8 Google Alternatives for Searching Crypto, the Dark Web, and More

One of the great joys of modern life is surfing the web. You can find out who starred in that TV show you like, what to name your child, or how to tell if your cat wants you dead with the press of a button.

Unfortunately, in order to surf the web, you must rely on a single firm. There is little doubt that Google is the undisputed King of Search, with a 92% market share according to some estimations. Google.com is the most visited website on the internet. (Last week, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit to separate Google’s search and display ad businesses.) What’s the issue with relying on a single data-hoovering behemoth for all of your internet activity? Your concerns may differ, but privacy is a major worry for many people.

There are numerous solutions for people with a rebellious nature (or who simply do not want to be tracked). Here are some alternatives to using Google’s all-powerful search algorithm when browsing the web.

1. DuckDuckGo 

DuckDuckGo, the most well-known Google competitor, is a privacy-focused search engine that eliminates ad trackers and does not sell your search data. Is it flawless? No, and it has had its own privacy concerns. However, in the grand scheme of things, DuckDuckGo provides a very nice way to surf the internet without having your personal information and search activity sucked up by a gigantic (not?) wicked corporation. Its search algorithm isn’t as powerful as Google’s, but it suffices for most searches.

DuckDuckGo has been rated as a reliable, privacy-focused option if you’re looking to surf.

Also: How To Search Online Like a Pro: 10 Tricks For Google and Beyond

2. Bing

Microsoft’s Bing is infamous for being a “sucka”. Bing has taken a lot of slurs over the years, including “totally rubbish,” “trash,” and “virus,” but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still looking for methods to get its reputation out of the dirt. Microsoft has unveiled a proposal to revamp its much-maligned search engine and encourage people to quit hating it. Microsoft claims that OpenAI’s ChatGPT, a popular new chatbot driven by artificial intelligence, will be integrated into Bing in some way. It’s unclear what that would look like or how it will improve the platform’s less-than-stellar reputation, but we’re all eager to learn more.

It has been rated by users to be potentially the best search engine if you want to talk to a super smart chatbot. Otherwise, not the best choice out there, if we’re just being honest.

3. Manticore Search

While not precisely an internet search engine, it felt worthwhile to mention. If you’re a programmer looking to browse a vast repository of free open-source code, Manticore Search is a good place to start. Manticore Search, which was launched in 2017, is a vast, searchable database of code that allows customers to set up the digital infrastructure they require with the click of a button.

Users have rated it as a good place to find free code if you need it.

4. Presearch 

It’s time to decentralize completely, guy. Web3 proponents have begun to develop their own search engines in recent years, saying that blockchain and cryptocurrency may help enhance the way web users search for content online. Presearch is a major startup in this field, and it is supported by a reportedly decentralized network of 65,000 nodes, similar to how the Tor browser’s infrastructure is provided by a global army of volunteers. According to Presearch, searches are anonymous, and users can be paid for their search activity with PRE, Presearch’s native crypto token.

Also: How to Make the Most of Google Image Search

Presearch has been rated as the best search engine for crypto hype men. Honestly, as a web3 experiment, Presearch works about as well as other Google alternatives. It’s worth checking out if nothing else.

5. Ecosia

As important as the internet is to modern life, it is also extremely harmful to the environment. The BBC claimed last year that carbon emissions from the web and its users made for a bigger share of global greenhouse gas emissions than all aviation emissions combined. But, as horrible as the internet is for the environment, surfing the web doesn’t have to make you feel like you’re contributing to the planet’s destruction! Instead, look into Ecosia. According to the corporation, 80 percent of its ad revenue proceeds are used to fund tree planting operations. Will it be able to preserve our dying planet? Uh, perhaps. Most likely not. Still, you won’t feel like a privileged jerk, which is a plus.

It has been ranked as the best Google search alternative if you want to feel good about yourself.

6. Ahmia

The internet is more than just the genteel world of the “surface” web. There’s also (*cue foreboding music*) the black web. Ahmia is a website for anyone interested in exploring the darker side of the internet. Ahmia is a popular dark web search engine because, unlike others, it is genuinely accessible from the “surface” web. Using its interface, you can scroll through some of the non-indexed stuff, but be warned: some of the content may be upsetting or strange, so searcher beware.

Users have ranked it as a solid way to surf the dark web, if that’s what you’re looking to do.

7. Yandex

Yandex, Russia’s counterpart to Google, is the country’s largest technological company, offering a search engine, email, and a variety of other digital services. Unfortunately, the corporation is said to have just experienced a huge data breach, which experts claim revealed the search engine’s ranking determinants, revealing insights into how its algorithm prioritizes information. Before that, Yandex was held in high regard by some, and it was a prominent search engine in a number of countries other than Russia.

Users have ranked it as currently the best search engine if you want to understand how it works—since its source code is now all over the internet. Otherwise, a decent way to surf, albeit one in which you’ll have pretty much no privacy.

8. Yahoo Search

Yahoo Search claims to be on the verge of reinventing the search game. Nothing could be more unexpected.

Yahoo has been pretty bad at search for the past decade or so—so bad, in fact, that it lets Microsoft perform all of its searching for it. While Yahoo Search continues to operate, it is now powered by Bing’s algorithm (via a partnership struck circa 2009). So…if you despise Bing, you probably despise Yahoo Search as well. However, according to Search Engine Land, Yahoo was recently found promoting a Product Manager for Search. The corporation has also hinted on its Twitter account that it will be redesigning its engine soon.

It’s not certain if this could be related to the current AI growth and its uses in the search industry

Users have voted it as the best (or, potentially, worst) future search engine!