DuckDuckGo is an internet search engine that focuses on user security. It has received a lot of praise from many experts and analysts due to its privacy-based features. The company started its operations in 2008 through its founder Gabriel Weinberg. Similarly, this engine uses search APIs from various vendors to provide quicker results to queries.
DuckDuckGo does not own a significant portion of the market share. However, it is one of the favourites among privacy-conscious users. DuckDuckGo does not have a search index of its own. However, it aggregates search results from various sources. Therefore, it depends on providers such as Bing, Yahoo, Yelp, etc. The company’s primary selling point is its focus on privacy features.
Due to its e-commerce nature, DuckDuckGo attracts a lot of attention to its business. This competition has existed in the same industry for a long time, even before its foundation. Similarly, DuckDuckGo’s competitors provide an alternative to its products and services. Users can use those options to deviate from the company and its solutions.
Some of the top DuckDuckGo competitors and alternatives include the following names.
1. Google
Google, without a doubt, is the world’s largest search engine platform. The company started its operations in 1998 as a search engine website. However, it now operates in several markets and sectors, making money from them. DuckDuckGo markets itself as an alternative to Google with more emphasis on privacy. Despite that, it does not come close to the userbase that Google has.
One of the crucial factors why users switch to DuckDuckGo from Google is privacy concerns. While both platforms have similar features, Google has a more optimized index that provides better results. Its algorithm is also top-notch and well-defined in the industry. Although not a direct competitor, Google is one of the most prominent alternatives to DuckDuckGo.
2. Microsoft Bing
Microsoft Bing, or Bing, is a search engine provided by the tech-giant company Microsoft. Often considered the second most prominent name in the search engine platform industry, it has existed since 2009. Bing is Microsoft’s answer to Google. The company integrates its search engine in its products, including Windows, Windows Phone, Surface laptops, etc.
Bing is a successor to some previous search engines developed by Microsoft. These include MSN Search, Windows Live Search and Live Search. However, it also falls short when it comes to answering privacy concerns. Therefore, it competes with DuckDuckGo in that aspect. However, Bing is ahead of DuckDuckGo but does not exceed other engines like Google.
3. Baidu
Baidu is a Chinese multinational company that specializes in Internet-related services and products. One of its products includes its search engine, which is among the top names in the industry. However, the company primarily caters to the Chinese userbase. While it is the top search engine in China, it does not compete with other search engines in other markets.
Baidu provides all necessary features, similar to other search engines. It has existed since 2000. However, it does not come close to other prominent names in the market, including Google. Despite that, it enters the top search engine list due to its traffic generated from China. Although a prevalent name, Baidu also falls short when it comes to privacy matters.
4. Yandex
Yandex is another top search engine, although it may not be close to the names above. The company has existed since 1997. Like Baidu, Yandex provides various internet-related products and services, one of which includes a search engine. Its primary dominance is in the Russian market, where it generates a significant portion of its revenues.
Yandex is a well-known name in the Russian and Commonwealth of Independent States market. It is Google and Bing’s primary competitor in those markets. However, Yandex also has some privacy issues that DuckDuckGo promises to solve. The company also gets revenues from more than 70 other products and services, although its search engine is a primary item in the list.
5. CC Search
CC Search is a search engine that helps users find online copyright-free content. Although not as well-known as some other names on this list, it is significantly beneficial for artists. For example, it can help content creators get music for the videos or writers an image for their blog. Since it provides access to copyright-free content, there is no concern related to copyright notices.
CC Search only provides results to specific websites. Therefore, its index is much smaller compared to some other names on this list. Similarly, it only displays the result for content that comes under the Creative Commons material label. While most other search engines also provide access to similar content, CC Search provides several related features.
6. Searx
Searx is a free metasearch engine that focuses on users’ privacy. In terms of services related to privacy issues, it is similar to DuckDuckGo. However, since it is a metasearch engine, it takes its results from another search engine. It does not have its own index. Searx blocks several tools and components from other search engines that may invade user privacy.
Searx is a great alternative for users who want to use Google as their search engine. However, it blocks any privacy-exploiting components by converting those to direct links. It also provides customization features that most users value.
7. Brave
Brave isn’t a search engine but rather a web browser. However, it focuses on user safety and privacy, which is its primary selling point. The browser takes care of privacy and security by blocking trackers and ads from search engines. In terms of competition, it is not similar to DuckDuckGo. However, it focuses on privacy-related features that can make other search engines usable.
Brave allows users to use their favourite search engines. While users can still use DuckDuckGo, this browser removes the privacy concerns that users have. Therefore, it provides an alternative product to DuckDuckGo. It also provides other privacy features, such as Tor. It does so without sacrificing the speed that users get from other web browsers.
8. Qwant
Qwant is a France-based search engine platform that started its operations in 2013. In terms of functionality, it is similar to other search engines. Qwant has its own indexing engine and provides several privacy-related features. Although not as big as some other names on this list, Qwant is a DuckDuckGo competitor in the focused market.
Initially, Qwant used Bing as its search engine processor. However, it has moved away from this engine since then. Qwant does not seek competition from search engines such as Google and Bing. The company also has its own version of Firefox web browser that uses its own search engine as default. Since it is based in Europe, it also has stricter data privacy protections compared to the US.
9. Yahoo! Search
Yahoo! Search used to be one of the top names in the search engine market. The platform operated under the Yahoo! brand, founded in 1995. However, it has gone through various changes and lost its demand since then. Yahoo! Search adopted Inktomi as its search index in 2001 but later converted to Google until 2004. Since then, it used its own index.
In 2009, Yahoo! and Microsoft reached an agreement for Bing to power Yahoo! Search. Since it is a part of a large corporation, most users worry about privacy concerns about this engine. Similarly, it uses Bing as its index, which further complicates the issue. Although not a direct competitor, this search engine provides a decent alternative to DuckDuckGo.
10. Swisscows
Swisscows is a relatively new search engine launched in 2014. This engine started its operations in Egnach, Switzerland. Similarly, it uses semantic data recognition to provide faster results. The company behind the engine claims not to store user data while also offering family-friendly results. However, it uses Bing for its web search index.
Swisscows has also built its index for the German language. The engine uses artificial intelligence to determine the context of a user’s query. Furthermore, it claims to provide results with significant accuracy. Like Qwant, it also operates from Europe, which has stricter privacy protection laws. Therefore, it provides a substantial alternative to DuckDuckGo.
Conclusion
DuckDuckGo is a search engine provider that aggregates results from various sources. The company has become a well-known name among the privacy-conscious audience. However, it works in a market where there is significant competition. Its competition provides various products and services that pose a threat to DuckDuckGo’s business. Some of the top DuckDuckGo competitors and alternatives are provided above.
