The Best 14 Alternative Search Engines to Google
Many people have the misconception that Google is the be-all and end-all of search engines. If you’re one of those people, you’re in for a treat. This article will identify more than a dozen alternatives. You may like some, you may dislike some. But you never know until you try.
There are many reasons to break away from Google. You may get annoyed by their data-tracking practices. You might be sick of the way their advertisements get displayed. Or, you may get bored with going to it all the time. No matter the case, here are the fourteen top-rated alternative search engines.
Some of the Best All-Around Search Engines
1) Bing
You may be one of the people who assumes that Google dominates the search engine market by 99.999999%. Well, if so, this next statistic will blow your mind. Microsoft accounted for 25% of US search results in January of this year. (Bing’s owned by Microsoft.) One reason for this statistic? It could be due to Bing being pre-installed on all Microsoft-compatible computers. Another reason could be that Bing conducts a rewards program.
Bing searchers earn points that lead to discounts at Microsoft stores. Many tech-savvy critics also prefer the interface of Bing’s image search. They consider the video interface to be superior too. This is helpful for people who don’t want to get directed to YouTube videos all the time. (Google owns YouTube.)
2) CC Search
CC Search is the go-to destination for interested users who want copyright-free content. Whys do this matter so much? Well, many companies and services don’t have the budget to shell out thousands of dollars. And that’s usually what it takes to get copyrighted material. Say your own company or service needs royalty-free music for an advertisement. Or, it could need copy-right-free images. The number one solution? CC Search. It uses extensive means to generate search results. The results come from Flickr, Soundcloud, Wikimedia, and other popular platforms. If you want Creative Commons content, CC Search may be your best bet.
3) Yandex
Don’t let it fool you that Yandex gets marketed to searchers from Russia. (It has a lot of users from all over Eastern Europe.) Anyone can use Yandex. And why should they? Because it is one of the easiest platforms to use for searches. Not to mention, it features many tools that Google and Bing do not provide.
Search Engines That Focus on User Privacy
4) DuckDuckGo
The popularity of DuckDuckGo is increasing on a monthly basis. Why? One word: privacy. The owners of this search engine refuse to store or collect anyone’s data. No exceptions. Users can relax. They don’t have to aggravate that their personal information is getting sold. If you don’t want the world to know what you’re searching for, DuckDuckGo may be your best bet.
5) StartPage
This search engine is like using Google without, well, using Google. What do we me mean by this? StartPage gives people results from Google without tracking data or personal information. This gives people the best of both worlds. Not to mention, StartPage features full HTTPS support and can get used as a proxy service. It is also a great way to generate URLs. Why? No cookies get collected. Despite not collecting your data, it will save your settings for convenience.
6) Swiss cows
This search engine prides itself on its family-friendly results and content. As a result, more and more parents are turning to Swisscows as their go-to search engine. Like the others in this section, they refuse to collect or store user data. One cool feature of Swisscows is that it takes advantage of artificial intelligence. AI helps get people the results they need fast. This means the results are more accurate, on average than many other search platforms.
7) Search Encrypt
Search Encrypt lives up to its name. How so? It takes advantage of local encryption. This helps people’s searches stay private at all times. Its AES-256 encryption technology is ahead of its time. As if that weren’t enough, it also uses another encryption method known as Secure Sockets Layer. Search Encrypt has a great list of search partners. This ensures that users get the information they need. What’s one awesome feature? The engine makes the words people search for disappear on an automatic basis.
8) Gibiru
One of the key appealing factors of Gibiru is that its results appear fast. Lightning-fast. In fact, Gibiru insists that they deliver faster results than the NSA’s own engines. (The NSA is the US’ National Security Agency.) What’s the key reason Giburu can do this? Their policy is to never use tracking cookies. If you’re tired of getting tracked by Google on a daily basis, Gibiru is a breath of fresh air. Not to mention, their results originate based on a Google-style algorithm. This ensures your results will never appear scattered and random.
9) OneSearch
Who owns OneSearch? Verizon Media. But don’t let this fact scare you away. Verizon designed its search engine to seem like the anti-Google in many fashions. Here are the key factors:
- search terms that are always encrypted
- refusal to ever track or retarget cookies
- search results that do not hold a corporate bias
- prevention of advertisers from getting ahold of personal information.
- search histories that remain 100% private and unstored
The Best Crowd-Sourced Search Engines
10) Wiki.com
You’ve used Wikipedia plenty of times. But did you know there are thousands of other wikis online? These wikis cover about every subject on the planet. From the history of sushi to synopses of every episode of “Star Trek.” Say you want to use a search engine that leads to community-written content. Wiki.com may be your best bet.
11) Boardreader
This is another great option to find community-written content. Boardreader scans thousands of message boards in every search. No matter what subject you search for, it will give you relevant (and entertaining) boards. It is much more convenient than searching for message boards on Google or Bing. If you want to get to a specific forum, Boardreader will take care of it.
These Platforms Can Function As Search Engines
12) Twitter
If you want real-time results, there’s no better website to turn to than Twitter. For example, say you’re watching a Dallas Cowboys game. And you want to know what other fans are saying about the game. If you were to search for “Dallas Cowboys” on Google, the Cowboys’ official website would come up. But searching for it on Twitter is a game-changer. Twitter will inform you what people are thinking on a second-by-second basis.
13) Internet Archive
Sometimes you or your company might need to find content from the past. Blogs, videos, software, and more. When this happens, turn to the Internet Archive. It stores millions of results in an amazing online library.
14) SlideShare
Do you have an upcoming business presentation and need information? If so, there’s no better resource than SlideShare. It stores content such as presentations, PDF’s, and PowerPoints on almost any subject. SlideShare even has a feature in which you can download any slide or save it for future use.
Google Is Still the King of Search Engines
Make no mistake about it- Google is number one in the world for internet searches. It’s been that way for over two decades. In fact, about two-thirds of all internet searches get performed through Google.
The company’s market share is so dominant that it forces their competitors to join forces. Otherwise, they risk going out of business operating on their own. This is why so many search marketers focus on Google. It’s where ranking boosts matter the most. Sure, it’s common knowledge that Google sets the trends and then all other brands follow. But don’t assume Google will hold this power forever.
The internet is continuing to expand and become more of an open platform. Plenty of competitors are innovating and developing new processes. What’s their main reason for doing so?
To limit the traffic that Google receives. Only time will tell if Google will continue to dominate the search engine market. But in the meantime, search marketers will continue to focus on Google’s search engine.