Sure, Google is by far the most used search engine in the world. But the giant corporation collects a lot of user data and offers results overloaded with advertisements – which annoys many users. We introduce you to three search engines that can outperform Google in terms of functionality and anonymity.
When it comes to searching the web, Google is clearly ahead on both computers and smartphones. But often this is not because Google is so popular, but simply because the search engine is preset and little-known alternatives exist. Or?
Not quite. There are excellent alternatives to Google that offer a variety of advantages. This allows you to search completely anonymously, avoid annoying ads or even plant trees. We introduce you to the best search engines.
Startpage: Google results – but anonymous
It’s not without reason that Startpage effortlessly took first place in the search engine test. Unlike other search engines, the service also relies on Google – and redirects your request anonymously to the large provider. This has the advantage that you get almost the same high-quality results, but remain completely anonymous and spared from annoying advertisements and cookies.
However, you still have to do without special functions such as tables or maps results with Startpage, because these are still reserved for Google and cannot simply be tapped into. There are also no shopping results or a map yet. But if you are looking for an anonymous search engine with every conceivable convenience, you will definitely find it on Startpage.
DuckDuckGo: All imaginable functions
The popular DuckDuckGo took second place in the test. In contrast to Google, absolutely no user data is stored here – neither search history nor IP address or personal data of the user. DuckDuckGo scores higher than Startpage with separate search results for places and shopping.
The search comfort here is generally a bit higher than with Startpage – if you are looking for a restaurant, for example, you get the usual Google map with telephone number, address and opening hours. However, you will not get any Google results here. DuckDuckGo relies on a mix of different sources, including Wikipedia, Bing, Yahoo and its own web crawler.
Ecosia: Search and plant trees
It has not yet appeared in the official CHIP test, but it is definitely worth mentioning and very popular: Ecosia supports a good cause with the income from advertising. According to the company, since October 2014 it has been donating 80 percent of the surplus income for reforestation all over the world. In short: You plant trees with your search queries. Over 120 million have already been planted thanks to the search engine.
But not only the protection of the forests is very important: My privacy is also reliably protected. Search queries are encrypted via SSL, not saved, and the websites accessed are not tracked. On top of that, the website is operated CO2-neutral. Ecosia obtains the search results from the Microsoft search engine Bing, in terms of search convenience it is similar to Startpage.