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Recoll vs Clapgrep: catalog facts
Recoll	Clapgrep
Free Free and open source under the GPL.	Free Free and open source under the GPL-3.0-or-later licence.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Browser extension	Linux
Handles an unusually wide range of formats, including mail folders Powerful query language with stemming, fields and proximity	Searches inside PDF files as well as plain text Searches a whole folder in one pass
Format support depends on external helper programs being installed The Qt interface is functional rather than polished	Linux only Small project maintained by a single developer
Downloadable app, Browser extension	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-2.0	License: GPL-3.0-or-later
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.