Fireplexity: The Open-Source Answer Engine Inspired by Perplexity AI

What is Fireplexity?

Fireplexity is an open-source AI search engine developed by the Mendable AI team, built on top of the Firecrawl web crawling API. It enables users to ask natural language questions and get intelligent, real-time answers—complete with citations, source links, and live data visualization.

Key Features

• Real-Time Web Search
  Uses the high-performance Firecrawl API to retrieve and process live web content.

• AI-Powered Answers
  Integrates the GPT‑4o‑mini model for fast, streaming AI responses.

• Citation and Source Linking
  Every response includes direct citations and source links, increasing trust and traceability.

• Live Stock Chart Embeds
  Features built-in support for real-time stock charts via TradingView.

• Smart Follow-Up Suggestions
  Automatically suggests follow-up questions for a smooth, conversational experience.

Technical Principles

• Firecrawl Search API
  Firecrawl handles web crawling and parses pages into structured data that can be retrieved by the AI engine.

• Streaming Answers via GPT‑4o‑mini
  Uses the Vercel AI SDK to deliver fast, streaming responses powered by the GPT‑4o‑mini model.

• Multi-Source Integration
  Combines search results, stock data, and other external sources into a unified output.

• Full-Stack Architecture
  Built with a Next.js front end and environment-configurable back end, using variables such as FIRECRAWL_API_KEY and OPENAI_API_KEY.

Project Repository

• GitHub: https://github.com/mendableai/fireplexity

Use Cases

• Knowledge Q&A Platform
  Acts as an open-source, self-hosted alternative to Perplexity AI—ideal for users and developers who value transparency and control over data sources.

• Developer Tool Integration
  A flexible solution for developers to embed intelligent Q&A engines into websites, apps, or chatbots with full customizability.

• Financial Insights
  Includes real-time stock charts, making it useful for market tracking and investment research.

• Education & Research Support
  Great for academic or learning scenarios, offering smart answers with references and interactive follow-ups.