When it comes to search dominance in most markets, Google reigns supreme. Users love the accurate results, ease of use, and simple user interface.

Google holds such a commanding lead in search that most people in the United States and other major markets aren’t aware there are other places to search for information online. Some people use Microsoft’s Bing search engine, but that’s mainly because it’s a default search tool for the company’s web browser.

Google also powers many people’s searches on platforms like Facebook and social media networks. In the past, large software companies attempted to build competitors, but they often failed to gain meaningful market share despite dedicating significant resources to search.

However, some people worry about privacy concerns with using Google search or looking for something different from the search experience. Many niche search engines or other search tools are built for specific users.

Here are 25 alternative search engines to give a try in 2023.

1. Bing

Microsoft’s Bing has been around for years and has steadily grown despite still being minuscule compared to Google’s giant search business. It’s the largest search engine option for people who want something other than Google.

Microsoft generally deploys greater privacy options with greater flexibility for users. However, increased privacy will mean you may not get the immediate results you’re used to with Google search.

Still, Bing is a worthwhile contender with its beautiful background images that change frequently and a reward program that gives users points from their searches that wins them discounts and other prizes.

It also has a neat preview feature that plays snippets of video thumbnails with sound whenever a searcher hovers the mouse over the video. You can also use Bing’s translation tools, weather monitoring, news feeds, and more apps that integrate well with the search experience.

Bing is a great search option; people who make the switch will get fast and accurate results regardless of what they try to find online.

2. DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo is a privacy-friendly search engine that doesn’t track queries. One of the main reasons why Google works so well is that the engine tracks your inputs and builds a digital profile for each user. This helps Google deliver more accurate search results based on history and predictive algorithms.

With DuckDuckGo, however, none of a searcher’s inputs are recorded. Everything’s treated as someone’s first time searching for information. This is ideal if you want search results that don’t skew based on your shopping history, location, and click history.

DuckDuckGo also has extensions you can install on popular browsers to keep search history anonymous. It’s ideal for people who don’t like the idea of a company storing their search data. People search for highly personal information they often mistakenly think is private.

With DuckDuckGo, you avoid having a company track what you’re typing in and which websites you visit.

DuckDuckGo may not provide personalized search results, which some people prefer, but it does a terrific job of making things easier for its users. The extensions are a great example, and the search engine also has custom search inputs that get people to sites and specific information faster.

3. Baidu

If you’re interested in seeing how a billion Chinese users view the internet, then you should try Baidu!

Baidu seems daunting at first for a lot of English speakers because the interface is in Chinese, but you can get results in English and navigate through some of the latest online trends in China.

Kick things up a notch by loading Baidu into Chrome and letting the real-time translation tools turn everything on the page to English.

In addition to the basic search function, Baidu also has a host of business tools and apps. For example, you can shop on Baidu’s e-commerce platform, browse posts on its social media outlet, and more.

Learning how to use Baidu is a must for businesses looking to get into the Chinese market or appeal to Chinese consumers.

4. Yandex

The U.S. has Google, and Baidu is for China. For everyone in Russia and most of the Russian-speaking world, Yandex is the obvious choice for online searches.

Much like Baidu, Yandex closely mirrors the Google experience. The website is basic with a clean interface, but the company also has a nice suite of productivity and mobile apps for users. You can map car routes, translate documents, or take advantage of their cloud storage options.

Yandex has over half of the search market share in Russia and high usage rates in places like central Asia, Turkey, and eastern Europe. The English experience isn’t as good as what happens in Russian, but it’s still a decent option for people who want to try something other than Google.

5. Yahoo!

Yahoo isn’t the giant it once was, but many people still love using the search engine because it’s familiar, and they have their accounts tied to the company. It was once the largest web search engine in the world and was around before Google was even created.

Yahoo ruled the internet space with a comprehensive user portal with search, news, finance, email, and other inputs. The idea was that people would go to Yahoo’s homepage to find everything they needed for the day to be productive.

Google has certainly stolen a lot of Yahoo’s user share, but they still have a dedicated customer base that visits the portal to read about stocks, check email, and enter a search every now and again.

