Free Online Mode

Want to let AI go online without spending money? Cherry Studio has two free options, neither requires a paid API:

Option 1: The default Exa MCP (ready to use, no key required)

Cherry Studio By default just set the search provider to Exa MCP— uses public endpoints,no API key required. After installing, click 🌐 in the chat input box globe icon to enable online access for the current conversation; no extra configuration needed.

See online mode.

Option 2: SearXNG (self-hosted, completely free)

If you're willing to deploy it yourself,SearXNG is an open-source metasearch engine that can run entirely locally / on your own server, with unlimited calls, and privacy is more controllable.

See deployment and integration steps in SearXNG local deployment and configuration.

Want better retrieval results, or to use services like Tavily that require a key services? That counts as setting up a search provider in online mode separately, and is not within the "free" category.

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Get help and submit feedback

If you encounter any questions, bugs, or have suggestions for feature improvements during configuration or use, please refer to Feedback and Suggestions for the official channels provided.