sends legally-backed CCPA deletion requests on your behalf, and tracks every removal to completion. The automated removal pipeline handles everything from opt-out form submissions to verification that your data was actually taken down. We also offer family plans so you can protect your entire household under one subscription, and our daily privacy digest keeps you informed without email overload. The whole platform is designed around transparency โ€” you see exactly what was found, what's been removed, and what's still in progress.

    ๐Ÿ Competitors: Incogni, Delete Me, Privacy Bee, Optery, Kanary
    ๐Ÿ‘ Pros:    Scans 1,500+ data broker sites automatically|Sends legally-backed ccpa/state privacy law deletion requests|Automated opt-out form submissions for major brokers|Family plan protects up to 5 household members|Real-time removal tracking with verification|Free scan with 3 trial removals, no credit card required
    ๐Ÿ‘Ž Cons:    Some brokers require manual identity verification steps|Annual billing only (no monthly option yet)

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, YaCy seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 75 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

YaCy mentions (75)

  • Two Gates Are Closing on AI Web Scraping
    YaCy home page โ€” Official overview of YaCyโ€™s local, organizational, and decentralized search modes. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Google is ending full-web search for niche search engines
    Regarding alternate search engines: I consider the idea of YaCy kind of interesting: a P2P search engine: https://yacy.net/ Although, it needs some more work and peers to be usable as a general-purpose search engine. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Ollama's Web Search
    [YaCy](https://yacy.net/) can do all this I think. Cloudflare might block you IP pretty soon though if you try to crawl. - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • Are We Decentralized Yet?
    > We haven't seen a distributed Google https://yacy.net. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • New ways we're tackling spammy, low-quality content on Search
    YaCy might fit your bill: https://yacy.net/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
View more

GhostMyData mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of GhostMyData yet. Tracking of GhostMyData recommendations started around Apr 2026.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing YaCy and GhostMyData, you can also consider the following products

DuckDuckGo - The Internet privacy company that empowers you to seamlessly take control of your personal information online, without any tradeoffs.

Delete Me - Delete Me is an app that lets you delete your accounts from multiple platforms, including social media sites, e-commerce sites, and many others, with just a few steps.

Google - Google Search, also referred to as Google Web Search or simply Google, is a web search engine developed by Google. It is the most used search engine on the World Wide Web

Incogni - Take back control of your data privacy!

StartPage - Startpage search engine, the new private way to search Google. Protect your Privacy with Startpage!

Optery - See the private info data brokers post about you online