While you’re visiting, you can check on your favorite sports teams and the latest celebrity news. It’s more of an online experience than a search engine.

6. Boardreader

Almost every popular search engine prioritizes web page results. They list websites where you can go to, hopefully, find what you’re looking for.

However, as we get further down the list, we begin to encounter niche search engines built for specific purposes. Boardreader is the leading search engine regarding results from message boards.

Google is making moves into the message board search results area, but Boardreader still gives users more accurate results. Boardreader looks through online message sites, forums, and other boards to find conversations about anything from fixing a car engine to detailed discussions on the stock market.

This is an excellent tool for searchers who want to find opinions from real people. For example, you may want to avoid reading through blog posts about how much you should pay for a certain motorcycle, but there are message boards where people talk about good prices and the buying experience that come in handy.

7. Ask

Ask is a general search engine that emphasizes the use of natural language. You’ll find that, as you search for information online, you learn how to input search queries on Google and other leading platforms to get the best results.

However, this doesn’t come naturally to most people, so a search engine that interprets natural

language well is a useful tool for older users and people who don’t spend a ton of time online.

Ask is effective because it displays other frequently asked questions whenever a user enters a query. That way, you can learn about different aspects of a topic or better narrow your search when you’re not sure where to begin.

The search engine makes things fun by highlighting some of the most searched-for questions on its site for the day and engaging articles, product reviews, and other news.

8. StartPage

StartPage is like DuckDuckGo in that it prioritizes user privacy and security. This is an excellent choice if you’re looking for something that won’t track you and will keep your searches anonymous.

The experience on StartPage closely resembles what you’d see from private searches on Google. You get unbiased search results that aren’t trying to fit a specific profile. In addition, StartPage has a feature that masks your IP address with a proxy, making it impossible for the websites you visit to track you.

Using StartPage stops ads from retargeting you. It also gives you newsfeeds that aren’t personalized based on your profile.

Users can make StartPage their default search engine in their browsers. The company also offers an email service free from ads and stops any type of monitoring.

9. WolframAlpha

The name is strange, but WolframAlpha is where many of the most intelligent people online go for information on science, math, tech, and culture. This niche search engine site gathers data into neat categories for faster searching. The site is built on artificial intelligence technology that efficiently gets you to your needed information.

When users visit the site, they’re met with a basic search bar on top with categories below on everything from chemistry to Calculus. You can learn more about personal finance or study scientific aspects of health. The search bar will solve math problems for you or break down complex physics principles.

It’s the place to go when you need expert answers to your online queries.

10. Ecosia

Want to make all your online searches do good? With Ecosia, your searches contribute to lowering the world’s CO2 emissions. Microsoft’s Bing powers the search engine, but users who visit the site can contribute to eco-friendly goals whenever they input searches.

Ecosia takes a portion of its money from searches and buys trees it plants to offset CO2 emissions. According to some sources, it takes a few dozen searches to buy a seedling, so visit the site if you want to make the world greener!

This site is small, but it’s beloved by environmentalists and people who want their data to be used for good. Most users are aware of how search engines work and realize they are used for ads and other profiling. This way, at least some of that money is going to a cause they care about.

11. Search Encrypt

Search Encrypt is, as you can probably guess, a search engine based on user encryption that protects the privacy of your searches online. The site guarantees encryption that keeps your information private and stops ads and sites from tracking you as you click on links or input queries.

This search engine is also a metasearch tool, which draws in search results from partners across the web. So, as a result, you get comprehensive answers to queries that aren’t built upon your personal profile.

One of the main advantages of Search Encrypt is that other people can use your computer without knowing what you searched for, and they’ll get unbiased search results whenever they enter something into the search bar.

12. Lukol

A lot of people try to switch from using Google but quickly grow frustrated because they aren’t getting the quality of results and the speed that Google provides.

Lukol allows online users to stay private and get Google search results. This search engine delivers information from the world’s leading search engine and takes out all tracking information to keep you anonymous.

It also does an excellent job of filtering out misleading information and questionable sites. The main drawback to Lukol is that it’s fairly basic. You can search for images, news, and videos, but other than that, it’s very limited in scope.

