Why use Duckduckgo Over Google in 2024 is a question that’s buzzing over the internet. With time everyone is concerned with browsing and searching data as there are tons of search engines and browsers.
DuckDuckGo is a truly private browser that prevents Amazon, Google, and Facebook from collecting personal information about you based on your browsing history.
Although large technology corporations such as Google and Apple would like to convince us that we can safely browse the Internet using the incognito mode of their respective browsers, any cybersecurity expert will tell us that this is not the case.
Google had to change the incognito mode of its web browser on Android due to a 5,000 million dollar lawsuit accusing them of lying about the functions of said secure mode.
One of the most effective measures we can take to protect our internet searches and browsing history is to use a truly private browser that does not collect our personal data, and the most popular and well-known of these is DuckDuckGo.
DuckDuckGo is one of the best private search engines available today; it has its own app for both iOS and Android, as well as its own search engine. This final feature will enable us to use any other web browser, including Google Chrome, with this search engine by configuring it in its settings.
Following that, we’ll go over the four reasons why privacy experts recommend DuckDuckGo over Google.
Search volume of Google and DuckDuckGo
According to Hubspot, there are 63000 true sleepers on Google every 1 second, which if we calculate then 544 crores in 1 day. However, the data is estimated as Google does not share its search data with anyone.
However, DuckDuckGo own data website states that the average daily searches that occur on their search engine is around 100 million.
Why use Duckduckgo Over Google
| Feature | DuckDuckGo | Google Search |
|---|
| Privacy | Focuses on user privacy, does not track users or store personal data | Collects extensive user data to personalize search results and advertisements |
| Search Results | Less personalized; same results for all users based on keywords | Highly personalized based on user history, location, and preferences |
| Advertisement | Displays ads but without using user-specific tracking | Displays personalized ads based on search history and user data |
| Search Index | Uses multiple sources, including Bing, Yahoo, and its own web crawlers | Uses its own vast search index and regularly crawls the web |
| Speed | Generally fast, but may not always match Google’s speed in retrieving information | Extremely fast and optimized with multiple servers across the globe |
| User Interface | Simple, minimalist, and clutter-free interface | More features, interactive, and customizable interface |
| Customization | Offers some basic theme and appearance customization | Extensive customization options, including language, region, and personalized features |
| Anonymous Browsing | Prioritizes anonymous browsing; no personalized results | Does not offer anonymous browsing unless the user opts for Incognito Mode |
| Instant Answers | Provides instant answers from various sources, including Wikipedia and Stack Overflow | Extensive instant answers from Google’s own services like Google Knowledge Graph |
| Market Share | Small, but growing, with around 2-3% global market share | Dominates the search engine market with over 90% global market share |
| Search Algorithm | Focuses on relevance and does not rely heavily on user data | Uses complex algorithms like PageRank and RankBrain, with heavy reliance on user data |
| Integration with Other Services | Limited integrations with third-party services | Deep integration with Google’s own services (Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, etc.) |
| Open-Source | Some parts are open-source (e.g., community contributions for instant answers) | Proprietary and closed-source algorithms |
| Dark Web Search | Supports Tor browser and has a .onion version for anonymous use | Does not support Tor browsing natively; not accessible via dark web |
Why use Duckduckgo Over Google
So here are some reason to why use Duckduckgo over Google. Here we will talk about both about the search engine and browser (DuckDuckGo browser is only available for mobile users).
DuckDuckGo does not save our browsing history
The first reason to switch from Google to DuckDuckGo is that this search engine never saves our browsing data, IP address, or any personal information associated with it, as the only thing it stores are the keywords we use in searches.
DuckDuckGo does not keep track of searches
The second reason to use DuckDuckGo instead of Google is that it does not track searches made with its mobile app or search engine, and it also does not generate any search history.
DuckDuckGo disables external trackers
DuckDuckGo not only does not track our searches, but it also blocks external trackers and sends us a report whenever one of them attempts to access our active session.
In this regard, this browser also requires that the websites we visit use an encrypted connection whenever possible.
DuckDuckGo does not display targeted advertisements
The final reason to use DuckDuckGo instead of Google is that this private search engine will never show us targeted or personalized ads, but will only show us ads related to the keywords of the search we are performing.
Furthermore, these ads will never be linked to personal information such as browsing or purchasing history.
Is DuckDuckGo or Google safer?
According to DuckDuckGo, they don’t track users who are making searches but they do keep the search query. But as per their claim they don’t have data regarding which user searched for which query.
Google keeps a record of the search queries related to a user to make the searches and other apps like Google Discover, News, and other more personalized.
If you don’t want your data or requirements to be saved then DuckDuckGo is safer.
Is DuckDuckGo owned by China?
There is still some misconception among some people that DuckDuckGo belongs to China but this is not true. The company was founded by Gabriel Weinberg in 2008.
Weinberg a Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni said in an interview to Forbes said that even the government cant track your search queries as it is encrypted between users and DuckDuckGo.