DuckDuckGo is arguably the most famous private search engine around. However, there are a couple of other ones out there that you can try if DuckDuckGo just doesn’t fit the bill for you. Here are our top four recommendations for other search engines like DuckDuckGo.
1. StartPage / IxQuick
(www.startpage.com) OR (www.ixquick.com)
If you want to use Google Search without having Google track what you’re looking for, then try StartPage. Like the “Redirect” function in DuckDuckGo, StartPage is a way to route your search requests in a manner that doesn’t let other search engines or websites know that you’re looking for, or even that you’re the one looking. IxQuick is StartPage’s parent company, and has its own search engine that lets you anonymously get results from pretty much any major search engine that isn’t Google Search. Neither search engine records your IP address, search terms, or any other of your Internet-related personal information.
2. Disconnect Search
Disconnect is a company that has a whole suite of Internet privacy tools, and a search engine is one of them. The search engine doesn’t record your Internet address, search terms, or any other of your Internet-based personal information. Like DuckDuckGo, it allows you to search for results that are more relevant to a particular country. It also allows you to instantly switch between search results from Google Search, Yahoo Search, Bing, and even DuckDuckGo!
3. Qwant
Qwant is a relatively new search engine based in France. Created in 2013, it does not show any advertising, and it blocks cookies that are used for advertising purposes. Similar to DuckDuckGo, the only information that Qwant keeps from you using it is on your individual preferences for the website. Also, like DuckDuckGo, Qwant uses the secure HTTP framework, so your search activity is difficult to intercept and decode for any would-be snoopers. The stated goals of Qwant are to help you avoid being tracked on the Internet while using a search engine, and to avoid the “search bubble” effect where your past searches skew your results, showing you certain things and hiding others.
4. UnBubble
UnBubble is another relatively new search engine out of Europe; it was created in Germany in 2014. Like most of the other search engines like DuckDuckGo that we’ve listed, it does not store your search terms, Internet address, or any other personally-identifiable Internet-related information. In addition, it uses a unique search algorithm to sort through results from other major search engines and deliver the most generally relevant ones. The goal, like it is with Qwant (and DuckDuckGo), is to prevent the “search bubble” effect where the terms that you’ve searched for in the past influence the results that you get in future searches.
If you’ve tried any of these websites like DuckDuckGo, feel free to let us know about whether you had a positive or negative experience while using them. In addition, feel free to let us know about any other private search engines like DuckDuckGo that you’ve tried, and that you think our users would like. Drop us a line in the comments below, or on our Facebook or Twitter pages.