13. SwissCows

SwissCows is another privacy-focused search engine. As you can tell, many search engine alternatives on this list find ways to stop websites and searches from tracking your location, preferences, and other data marketers crave.

With SwissCows, you get searches that don’t save any personal data and prevent users from ad targeting. One thing that makes SwissCows stand out is their prevalent use of tags which makes searching by topics much faster. It’s ideal for people who want search suggestions but don’t want their engine building a profile whenever they enter a query.

This tool is also great for parents because it has stringent rules around pornographic or violent material, so you don’t have to worry as much about what your children see online.

SwissCows also offers VPN, music streaming, and enterprise search services.

14. SearX

Do you want to scan the web for information without giving your IP address away? With SearX, you get a metasearch engine that draws results from leading sites without tracking your search history or location.

This certainly beats going to each of the popular search engines like Google or Bing and taking steps like turning on the VPN or making each individual search private. Do everything in one step with SearX to get the best search results with maximum privacy.

Because SearX is a metasearch engine, users get more results for even very specific searches, which is often a limitation of smaller engines built on privacy.

15. Disconnect Search

Disconnect Search is a unique take on search privacy. This search engine lets users choose their preferred engine, but they mask their activity with a special VPN that makes everything private. So, if you want to search in a particular country on Google to see what results populate, you can adjust your settings and see what’s what.

The VPN keeps all of your searches anonymous and stops malware or tracking software from latching onto you as you move around the web. You can see the top results on DuckDuckGo based on location or see what people will find online if they search for your company name.

16. Qwant

This is a French search engine that is, again, centered on user privacy. Qwant won’t store your personal details like IP address so you won’t get filtered results based on a digital profile or location.

In addition, the search engine doesn’t use a person’s query history or other details to sell to advertisers. As a result, you get direct search results that are unfiltered.

Qwant also has functions that let you search for music lyrics and a cool shortcut system that leads you directly to sites by putting an “&” in front of search terms. For instance, if you want to search for results on a specific site, simply put the “&” in front of the site name and other search terms. Qwant will take you straight to the site to find what you’re looking for.

Users can also search for news, images, and social media data via its search engine.

17. Gibiru

Gibiru vows to give users the most unfiltered search results possible. It does this by filtering all of its searches through proxy IP addresses that prevent other sites and search engines from tracking user locations. This gives you unbiased results for every search you enter. They also stop other sites and Gibiru from tracking your search history.

Gibiru deletes search history from its servers in seconds. So, you never have to worry that your searches for a strange foot infection or answers to your math homework or lingering somewhere on your computer.

Gibiru has a mobile app for private searches on your phone. It also offers VPN services.

18. MetaGer

MetaGer is a non-profit search engine that emphasizes privacy for its users. They also only use green energy, which is a priority for many people. If you want to know that all of your searches are managed in an environmentally-friendly manner, MetaGer is a fantastic option for online users.

This metasearch engine draws in results from over 50 search engines. Every search gets a good amount of results, and the detail people want when they look for something on the internet. The results are also unbiased and unfiltered, so you don’t have to worry about whether what you’re seeing is skewed based on your past search entries.

This company is a non-profit, so there’s less of a concern that it’s trying to use your data to make money. There is also a MetaGer plugin to use with browsers, or you can make it your default search engine.

One interesting feature of MetaGer is that it lets users map where their searches go. Rather than turning on a VPN and letting the search engine do the rest, users can designate where they want their searches to originate and how they move through the internet.

19. Oscobo

People who want privacy with online search have another excellent option in Oscobo. This search engine masks your searches to prevent any sites or advertisers from tracking your IP address, search entries, or personal data. It also stops cookies, which can be used to build a personal digital profile on users.

Oscobo lets users look for images, maps, and videos in addition to general web searches. You can also download a Chrome browser extension that keeps any search you enter into your browser’s web bar anonymous. Using the bar can save you a bit of time from going to the Oscobo site every time you want to search for something.

20. OneSearch

Students, professors, and professionals use OneSearch to look for information in scholarly journals, books, and scientific publications. This search engine focuses its searches on the Folger Library, so it’s a perfect tool for finding writing and other data in dissertations, newspaper articles, research papers, and e-books.

