In this digital age, privacy is a hot commodity. With technology becoming more and more sophisticated, it has never been easier for companies to track our every move. This is why it is more important than ever to use a privacy-focused search engine as your primary source of information. To counter the same we listed 15 Privacy-focused search engines alternative to google to use in 2022.
In this guide, we will discuss the best-encrypted search solutions available in 2022 and why they are so important. We will also provide you with a quick checklist to help you secure your online privacy!
How does search engine work and collects data?
A search engine retrieves data from a massive index of websites. When you enter a query into the search bar, the engine scans through its database and provides results based on your keywords.
The problem with this process is that your personal information is often revealed to third-party companies as you browse. This includes your IP address, what sites you have visited, and even your search history.
This is why it is important to use a privacy-focused search engine that does not track you or sell your data to third-party companies.
Private search engine – Introduction
A private search engine is a website that does not track or store your personal information. These engines are designed to protect your privacy and keep you anonymous online.
The best way to ensure your privacy is to use a combination of privacy-focused browsers and search engines. This will help to keep your data as protected as possible.
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Why is google not a Privacy-focused search engine?
Google is not a privacy-focused search engine for a few reasons:
– Google logs your IP address and searches
– Google tracks the websites you visit
– Google uses cookies to provide a personalized experience
– Google has been alleged to track users even when they have disabled cookies (Link)
Although, Google uses all these permission to provide better search results and customized experience according to your intent. Therefore, If that doesn’t concern you then go ahead keep getting the most out of google, If you value your privacy and search for alternate search engines then check out the list we have accumulated for you.
I Love google too much! What to do?
Don’t want to say goodbye to google? Do you want to use Google anyway? Then I have some good news for you!
You can still use the most used and loved search engine with some privacy guards on using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
The one we recommend is Express VPN which is available across 10+ Platforms and one account will give you access to Thousands of dedicated IPs.
So, without further ado, here are the best privacy-focused search engines to use in 2022;
Duckduckgo
Duckduckgo is a privacy-focused search engine that doesn’t keep any personal information. It collects your IP address and browser data to provide you with accurate results but does not store this information on its servers or share it with third parties.
Duckduckgo is one of the best privacy-focused search engines for people who value their privacy. Privacy-minded individuals will appreciate that Duckduckgo does not track them by logging an IP address or selling user data to third parties as Google does.
Since it takes about 2 seconds for Duckduckgo to load, those looking for speed might prefer google’s faster loading time rather than privacy features in order to save time when searching from mobile devices or slow internet
DuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine that does not track or store your personal information. Duckduckgo also has a built-in privacy feature called “bangs” which allows you to directly visit websites without revealing your identity.
DuckDuckGo accumulates results from 450+ sources which makes it a tough contender to google as it’s been there for many years.
Tricks to use DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo has improved a lot since its launch and there’s a very unique shortcut feature, whenever you type – ” ! “, it shows the list of websites and its shortcut abbreviation in which you want to perform your search.
As you can see in the pic above if you want to search on Twitter for some celebrity or a movie name in IMDB DuckDuckGo got you covered.
StartPage
Startpage is essentially Google without the tracking, Your queries are anonymized before Google search results are retrieved, according to the StartPage search engine. This means all identifying information is removed, including your IP address. Neither do tracking cookies.
Still, Startpage follows GDPR, a European Union regulation that protects users’ data.
Since its inception in 1998, Startpage has been committed to privacy, which is likely why it’s one of the most popular privacy-focused search engines.
StartPage also offers a proxy service that hides your IP address from websites you visit and its own extension for Firefox and Chrome browsers.
Tricks to use Startpage
Startpage has an option of Anonymous view which allows you to visit any website in their built-in protected window where the website owners cant track your identity, IP and activity you do on their website, I think this is the standout feature among the lot.
SwissCows
Swisscows is a Swiss search engine that maintains its own index for German-language searches. Results from Bing are used for all other languages. But this isn’t an issue, considering that all search queries are filtered of identifiable information.
Swisscows doesn’t keep track of your IP address, search terms, or any other personal data. The company also has a strict privacy policy that forbids it from sharing user data with third-party companies.
Although SwissCows is one of the best privacy-focused search engines, its index size is considerably smaller than Google’s. This means you might not always find what you’re looking for.
Tricks to use SwissCows
Swisscows finance a children’s meal when you search for at least 50 queries. You can see it by clicking on the green heart icon on the right, I think it’s the best initiative one can do towards society.
It also has the GetDigest feature on their search pages which makes a summary of your document or any text pasted into the box and selects keywords automatically. checkout this great feature here.
Brave Search
If you’re privacy-minded and want to keep your data away from Google, Brave is a good option. The search engine was created by Brendan Eich, the co-founder of Mozilla Firefox and the JavaScript programming language.
