Google is the benchmark against which all search engines are measured. Ever since its arrival two decades ago, Google’s vast investment in its search technology and the advertisement business has given it tremendous growth, the latter landing it in trouble with authorities in the US lately. The data collection policies have often attracted criticism from champions of data privacy and security. As a result, there is often a demand to look for the best search engine alternatives to Google.
Although it may sound concerning initially, thorough research on the World Wide Web reveals a treasure trove of search engines that work almost as well as Google, if not better. A legacy name like Yahoo! continues to serve its loyal users with a simplified search engine and a dedicated email client.
On the other side of the spectrum lies Perplexity.ai – a revolutionary new way to search the internet for information using the magic of generative AI and large language models. We also found some great search engines that prioritise user data privacy over profits and advertisements. They even have their own web browsers to help them in their cause of championing data privacy on the web.
Hence, if you are tired of Google and want to seek an alternative new ecosystem with a search engine and web client apps, you have stumbled upon the right piece. Join us as we explore the best alternative search engines to Google in 2024.
(Image credit: Firmbee.com/Unsplash)
Best search engine alternatives to Google:
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Bing
URL: www.bing.com
If your digital world doesn’t involve Google, Bing is the biggest search engine ecosystem you can rely on. Bing is easily available as an alternate search engine on most browsers and currently has the second-highest market share in its segment. Integrated with Microsoft Copilot, Bing ends up offering a one-stop solution to all your web needs.
It even offers its own map, image and video search, shopping tab and a lot more. The Copilot integration makes it easier to generate custom images, use text-based tools and offer answers to complex queries.
(Image Credits: Rubaitul Azad via Unsplash)
Yahoo!
URL: www.yahoo.com
Yahoo! might be an unfamiliar name for the smartphone generation but back in the late 1990s, it was THE search engine that made the World Wide Web more accessible. Yahoo! started life as a directory of indexed web pages and eventually incorporated the search function in 1995. In the next two decades, Yahoo! merged as one of the best all-in-one web solutions, especially after the popularity of Yahoo! Mail and its news aggregator business.
However, Yahoo! lost steam after Google’s arrival on the scene and has struggled to stay afloat since. While most of its features are gone, it remains a reliable search engine that serves as a great alternative to Google.
(Image Credits: Yahoo!)
DuckDuckGo
URL: www.duckduckgo.com
Search engines usually rely on ad money to survive and hence, end up compromising their user data privacy. That’s not the case with DuckDuckGo.
DuckDuckGo is a search engine that prioritises privacy over everything else. It even has its own web browser for ensuring a safe and secure internet surfing experience. Other than keeping your surfing data safe, the search engine also offers bangs – a feature that lets you directly search popular online directories. You can also get instant answers to your queries in a format that’s easy to comprehend.
The newly introduced DuckDuckGo AI Chat also lets you experience a proper generative AI-free chatbot that lets you choose from various AI models like GPT-4o mini, Claude 3 Haiku, Llama 3.1 and more.
(Image Credits: DuckDuckGo)
Perplexity
URL: www.perplexity.ai
Since generative AI is all the hype, why not use a search engine that bases its search function on it? Perplexity.ai is currently the only search engine that relies on an AI model to respond to queries.
Perplexity quotes its web sources while generating an answer with all the necessary information in place. The idea behind this search engine is to directly provide an answer while quoting the sources, thereby making it easier to use the information instead of searching through numerous website listings to figure out the answer. Whether the queries are easy or complex, the large language model can understand and come up directly with answers instead of throwing a bunch of web links at you.
(Image Credits: Perplexity)
Brave
URL: search.brave.com
Similar to DuckDuckGo, Brave Search prioritises user data privacy over anything else. As a result, Brave Search does away with advertisements, thereby making for a clean and distraction-free web search experience.
Brave Search also impresses with its personal web search indexing technology, which allows it to return search results faster than most traditional search platforms. For several complex queries, Brave Search also relies on a large language model for curating answers in a language that humans can understand, just like Google’s AI Search Overview feature.
Those using Brave Search can also download the Brave Browser for a more privacy-centric user experience.
(Image Credits: Brave)
(Hero and Featured Image Credits: Courtesy Héctor Achautla via Unsplash)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Bing is usually considered the best alternative to Google Search.
DuckDuckGo doesn’t save the browsing history or track the users' sessions. It doesn’t sell the data to advertisers.
Search engines like Bing and DuchDuckGo offer the same, if not better, search engine functionality than Google.
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Amritanshu lives and breathes tech, cars, Formula 1, space stuff and everything that delivers an adrenaline rush. Since 2016, he converted his favorite hobby of going all gaga over iPhones and Lamborghinis into his profession; hence, you aren’t likely to be surprised upon checking his browser history. In his spare time, he loves to drive and explore food joints, but will somehow end up with a plate of Chicken Biryani and a big smile. He has previously written for Hindustan Times, India Today, BGR.in, and Deccan Chronicle.
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