10 Best Search Engines In The World, Beside Google

In the world of search engines, Google may be the 800-pound giant, but it is not the only player. It pays to be aware of your alternatives because there are so many different search engines to select from. These are our best picks for search engines that aren’t you-know-who, whether you want to improve your own search experience or target a different audience with your website. You’re sure to find at least one that you want to try out, from world leaders to environmentally friendly search and catering to individual demands.

1. Baidu:

China’s version of Google, Baidu is the most popular search engine in the nation and has extremely similar-feeling products like Chrome. For instance, there are websites that resemble Wikipedia in addition to features like maps, photos, and videos. Baidu loads in Mandarin at first, however, you may switch to English very fast. Although the translation isn’t great, you might not care too much about it if you’re mostly utilizing Baidu to investigate the Chinese market.

Baidu also offered ad platform similar to Google. You can pay to have your website ranked higher in search results, as well as bid on keywords to activate display ads. About privacy, Baidu doesn’t share your personal information with outside parties; instead, it gathers and utilizes it to tailor the search engine to your needs.

Baidu Advantages:

• Great for studying the Chinese market 
• Advertising Platform
• Products resemble the Chrome 

Baidu Disadvantages:

• Chinese is required for the best search results.
• Restricted privacy features
• The translation method is difficult.

Baidu suits you if…

If you’re a creator or brand looking to expand into the Chinese market, its search engine, Baidu, is more adept at translating queries into Chinese than Google. Baidu can be used for competitor analysis, audience research, and advertising.

2. Bing

Microsoft’s search engine, Bing, can be used independently or in conjunction with Edge, the company’s Windows-native browser. Rich results can be seen in some Bing search results, especially those that are simple to visualize. This frequently occurs when looking up movies, the weather, etc. Other than that, the results themselves resemble a lot of what you can see on Google much of the time.

Additionally, you have the option to add notifications for a topic to your homepage. After that, you’ll receive a notification if anything new is posted regarding the subject.

You must utilize Microsoft’s other products in order to get the most out of Bing. Sadly, Bing’s privacy and security options seem vague and limited. Even with Edge, you can get a little bit more from the search engine, but it’s still not regarded as a privacy-first search engine. While it’s not inherently worse than Google, it’s not quite as safe as DuckDuckGo, which is the topic of our next discussion.

Bing Advantages:

• Notifications on the homepage that can be customized
• Consistent outcomes comparable to rivals’ 
• Systems of rewards to earn money for donations, gift card exchanges, etc.

Bing Disadvantages:

• For the most privacy, Edge and a login are needed. 
• Rewards take a long time to develop, and trade-in rates are expensive.
• Best works with the Edge web browser

Bing suits you if…

You’ve already converted to Microsoft. You’ll be at home with Bing if you utilize Teams and Office 365. If you use your login credentials, it will function smoothly with Edge and produce results that are on par with Google. Because of how it compiles data, Bing deserves your extra attention as a site owner.

3. DuckDuckGo

A basic, user-friendly search engine that prioritizes privacy is DuckDuckGo. You won’t experience the sensation that “Big Brother is watching” you as you browse the web because you are totally anonymous when you search. That implies no more personalized advertisements that make you wonder, “How much do they know about me?,” depending on what you were just investigating. Additionally, you may use a feature called Bangs, which removes DuckDuckGo’s tracking-free experience and allows you to swiftly search on websites like Wikipedia or Amazon.

A few customization options include removing sexual content, changing the language, and searching in a specific region. Also, you have the option to change the search engine’s design, such as switching to dark mode.

DuckDuckGo Advantages:

• Browser extensions, desktop programs, and mobile applications
• Absolutely no online tracking
• Easy to install and quick

DuckDuckGo Disadvantages:

• Very little choices for modification
• Not as visually appealing as results from other search engines

DuckDuckGo suits you if…

You don’t care that results and your browsing experience won’t be tailored based on your behavior since you place high importance on your online privacy. Do you want to improve the SEO of your website for DuckDuckGo? For that, we have a guide.

4. Yahoo!

Yahoo is much more than just a search engine, just like Google. It offers a wide range of things that are all available from one location, such as gaming, email, news, and online shopping. It also has Flickr integration, which produces really good image results. 

Indeed, Yahoo has experienced a decline in popularity since its peak in the 1990s and 2000s. Nonetheless, it remains a fairly well-liked search engine, and its offerings, such as Yahoo Answers, frequently produce outstanding search results. Many people still use Yahoo’s respectable email services, which are still available.

Yahoo! Advantages:

• Fantastic picture outcomes
• A wealth of information from Yahoo Finance and Answers
• Gateway offers a variety of services

Yahoo! Disadvantages:

• Many of the findings are not current.
• Ads can be intrusive and consume the entire screen

Yahoo! Suits you if…

You want an all-in-one gateway with news, horoscopes, forecasts, and other information, or you currently use Yahoo mail and are concerned about receiving excellent image results.

5. Qwant

Qwant is a French search engine, the website appears to be in English. It maintains no user tracking or personalization of search results, and it has its own indexing engine built on top of Bing. Some people enjoy that it can also be more visually appealing than Google.