Brave uses a decentralized index that’s stored on users’ devices. This means that there’s no central server where your data is stored, meaning you’re not tracked by Brave.
Brave also doesn’t store your history or cookies, and it blocks ads and trackers by default.
Although Brave is a good privacy-focused search engine, its index size is considerably smaller than Google’s. This means you might not always find what you’re looking for.
Tricks to use Brave
If you have a knowledge-based search query, just ask right away in the search box and the brave search will automatically result in a knowledge box (Like google) to the right like in the pic below;
Gibiru
Gibiru is a privacy-focused search engine that doesn’t track you or store your data. It uses results from Google, but these are filtered through its own proxy server, which removes all identifying information.
Gibiru also offers an email service that’s privacy-friendly and provides end-to-end encryption.
Although Gibiru is a good privacy-focused search engine, its index size is considerably smaller than Google’s. This means you might not always find what you’re looking for.
Gibiru works in a different way than other search engines as it earns only from something user buys from their platform, they earn a little commission on every purchase as you can read here.
They also offer a wormhole mobile app powered by Gibiru which you can also download on Apple Appstore as well as Android play store.
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Tricks to use Gibiru
Gibiru claimed to be an uncensored search engine, therefore, if you are searching for something which is censored by another search engine, you can see in the censored link which is mentioned below search headers;
SearchEncrypt
SearchEncrypt is one of the privacy-focused search engines that aim to protect your privacy. It is a great Google alternative for those who are looking for a secure and encrypted search solution.
SearchEncrypt encrypts all user data so that no one can track or monitor your searches. It also does not store any user information, meaning your identity remains anonymous.
One of the great features of SearchEncrypt is that it provides a Tor search option. The Tor network helps to protect your privacy by routing your traffic through multiple servers before it reaches its destination. This makes it difficult for anyone to track your searches.
Another great feature of SearchEncrypt is its browser extension. The extension encrypts all your searches and blocks trackers. It also provides a secure connection to the SearchEncrypt servers so that your data remains private.
Tricks to use SearchEncrypt
You may come across a situation when you are not satisfied with the search result but wants more information on the same search keyword then SearchEncrypt offers to retry the same search on the other search giants like bing, yahoo, google using the below buttons on the top right of the page;
OneSearch.com
OneSearch is a privacy-focused search engine that has been in operation since 2002. It is based in the Netherlands and does not track users or sell their data to third-party companies.
OneSearch doesn’t use google but uses Bing search results to display on their page for your search keywords.
OneSearch’s clean and intuitive UI is quite similar to google but adds more power to searcher because of its ability to remove all relevant trackers that Bing use and results in the more privacy-focused result.
Tricks to use OneSearch
Your search query and search URL are encrypted while you’re browsing, hiding your search content from third parties using OneSearch’s Advance Privacy Feature Mode which you can use while searching and toggle the yellow button as below;
Metager
Metager is a German-based, open-source metasearch engine that uses the blockchain. Its servers are powered by renewable energy, as they are in Ecosia.
The results are pulled from Scopia, Bing, OneNewspage, and OneNewspage, which is great. You can also remove the search engines used or create a blacklist of websites in the options.
I like how transparent MetaGer is with regard to user data, from searches to maps. It’s not perfect, though: your entire IP address is kept for 96 hours, and if you submit the company’s contact form, your name and email address are saved.
Tricks to use Metager
Metager has various features to use and the one I liked was the filter option they has on their search pages which gives you the freedom to search on the basis of a date, safe search and the region you want which supports multi-languages.
Qwant
Qwant is a privacy-oriented French search engine that doesn’t track users or sell their data to third-party companies.
It was started in 2013 by two entrepreneurs, Jean Manuel Rozan and Eric Leandri. The company is based in Paris.
Qwant search pages are elegantly designed and I love the way it displays the result as you can see below and it also has music category on their pages which makes it unique among other search engines.
It also offers Android app and IOS App you can download on the respective platforms.
Qwant offers both a standard web search and a “safe” mode that blocks all adult content. It also has a “private” mode that doesn’t store your search history or IP address.
Keep in mind that Qwant is not available to all countries as you can see the pic below as its not available in my country
Tricks to use Qwant
Qwant has “Hot Trends” on their homepage where you can see the latest trends that are happening on their platform which gives you marketing idea to improve your content accordingly but also a great feature for generic users.
Wolfram Alpha
Wolfram Alpha is a search engine launched in 2009 by Wolfram Research. It specializes in providing answers to factual questions rather than returning web pages as results.
It works in selective niche like Science and Technology, Mathematics, Society and Culture, Everyday Life and results only factual answers to your question.