With OneSearch, you increase the chances of getting search results from experts in a given field versus some of the content built around SEO. It’s a fantastic way to explore specific topics and learn from people driving innovation in their respective fields.

21. Infinity Search

Infinity Search is an open-source search engine for coders and people who care deeply about online privacy. The search engine allows users to build custom plugins and other integrations to make their search experience more personal, all while protecting their data from online trackers.

The search engine delivers fast results with a sidebar that displays many other websites if users want to get closer to the source or refine their search info. One of the main benefits of Infinity Search is that, while it uses results from other pages, it also has its own index, which means you get specific searches based on proprietary algorithms.

22. Ekoru

The Ekoru search engine is rather similar to Ecosia, but not as popular. Ekoru is focused on making the world a better place by using portions of its proceeds to clean the oceans and in its reforesting efforts.

All of the searchers users conduct on Ekoru are powered by hydroelectricity. In addition, the company dedicates 60% of its profits to charities it partners with.

This is another great example of a mission-focused company engaged in eco-friendly ventures to drive business. If you’re a power searcher and looking for a way to do some good, give Ekoru a shot.

23. Wayback Machine

Have you ever wanted to look at something that’s not live on the internet or old websites that are no longer active?

With the Wayback Machine, you can search archived parts of the internet with speed and security. All you do is enter a URL and a date range, and the search engine will show you what was on a site or blog at the time.

One awesome thing about Wayback Machine is that users can access old source code from online pages. This is a fantastic tool for people researching old sites that have changed over the years.

24. Listen Notes

For all the podcast lovers out there, Listen Notes is the perfect way to search through podcast libraries for mentions of topics in old episodes or for when you can’t remember the exact name of a certain guest.

This is, by far, the most comprehensive podcast database online. You can use Listen Notes to get to your favorite episodes for a re-listen or find topics you’d like to explore without going through episode after episode.

Listen Notes partners with Apple, Amazon, and Google, so you get the most podcasts and episodes possible. It also has access to most of Spotify’s library.

25. Dogpile

These days, more people are looking for ways to make their data and the revenue they generate for companies to do some good. If marketers are paying search engines for ads, then at least you can do your part for a good cause.

With Dogpile, every search contributes to helping animals in need. They donate a portion of their earnings to shelters and other animal causes.

Dogpile is a metasearch engine, so users get results from leading platforms without worrying about tracking or history.

What’s the Best Search Engine?

Which search engine should you use besides Google? Moving away from Google is tough for most people because they do a terrific job delivering accurate information that gets people what they need the fastest.

These days, people don’t want to spend minutes clicking through links that aren’t relevant to what they want. Google and other leading search engines spend billions of dollars to guarantee people have what they need.

Google’s great at what it does. The downside, however, is that getting you the results quickly usually means Google knows a lot more about you than you’d like them to. They follow your location, search history, and other data to anticipate your needs as you type searches into their search bar or browser.

The best search engine for each online user depends on what they want. If you don’t mind giving away much of your data to get more accurate or biased results, stick with Google. However, if you want to remain anonymous or use your searches for good, there are many excellent options out there.

Give some of the choices on this list a try and gauge your experience compared to Google. If it works for you, stick with it and tell your friends!

Not every search engine is the same. Because Google has such a commanding market share, other companies must differentiate to build a dedicated audience. As a result, you have sites like Bing with better image or video searches, and DuckDuckGo generally does a great job with its shortcut abilities.

When Should I use a Different Search Engine?

Discovering new search engines doesn’t have to mean that you won’t ever use Google again. It simply means that there may be times when you don’t want to use the most popular search engine based on what you’re doing.

For example, if you’re shopping for Christmas presents on the family computer, you may not want ads for that handbag you’re buying for your wife to populate all over the screen when she’s online.

Take your private searches to a search engine that doesn’t track you so that you can remain anonymous as your scroll the web. In this age, online privacy is becoming harder but, at the same time, more important to people.

Thankfully, tools are available to protect your privacy when you need them while still delivering an excellent search experience. Again, give some alternative search engines a try and see how you like them. Stick with the ones that work, install their plugins, and switch between them based on what you’re doing.