Google has dominated the search house for therefore lengthy {that a} U.S. District Court docket decide lately discovered that it has acted illegally to keep up a monopoly in on-line search. You may have most likely used Google Search for so long as you possibly can bear in mind; it’s what changed issues like cellphone books and encyclopedias.
However simply because Google runs the most well-liked engine doesn’t imply you must use it. When you’ve got by no means thought of a search engine past Google, you is perhaps stunned to see what else is on the market.
There are numerous Google Search options available on the market which have gained traction. Whether or not you’re on the lookout for elevated privateness, enhanced AI options or simply one thing completely different, there are some notable choices price testing.
Whereas Microsoft’s Bing and Yahoo are arguably probably the most well-known, there are tons of Google Search options which have additionally been round for some time. However for this listing, we’re specializing in newer, lesser-known entrants into the search engine house. (Disclaimer: TechCrunch is owned by Yahoo.)
Now, let’s get into some Google Search options price exploring.
DuckDuckGo
If you would like extra privateness whenever you search, DuckDuckGo stands out as the proper search engine for you. DuckDuckGo doesn’t monitor your search historical past, and its privateness coverage outlines that it doesn’t acquire or share any of your private info, not like Google, which collects your knowledge to personalize your search outcomes and the adverts it reveals you.
DuckDuckGo has a easy format that means that you can seek for pictures, movies, information, maps and buying outcomes. You can even filter your outcomes primarily based on time, so you possibly can select to see outcomes from the previous day, week, month or yr. Plus, you possibly can base your outcomes on particular areas.
Like Google, DuckDuckGo presents a secure search characteristic. You possibly can select to have it off or on a “strict” or “moderate” setting.
For those who’re enthusiastic about AI, DuckDuckGo provides you nameless entry to a couple completely different AI fashions, together with OpenAI’s GPT-4o mini, Anthropic’s Claude 3, Meta’s Llama 3.1 and Mixtral. DuckDuckGo reassures customers that their conversations gained’t be used to coach AI.
Ecosia
Ecosia is an effective Google Search different for individuals who need to assist save the planet. The search engine contributes to planting bushes and has planted greater than 213 million bushes to this point in over 35 international locations. All the search engine’s income go towards its tree-planting and different environmental tasks.
The search engine is easy to make use of, and its outcomes are powered by Google and Microsoft’s Bing, so you continue to get the identical kinds of outcomes but in addition assist the setting whereas doing so.
Ecosia makes use of important cookies to supply search outcomes, however searches are encrypted. For those who do need customized search outcomes, you possibly can decide into them. Ecosia will ask to your consent earlier than enabling customized search outcomes and adverts.
Courageous Search
Like DuckDuckGo, Courageous Search additionally makes use of privateness as certainly one of its promoting factors. The service says it doesn’t share, promote or acquire your private knowledge. Courageous Search doesn’t depend on different search engines like google and yahoo and is as an alternative constructed by itself unbiased search index.
Courageous surfaces AI-powered solutions to most questions on the high of your search outcomes. For those who don’t need AI-powered solutions and solely need to see commonplace outcomes, you possibly can toggle the characteristic off within the search engine’s settings.
The search engine additionally has a “Discussions” part that may show content material from boards like Reddit. Plus, you possibly can refine your search outcomes with the engine’s “Goggles” characteristic, which helps you to filter your outcomes with choices like “no Pinterest,” “tech blogs,” “news from the left,” “news from the right” and extra.
Like another engines on this listing, Courageous presents a secure search characteristic that you could have “off” or on a “strict” or “moderate” setting.
Startpage
If you’re used to Google search outcomes and don’t need to strive one thing else however need added privateness, Startpage is perhaps a good selection. Whereas Startpage is powered by Google, it guarantees that customers don’t have to fret about private knowledge assortment, monitoring or focusing on.
The search engine’s “Anonymous View” characteristic masks your id whilst you browse different web sites, much like a VPN. Startpage blocks trackers and likewise removes your IP handle from all of its world premise servers.
Startpage additionally permits you to entry unprofiled information, which suggests it doesn’t present information primarily based in your shopping conduct. The search engine does present you promotional content material on its homepage and search outcomes web page, however you possibly can flip this off in Startpage’s settings.
The search engine operates fairly equally to Google, however if you wish to entry Maps, it can ship you to Google or Bing.
Perplexity
Perplexity is embroiled in a sequence of controversies in the mean time. Nonetheless, it is among the most well-liked AI search engines like google and yahoo available on the market, so it’s price mentioning.
In contrast to the opposite search engines like google and yahoo on this listing that merely supply AI options on high of their search outcomes, Perplexity was created as an AI-powered search engine. Consider it like combining an AI chatbot with a search engine.
Perplexity makes use of a conversational strategy to go looking and offers you a concise reply to a query. For those who don’t need a easy reply, Perplexity supplies you with a listing of internet sites along with its concise reply if you wish to discover the net. Plus, there’s a “related” part on the finish of your search that brings up associated queries that encourage additional exploration.
Whereas the search engine is free to make use of, you possibly can join a $20 month-to-month subscription for extra options, similar to entry to image-generation fashions and the choice to pick out your most well-liked AI mannequin.
SearchGPT
Though OpenAI’s SearchGPT isn’t broadly out there, it’s undoubtedly one to look ahead to as soon as it formally launches. Given the success of OpenAI’s different merchandise, the discharge of SearchGPT is certain to trigger a ripple in Google’s Search dominance.
OpenAI has mentioned SearchGPT will give customers “fast and timely answers” to questions. It is possible for you to to sort in a question and obtain info and photographs from the net together with hyperlinks to related sources. You possibly can then ask follow-up questions or discover associated searches in a sidebar.
Responses from the service cite and hyperlink sources so you realize the place the data is coming from. OpenAI has famous that since SearchGPT is about search and is separate from coaching OpenAI’s generative AI basis fashions, the service will floor outcomes from websites even when they’ve opted out of generative AI coaching.
SearchGPT remains to be a prototype, so we will’t say an excessive amount of about it now, however it can undoubtedly be one to take a look at as soon as it’s broadly out there.
