Google Alternative

It is a well-known fact that to receive a "tailored experience" from the Google Search engine, we must share our personal information and consent to Google tracking us online. When you see too much content and advertising that is specifically suited to you, personalisation eventually starts to annoy you.

So, here are some Google substitute websites you may check out if you are not satisfied with Google search results or looking for similarly good search engines.

1. Bing

Microsoft's Bing ranks second in terms of popularity and has a solid foothold in the online industry. This alternative search engine uses Yahoo! Search to deliver search results, and its site features a constantly changing background featuring lovely images of people, locations, sports, and other subjects. When searching for videos, it displays a grid of huge thumbnails with a preview when you hover over them and a simple click to play the video.

Like Google, Bing offers advertisements and functions including conversion, translation, spell checking, sports scores, and flight tracking. Bing also has mobile apps on Android as well as iOS and stands as one of the best Google alternatives.

2. DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo is the greatest Google substitute if you are looking for internet privacy. Because of the privacy features it provides to users, it has swiftly acquired popularity. There are no advertising following you because the website never keeps track of your online actions or you.

Additionally, it offers search results from Yahoo, Yandex, and other search engines in addition to Google and has a simple user interface. You can add the plugin from DuckDuckGo to your browser to keep your online activity hidden. It has all the typical functions of a search engine like Google, and it also has one unique feature worth highlighting called "bangs."

Even better, you can switch to the more private DuckDuckGo browser. By default, it disables cookies and trackers, and you can easily wipe all your browsing history. Along with the web browser, you also get DuckDuckGo Email Protection. It protects the privacy of your email and disables in-email trackers.

3. Brave

A browser with a privacy-focused reputation, Brave just introduced its own search engine. It was Launched in June 2021, Brave Search Beta replaced Google as the browser's default search engine in October 2021. It has a separate, independent search index that edits search results according to unidentified user comments. Therefore, Brave becomes smarter the more people who use it.

4. Ecosia

Even though Ecosia has been there since 2009, it still comes as no surprise that not many people are familiar with this no-cost search engine. In fact, many users may find it to be a fantastic alternative to Google. The rationale is that it has a straightforward user interface and is akin to Google.

The web browser can easily manage your search requests, but what makes it unique is that it uses the money it makes to plant trees all around the world. Additionally, Ecosia shares the same platform as DuckDuckGo and does not track or sell your online behaviour to outside parties (ahem, Google).

Seven distinct languages are supported by Ecosia, which offers functions including safe search, smart suggestions, and notifications from trees. One thing to keep in mind is that Bing is the search engine used by Ecosia. Additionally, you can enable personalised suggestions, in which case Ecosia will give you a special ID that will be shared with Bing and then removed.

5. Yahoo

Although Google has been around longer, Yahoo has been around longer, and some internet users still use Yahoo! Search for their everyday searches. Yahoo comes at number four in terms of popularity among people, it is not too far behind Bing. This Google substitute search engine has a tonne to offer in addition to retrieving search results.

The website acts as a news aggregator, email service, online store, games hub, travel guide, and many other things. About thirty-eight languages are supported by Yahoo search engine. Yahoo's web portal, which offers a variety of services from sports to travel, rather than just being a single search engine, is worth looking out.

The search engine now provides improved image results thanks to Flickr's integration, while areas like Yahoo Answers and Yahoo Finance bring a wealth of data on a variety of subjects. Yahoo! manages to outperform Google in terms of privacy.

6. Qwant

Another French-based search engine that prioritises privacy is Qwant. The website asserts that it will never gather your personal information for ad targeting. Qwant is a privacy-focused search engine with many features that are shared with DuckDuckGo. One of them is referred to as "Qwick Search Shortcuts," which is identical to the "Bangs" function of the latter.

The user design is highly appealing and organises the news stories and hot topics on its homepage. Any term you enter will be displayed in the Web, News, and social categories. This carefully sorted search result responds to your inquiry more effectively. This website features a special section for music lovers where you may use AI to find new songs and lyrics.

The Google alternative might not provide a tailored experience because it does not track you. Qwant can provide a novel experience, but many users these days prefer to avoid the "filter bubble" that results from excessive personalisation. The fact that Qwant is not available in all nations is a significant drawback. For instance, India still lacks access to the search engine.

7. Swisscows

Due to its emphasis on privacy, Swisscows, formerly known as Hulbee, ranks sixth on the list. It is quite well-liked by parents who want their children to receive child-friendly search results. The search engine's inbuilt filter for violent and obscene information cannot be disabled. However, it depends on Bing to gather data based on semantic data for logical search results.

Ads on Swisscows are only targeted based on your query and not even your location according to the company's unique ad technology. The grid of tag suggestions that Swisscows provides every time you enter a query is another reason I adore it. When you type Windows 10, for instance, other things like laptop, install, apps, update, features, etc. are suggested. In addition to the search engine, Swisscows also provides GetDigest, an AI-powered content aggregator, Teleguard, a WhatsApp competitor that prioritises privacy, and Swisscows VPN.

8. Search Encrypt

A metasearch engine called Search Encrypt prioritises privacy and makes sure that your online actions are secure. The website asserts that because it uses local encryption to secure your searches, it does not track any personally identifiable information about users.

The search partners in its network are then used to retrieve the search results. Despite being a new competitor to Google, Search Encrypt has over twenty-three million daily users and does its best to avoid the filter bubble of tailored searches. The most notable aspect of this alternative search engine is that it immediately expires and deletes your local browser data after 15 minutes of inactivity. Therefore, even if someone else has access to your computer, you need not be concerned.

9. StartPage

In addition to Google, Ixquick was a separate search engine that presented its own results. It created a different search engine called StartPage to incorporate Google search results without the tracking. However, they were combined in 2009, and as a result, they now go by the name StartPage.

Along with displaying search results, it provides a proxy service so users can access the internet securely and privately. It contains a unique URL generator that does not require cookie setting to promote cookie-free internet. As a result, you can preserve your settings in a way that respects your privacy.

10. SearX

SearX is another metasearch tool that should be mentioned in this list. This website does not collect your information and provides unbiased results from various sources to increase the freedom and decentralisation of the internet.

Numerous sources, including well-known ones like Google, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, Wikipedia, etc., are used to retrieve search results. Everyone can inspect the source code for SearX, an open-source competitor to Google, and contribute to it via GitHub. Even better, you can host it on your server after customising it to be your own metasearch engine.

With sophisticated capabilities that are typically not available on other search engines, this Google substitute enables you customise the settings in the Preferences sections. Torrent enthusiasts will adore the SearX search engine since it makes it easy to locate magnet links to specific files when you conduct a metasearch for a file.

11. Yandex

With a market share of between 55 and 65 percent in Russia, Yandex is one of the most widely used search engines there. It ranks as the fifth largest search engine globally and is widely used in several regions of Europe. Given that it offers services like mobile apps, a web browser, a map, a translation, analytics, cloud storage, and even a postal service, Yandex is one of Google's major rivals. Yandex is among the top Google alternatives thanks to these offerings.

The search results page has a layout that is reminiscent of Google but cleaner on this internet search engine. You may search through photographs, videos, and news just like on Google. But bear in mind that Yandex is situated in Russia, so you might want to pass if privacy is your top priority.