A detailed comparison of privacy, search quality, features, and AI integration.
| Feature | DuckDuckGo | |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy | Excellent - No tracking | Poor - Extensive tracking |
| Search Quality | Good | Excellent |
| AI Features | Optional, can disable | On by default |
| Index Source | Bing + own crawler | Own (largest) |
| Personalization | None (by design) | Heavy (tracks you) |
| Ads | Non-tracking ads | Targeted ads |
Choose DuckDuckGo if privacy matters to you and you want to avoid tracking. For everyday searches, it works well.
Choose Google if you need the absolute best results for complex queries and don't mind being tracked. Consider using udm=14 to disable AI.
Every Google search is linked to your profile. Google knows:
DuckDuckGo simply doesn't collect this data. They make money from contextual ads based on your current search, not your profile. Search for "running shoes" and you might see a shoe ad - but that ad doesn't follow you around the web.
For 90% of everyday searches, you won't notice a difference. The gap appears with:
!g bang to quickly search Google for the rare query that needs it: my query !g Use: noai.duckduckgo.com or params kbg=-1&kbe=-1
Disable with: udm=14 or Unslop Search
duckduckgo.com/html - No AI, no JavaScriptlite.duckduckgo.com - Minimal versionSearch other sites directly from DuckDuckGo:
!w cats - Search Wikipedia for cats!yt music - Search YouTube for music!a laptop - Search Amazon for laptop!g query - Search Google (when you need it)There are thousands of bangs for nearly every website.
Generate @duck.com email addresses that forward to your real email, stripping trackers. Free and built into DuckDuckGo.
DuckDuckGo's mobile app blocks trackers in other apps, not just in search.
Rich information panels for people, places, and things. More comprehensive than DuckDuckGo's instant answers.
Deep integration with Gmail, Google Maps, Google Calendar, etc. Convenient if you use Google services (but increases tracking).
Superior local business results with reviews, hours, and real-time information.
Get the flexibility to switch between search engines with AI disabled on all of them:
For privacy, yes - DuckDuckGo doesn't track you at all. For search quality, Google still leads on complex queries. For everyday searches, DuckDuckGo is good enough for most people while protecting your privacy.
The main reason is privacy. Google builds detailed profiles from your searches. DuckDuckGo doesn't track you, doesn't create profiles, and doesn't show personalized results. It also makes it easier to avoid AI features.
For most searches, yes. DuckDuckGo uses Bing's index plus its own crawler, which works well for everyday queries. Google is better for very specific, technical, or local searches. The gap has narrowed significantly over the years.
DuckDuckGo has optional AI features (Duck.ai, Search Assist) that can be disabled. The easiest way is to use noai.duckduckgo.com - DuckDuckGo's official AI-free subdomain. Google's AI Overview is on by default. You can also use Unslop Search which disables AI automatically on both.
Yes! Use DuckDuckGo as your default for privacy, and use the !g bang when you need Google. Or use Unslop Search to switch easily between engines with AI disabled on all of them.