For Example, We asks Wolfram ‘How much calories in pizza’ and it reverts back the following output;
Tricks to use Wolfram Alpha
I am in love with this search engine as it resolves mostly all my queries related to science, Calories intake of food I eat every day and it’s an everyday tool for every mathematician.
If you want to learn more tricks than you can see the example page which gives you more insights than us.
You.com
You.com is a privacy-focused search engine that doesn’t store your personal information or sell it to advertisers.
It was created by Youdotio, a French company founded in 2016.
The company is based in Paris and has a team of 30 people.
You can use You.com without creating an account, but if you do, you can save your searches and create personalized results.
You.com doesn’t offer any special features beyond a standard search engine, but it does have a clean and simple design.
Tricks to use You.com
Say goodbye to multi-source search engines and welcome you.com’s incredible feature of adding multiple sources to your search query.
For example, if you are searching for something and you want to add results from, let’s say, Social media then you can simply add that by adding the ‘add apps’ button on top of the page;
that’s not all you can also add multiple websites like news websites to add to your homepage and save it by logging into you.com account.
Mojeek
Mojeek is a privacy-focused search engine that doesn’t track users or store their personal information.
It was created in 2017 by two British entrepreneurs, Michael and Joe Greenwood.
The company is based in London.
Mojeek offers a standard web search as well as a “safe” mode that blocks all adult content.
It also has a “private” mode that doesn’t store your search history or IP address.
Mojeek is available in more than 100 countries.
Tricks to use Mojeek
Mojeek has dedicated “news section” on the right whenever you search for a query, it enables to find relevant news to your searched keyword.
Lukol
Lukol is a privacy-focused search engine that doesn’t track users or store their personal information.
It was created in 2010 by an Indian company, Dinesh Agarwal.
The company is based in Gurgaon, India.
Lukol offers a standard web search as well as a “safe” mode that blocks all adult content.
It also has a “private” mode that doesn’t store your search history or IP address.
Lukol is available in more than 100 countries.
Peekier
Peekier is a privacy-focused search engine that doesn’t track users or store their personal information.
It differs from the other privacy-oriented Google search options and the more popular ones in terms of functionality.
After you’ve typed in a query, this search engine displays you a preview of all the relevant pages. After clicking on a result, the preview is expanded and you may scroll through the site.
You may then see whether the information on the site piques your interest before clicking on the link.
The process behind this privacy-focused search engine is straightforward; it restricts the number of sites that know the user — generally, those with which the user has a good level of trust.
Disconnect Search
Disconnect Search is one of the newer privacy-focused search engines on the scene. Developed by a team of ex-Google employees, it offers fantastic search results while protecting your privacy.
Disconnect search uses the DuckDuckGo search engine to display the result and redirect every user to their page. Whenever you type any search keyword and click “enter”, it displays the popup as it takes the privacy of DuckDuckGo to display the result and results into redirection to their page.
Why should you use one?
There are many reasons to use a privacy-focused search engine.
First and foremost, they don’t track you or store your personal information.
This means that your searches are not being monitored or used to sell ads.
Second, privacy-focused search engines usually have features that block adult content.
This can be useful if you are looking for information online and don’t want your children to see inappropriate content.
Finally, privacy-focused search engines often have a “private” mode that doesn’t store your search history or IP address.
This can be useful if you don’t want anyone to know what you’ve been searching for online.
How to keep your searches private
There are a few things you can do to keep your searches private.
First, use a privacy-focused search engine like those listed above.
Second, use the “private” mode of these search engines whenever possible.
This will keep your search history and IP address hidden from view.
Third, be careful about what information you share online.
Many websites and services collect personal information, so be sure to read the privacy policies before signing up.
Fourth, use a good password manager like LastPass to create strong passwords for all of your accounts.
This will help keep your data safe and secure.
Fifth, use a VPN whenever you browse the internet.
How to set a different default search engine on your web browser
If you want to use a privacy-focused search engine as your default, it’s easy to do.
On Chrome, click the three dots in the top-right corner and select “Settings.”
Under “Search engine,” click “Manage search engines.”
Find the privacy-focused search engine you want to use and click “Make default.”
On Firefox, click the three lines in the top-right corner and select “Options.”
Under “Search,” find the privacy-focused search engine you want to use and click “Set as default.”
On Safari, click the Safari menu in the top-left corner and select “Preferences.”
Under “Search,” find the privacy-focused search engine you want to use and click “Set as default.”
On Microsoft Edge, click the three dots in the top-right corner and select “Settings.”
Under “Default search engine,” find the privacy-focused search engine you want to use and click “Make default.”
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a privacy-focused search engine, there are many great options to choose from.
Each of these search engines has its own unique features and privacy settings.
Be sure to read the privacy policies before signing up for any account.
And remember, you can always use a VPN to keep your data safe and secure.
