While most of us continue to use Google as our main search engine for finding information on the Internet, there are numerous alternative options that may suit your needs better and this list provides the best choices.
Searching on the internet and Google are synonymous with each other as we all know. Instead of saying look it up, we typically say “Google it” when we are trying to find the answer to a question that we do not know.
However, Google is a massive technology conglomerate that is under the umbrella company of Alphabet Inc. and currently owns some of the largest corporations in the world today. This includes YouTube, Android, Fitbit, Motorola, DoubleClick, and Nest, to name a few.
Google takes up over 85% of the market share for search engines and has held the #1 spot for many years with no signs of slowing down.
Luckily, we have the freedom to choose which search engine we use and this is something you should consider whenever accessing the internet. There are various reasons why many are fleeing from Google search and opting for an alternative to find answers online.
Table of Contents
- Why You Should Consider a Google Alternative
- Corruption
- Privacy Concerns
- Best Google Search Alternatives
- Bing
- DuckDuckGo
- Brave
- Yahoo!
- Ask.com
- AOL
- Final Thoughts
Why You Should Consider a Google Alternative
There are many reasons why you may want to look at using another search engine besides Google to find your online answers. While you may have your own reasons why, here are a few why many have made the switch.
Corruption
In the past, Google search results appeared to be head and shoulders above the rest. But this has changed recently and nearly all search results from different search engines are generally the same.
In fact, the Google algorithm does not always appear to be working properly and is oftentimes skewed with results that will benefit Google and its partner companies.
This is apparent with searches that highlight Reddit at the top of the results page and it is no coincidence that these are appearing more often than not these days. This is because in February of 2024, Google and Reddit reached an agreement that would allow Google to train its AI models with Reddit’s data.
After this deal was made, many started seeing Reddit appear at the top of Google search results which led to a 500% increase in website traffic for the popular forum platform. We see this often for searches in our niche and just one example is provided below in our search for “Best Kodi Addons“.
This is just one of the reasons why you can’t trust Reddit for reliable information when searching on Google or any other search engine for that matter.
More recently, a federal judge deemed Google as a Monopoly over the Internet search industry claiming “Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly”. It is unclear just what this ruling will bring in the future but we hope changes are made sooner rather than later.
Privacy Concerns
Another key issue that many share when using Google is privacy concerns. In today’s technological world full of data breaches, online scams, and more, you can never be too safe with your personal information online.
Google has had a long history of privacy worries, mostly from individuals who use the service on a daily basis. That is because we know that Google collects tons of data from individuals including search history, location, browsing habits, and personal info.
The algorithms developed by Google have numerous ways of tracking you and everything you do online, even across multiple devices and online platforms. And the worst part is that there is no consent or acknowledgement that the company is doing so.
What Google does with your data is another key concern as the corporation has numerous partnerships and agreements with 3rd party companies who acquire data and information that Google collects.
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This is likely the most unnerving aspect of the search engine’s intrusive design since we do not know who these outlets are and what they may be doing with our data. This is one of the main reasons many have opted to use a VPN or Virtual Private Network whenever they access the internet.
Whatever the reason may be, millions of people are switching to alternative search engines to avoid the Google stronghold. Listed below are the best search engines (other than Google) that are gaining popularity by the day.
Best Google Search Alternatives
If you are in the market for a new search engine, we suggest one of the alternatives below that work just as well if not better than Google without all of the baggage that comes with this platform.
Bing
The second most popular search engine (albeit by a long shot) is Bing, owned by Microsoft and continuing to grow in popularity and availability.
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It has a similar layout to Google search with new features that continue to roll out to try and compete with the leader in this space.
Most of these are recent and based on AI (Artificial Intelligence) including Microsoft Copilot which is a chatbot that is similar to ChatGPT and other chat tools that can answer questions, write content, and create images/logos/graphics, and more.
One downfall of Bing, however, is that it has similar privacy issues to Google as it shares user information with 3rd parties and uses data collected for targeted ads and marketing purposes.
DuckDuckGo
A lesser known search engine that is making a charge up the list of popular platforms is DuckDuckGo. The biggest draw for this service is privacy and this is the forefront of this software company with their search engine being the flagship product.
DuckDuckGo has built in tracking blockers so you can easily evade data collectors and keep your sensitive information completely private. This blocker also helps to remove ads and pop ups so that you can get down to business in whatever you may be searching for.
The search engine continues to add new features on a regular basis and will play YouTube without targeted ads, remove data you want erased, sync passwords privately, and eliminate trackers in your email which you can hide with their private email address option.
Brave
Another search engine focused on privacy, Brave has a web browser that uses it’s built-in search engine which is an AI-powered model with independent indexing.
Brave does not collect personal data and notes that it is impossible for them to share, sell, or lose your data because they do not have it.
A typical search in Brave returns numerous results by breaking them down into various categories such as Discussions, Videos, related articles, and more. Those interested can opt for Brave Search Premium which will remove ads and help support Brave Search direcly.
Yahoo!
While this is the third most popular search engine on the market today, Yahoo! search is more geared towards those who come to the internet to browse news articles and testimonies.
It is important to note that Yahoo! is powered by Microsoft Bing so search results will be generally the same. However, the home page features tons of information such as sports, weather, finance, and trending topics.
Searches on Yahoo! return quick results and are relevant to what you are looking for. Users will find “searches related to” which is helpful when you are trying to find more detailed responses to your questions.
When you use Yahoo!, you may see some relevant advertisem*nts based on recent searches for a more personalized experience, however, you can opt out of this within settings.
Ask.com
If you were around during the early days of the internet, you have probably heard of AskJeeves which was founded in 1996 and one of the first search engines to ever hit the market.
This platform is built to answer questions and does so fabulously with quick results, however, you are hardly directed to other websites as Ask seems to answer anything you input themselves. (Along with relevant ads)
Similar to Yahoo!, the home screen of Ask has numerous other choices besides search. This includes news articles which plaster the main menu as well as categories for Movies/TV Shows, News, Culture, and more.
AOL
AOL has been around for many years and is still one of the best search engines available today. It is more than just a search engine and used to provide dial up internet services to millions of users, along with chat services and instant messaging which was widely popular.
In 2021, the company was bought by Yahoo! which means that search results will be fairly similar. The layout of searches is fairly simple and straightforward with related searches appearing in the margins.
In the Privacy Policy for AOL, it states that they “may share personal information in limited circ*mstances, including when we have your consent to do so or when it is necessary to protect the law” which means some user data may be collected.
Final Thoughts
If you are tired of Google’s endless overbearing of the search engine market, you may want to consider an alternative from the list above. Many are looking for more advanced searches without giving up personal information and data that can be shared among 3rd parties.
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We want to know what you prefer to use instead of Google. Let us know in the comments below!
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