DuckDuckGo vs Google Search
DuckDuckGo says it keeps no search history and logs no IP address with searches, and users can opt out of AI features. Google stores signed-in searches while Web and App Activity is on, and gives no way to disable AI Overviews. DuckDuckGo's weak point: traditional links and images are mostly from Bing, so leaving Google means leaning on Microsoft's index instead.
Sebastiaan SmitsFounderVendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
Choose DuckDuckGo ifyou want an account-free default that claims to keep no search history, plus a documented AI opt-out.
Choose Google Search ifyou accept personalised, ad-funded search and signed-in activity for Google's own results, and are fine with AI answers staying on.
DuckDuckGo and Google Search side by side
| DuckDuckGo | Google Search | |
|---|---|---|
| Our search engines rank | #7 of 12 | #12 of 12 |
| Established in | Not stated by the vendor | United States |
| List price, 2 November 2026 | Searching costs nothing and shows ads; a Plus and Pro subscription is available, with no amounts on the pages we read | Ad-funded, and no price for users is given |
| Free tier | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | Users who want a no-account private default with optional AI features | People who accept personalised, ad-funded search in exchange for the broadest default |
| Not for | Buyers who want results from an index independent of Microsoft | Buyers who want to control AI features or avoid ad personalisation |
Both are reviewed in full in our search engines ranking: DuckDuckGo and Google Search.
Where they differ
DuckDuckGo 2 · Google Search 2 · open 1- 01
History and logging
Under DuckDuckGo's privacy policy, search, chat and browsing history are not saved or shared, and IP addresses are not stored with searches. In Google's privacy policy, searches end up in the Google Account whenever Web and App Activity is on. Both are the vendors' own words, and they point opposite ways.
Edge: DuckDuckGo
- 02
AI features
DuckDuckGo's help pages describe optional AI controls and the noai.duckduckgo.com address for opting out. Google's help page calls AI Overviews a core feature that stays on; only the Web filter, chosen search by search, avoids them. For a buyer who values the choice, the gap is concrete.
Edge: DuckDuckGo
- 03
Whose results you get
DuckDuckGo operates its own crawler, DuckDuckBot, yet per its help page the traditional links and images are mostly Bing's. Google serves Google's own results. The independence DuckDuckGo claims for the company does not reach its link supply, so a reader hoping for one supplier fewer is not helped.
Edge: Google Search
- 04
How the ads work
Microsoft, Tripadvisor and Yelp supply the ads listed on DuckDuckGo's help pages, and the company says its income is privacy-respecting search advertising. Google's terms describe personalised ads which can be changed or switched off in Ads Settings. Both rely on advertising, so the business model decides nothing.
Depends on the buyer
- 05
Company details
Google LLC is the named company, with Google Ireland Limited as contracting party for the EEA and Switzerland. DuckDuckGo's legal name is Duck Duck Go, Inc., and it says it has been independent since 2008; even so, no country of establishment or address is stated in the pages we read. Legally, Google is easier to locate.
Edge: Google Search
When neither fits
If you want results from an index that is neither Google's nor Bing's, Brave Search says it uses its own independent index, and Kagi sells search by subscription with no ads.
DuckDuckGo or Google Search: questions
3 answersDoes DuckDuckGo use Google results?
No. Its help page says traditional links and images mostly come from Bing, supplemented by its own crawler and other sources. The page we read does not name Google as a link source.
Does DuckDuckGo cost money?
Using it is free, according to the home page. Help pages mention a Plus and Pro subscription, but none of the pages we read gave prices.
Can I stop Google showing AI Overviews?
Not according to Google, which says they stay on. Choosing the Web filter returns text links without them, but only for that one search.
Sources
Checked 2 November 2026- DuckDuckGo privacy policy: no history; no IP storage; 2008.
- DuckDuckGo help on result sources: DuckDuckBot; Bing links; ad suppliers; plans; noai address.
- DuckDuckGo company help page: ad revenue; no country; no plan amounts.
- Google Terms of Service: EEA and Swiss entity; Ads Settings; no price.
- Google Privacy Policy: Google LLC; Web and App Activity.
- Google AI Overviews help page: AI Overviews always on; Web filter workaround.