You can log in if you’d like to save your settings and data. Additionally, creating visual boards from bookmarked results is another benefit of registering. Junior, a product from Qwant, offers secure search options that meet the needs of kids between the ages of six and twelve.

Qwant Advantages:

• Combining Bing with custom indexing
• Includes a search engine suitable for children.
• Strict European privacy laws

Qwant Disadvantages:

• Some people may find the aesthetics to be too straightforward.
• Installing custom cookies is necessary in order to save search preferences.

Qwant suits you if…

When it comes to your other search engines, you appreciate privacy and prefer the increased security that comes with using a European-based service.

6. Search Encrypt

Another one of our privacy-focused alternative search engines is called Search Encrypt; it has local encryption built in to make sure that personally identifiable information cannot be tracked. Since it’s a metasearch engine, its results are sourced from multiple search partners. In this manner, you obtain more thorough results without requiring a customized search history.

Local browsing history is deleted by Search Encrypt after 30 minutes of inactivity. In this manner, after that window of time, someone else cannot view what you looked up or searched for on your computer if you leave it unattended.

Search Encrypt Advantages:

• A search engine that prioritizes privacy
• After 30 minutes, the search history is automatically removed.
• Connects to a search partner network

Search Encrypt Disadvantages:

• Not personalized
• Briefly retains historical data

Search Encrypts suits you if…

You are concerned with well-rounded results and private searches, not bells and whistles.

7. Startpage

Startpage and DuckDuckGo are frequently contrasted since both alternative search engines prioritize the highest levels of customer privacy. It won’t target ads based on your internet activities, nor does it track or keep any user data. You can change a lot of the options, including language, region filter, and tab behavior. However, you can create a custom URL to serve as the search engine’s homepage if you’d rather not have a cookie save your preferences.

Startpage offers similar search results to Google but without the monitoring and advertising. How? Utilizing Google’s algorithm is permitted, providing a nearly identical search experience without raising privacy issues.

Startpage Advantages:

• Maximum confidentiality for users
• Many customizable configuration options
• Absence of ad targeting

Startpage Disadvantages:

• Not all searches are created equal on Google.
• There is still some data collection going on.

Startpage suits you if…

Although you need a near-perfect private user experience, you enjoy Google’s search results.

8. Swisscows’

Swisscows’ servers, located in Switzerland, are subject to strict privacy regulations. To safeguard your security and privacy, searches are fully encrypted, and IP addresses, personal information, and search queries are not saved. Swisscows is a well-liked option for parents who wish their children to avoid certain things because it includes adult content, an inbuilt filter that cannot be overridden.

Swisscows is powered by Bing for English searches, and it has its own index in German. Artificial intelligence is employed to ascertain the query’s context. As a result, even though the search engine is blind to your browser history, results are extremely accurate.

Swisscows’ Advantages:

• Precise search outcomes
• Superior privacy regulations due to Switzerland’s location
• Integrated, child-friendly filter

Swisscows’ Disadvantages:

• If you’re looking for explicit content, you can’t find it.
• One could argue that the tag cloud on the results page is unnecessary.

Swisscows’ suits you if…

You want to protect user data while still having an adult content filter-friendly search engine that is suitable for families and cannot be disabled.

9. Ecosia

Because search engines have an environmental impact, Ecosia offers a CO2-neutral Google substitute. Eighty percent of the profits from each search are used to plant trees. If you consider your typical daily or weekly activity, 45 to 50 searches will plant one tree, which isn’t a lot of searches.

Although Ecosia uses its algorithm to improve searches, Bing still powers search. It’s a standard search engine with advertisements that don’t filter results, but it will indicate websites that use sustainable methods with a leaf sign. A good level of privacy is also offered by Ecosia, which won’t sell your information, encrypts your searches, and deletes data from the database after a week.

Ecosia Advantages:

• Fight climate change and contribute to a greener world.
• Choose not to participate in Ecosia’s limited data collection.
• Highlights websites that are environmentally friendly

Ecosia Disadvantages:

• Restricted results for image searches
• Driven by Bing instead of Google, which restricts services (such as translation).

Ecosia suits you if…

You care about the environment, you want to lessen your carbon footprint, and you don’t mind being tracked.

10. Yandex

Similar to Baidu, Yandex is a well-known international search engine. Yandex, which controls over 50% of the Russian market, is the best option for any website looking to reach Russian customers. Additionally, you may search your data by utilizing its cloud storage feature.

The way that you search is comparable to Bing and Google. Yandex offers a number of other services in addition to search, including video, music, and traffic maps. If you want to use it with kids, you may also enable a family-friendly search.

Yandex Advantages:

• Modifiable search terms
• Market Research on Russia
• Numerous Google-like services

Yandex Disadvantages:

• Gathers and utilizes user data
• Even when a user’s location in the United States is detected

Yandex suits you if…

If you want to use your website to reach the Russian market, it would be wise to invest some effort in Yandex optimization.

Bottom Line

Users of search engines usually dedicate themselves to them. Making Google happy can be your primary SEO objective. However, you will lose out on grabbing your audience’s interest if you ignore the other places they are spending their time.

Utilizing those alternatives requires an increased awareness of the customers you serve. Or perhaps just figuring out how to search for whatever it is that you specifically want to find better.