DuckDuckGo, a search engine that promises “real privacy, smarter search, and less clutter,” has been in the tech news a lot lately. It’s a smaller search engine than Google and Bing, yet it’s receiving an unusual amount of praise from industry leaders. Why? In this edition of “Prospect Genius Reviews…,” we’ll find out.
To preface: DuckDuckGo has been exalted by countless experts and news organizations since its launch in 2008. Prospect Genius’s review of DuckDuckGo won’t break any new ground, per se, but it will hopefully synthesize the information that’s out there and provide yet another endorsement of DuckDuckGo’s services.
First and foremost, DuckDuckGo offers unprecedented levels of privacy. It claims not to track its users like Google does. As you’re probably well aware, Google is notorious for collecting data on all of its users and monetizing it via sponsored ads. DuckDuckGo functions as an antidote to the sense of invasion that many search engine users experience on a regular basis. Not only does it refrain from mining users’ data, but it doesn’t even log your search history— ever.
The Nerd Business Blog has this to say: “DuckDuckGo does not collect or share personal information. No IP logging, no way to identify you or your search queries, encrypted searches and other practices all contribute to an A+ in privacy.”
In addition to offering a more secure browsing experience, DuckDuckGo also provides very user-friendly search features. For example, it offers Zero-Click Info on search results pages where a quick definition or explanation of a term is provided right at the top of the results. This feature means users get the information they want without even needing to click on a page link. And while Google started offering this feature recently, DuckDuckGo has made it a staple since at least 2011.
Another of DuckDuckGo’s significant search features is its streamlined design. There are no ads. Seriously— they’re nonexistent. This, paired with the search engine’s clutter-free design, makes for an efficient search experience for users. You see, there are no separate search results pages like there are on Google and Bing. Instead, the list of results just keeps regenerating as users scroll down, creating a seamless search for users.
These are just a few of the many advantages offered by DuckDuckGo. It’s no wonder, then, that the latest versions of Mozilla Firefox and Apple’s Safari, both very popular web browsers, have added DuckDuckGo as a native option for their search engines.
But one question remains: How do DuckDuckGo’s search results compare with those of Google and Bing? The folks at MaximumPC performed an extensive test of Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo to determine which is the best search engine and published the results. Although all three are just about equal in accuracy, Google bested the other two in image and video search, as well as layouts and features. At the same time, DuckDuckGo won by a landslide in privacy and security. So does DuckDuckGo provide the best search results? No. But users won’t pay for them with their privacy, either.
We’ll leave you with this final thought from Eli Schwartz’s September 4 article on Search Engine Land:
At some point, users may get fed up with having their online usage constantly tracked and thus may start paying more attention to the privacy advantages that DuckDuckGo offers.
With more consumer awareness of alternatives like DuckDuckGo, that tipping point might not be too far in the future. If ever this event occurs, it is entirely conceivable that the surge of new users could push DuckDuckGo ahead of Bing.
It’s clear why Prospect Genius reviews DuckDuckGo favorably as a secure, easy-to-use alternative to Google and even Bing. If you haven’t yet, visit duckduckgo.com and try it out right now. It might become your new favorite search engine!
Next time on “Prospect Genius Reviews…,” we’ll take a look at Yahoo’s search performance in light of its brand-new role as Firefox’s default search engine.