DuckDuckGo Reviews & Ratings

4.6/5

“Privacy Without Losing Speed”

I was surprised, it’s as fast as other engines, and sometimes even faster because there’s less loading of ads and scripts.

Pros : DuckDuckGo is fast, lightweight, and works great on older devices.

Cons : Complex queries or niche technical searches sometimes perform worse than Google.

Switched from : Ecosia

Reason to switch : I switched from Ecosia because it showed more ads and felt slower. DuckDuckGo offered privacy + speed together.

4.5/5

“A Great Alternative to Big Tech Browsers”

I was getting fed up with feeling like I was being watched online all the time. I switched to DuckDuckGo, and it's been a great experience. It's fast and easy to use, and I like the fact that it doesn't personalize search results based on my past activity. It feels like I'm getting more unbiased information.

Pros : Fast and easy to use, doesn't track my search history, provides unbiased search results, helps me avoid targeted ads.

Cons : It takes a little getting used to the search results not being personalized, and sometimes it's harder to find specific information compared to Google

4.5/5

“Great for Everyday Use, especially with the Mobile App”

I loved how simple the mobile interface is. The fire button became my favorite feature. I can wipe everything in one tap.

Pros : The DuckDuckGo mobile app has built-in tracker blocking, a fire button to instantly clear data, and private browsing by default.

Cons : Some websites still force pop-ups or break under strict privacy rules.

Switched from : Google Chrome

Reason to switch : Chrome stored too much of my history and synced everything to my Google account. DuckDuckGo offered a more privacy-first experience.

4.5/5

“Privacy-Focused and Surprisingly Fast”

I switched to DuckDuckGo mainly for privacy. After using it daily, I found it loads fast and gives me clean results without ads chasing me across the web. I appreciate the simplicity and the peace of mind knowing my searches aren’t being logged.

Pros : DuckDuckGo doesn’t track my searches, doesn’t build an ad profile, and blocks many trackers automatically.

Cons : Sometimes the search results feel less tailored or slightly less accurate than Google.

Switched from : Google Chrome

Reason to switch : I switched because Google’s tracking and targeted ads felt too intrusive. DuckDuckGo gave me a private search experience without sacrificing usability.

4.5/5

“Works Well for Research Without Tracking Me”

For researching topics, DuckDuckGo shows unfiltered results instead of guessing my preferences. That helps me avoid algorithm bubbles.

Pros : It is great for unbiased results because it doesn’t personalize based on past searches.

Cons : Sometimes results require more scrolling to find what I need compared to Google’s ranking.

Switched from : Google Chrome

Reason to switch : I switched because I wanted neutral, non-personalized results and fewer search biases.

4.5/5

“My Default Search Engine for All Private Tasks”

For anything sensitive medical queries, financial research, personal questions, I always use DuckDuckGo. It gives me trust and privacy without any friction.

Pros : Strong tracker blocking, anonymous search, private search engine that doesn’t store logs.

Cons : Some country-specific or localized results aren’t as accurate.

Switched from : Google Chrome

Reason to switch : I switched because I didn’t want my personal queries saved forever or used for ads. DuckDuckGo respects my privacy.

4.3/5

“Love the “Bang” Shortcuts for Faster Searching”

I use bangs all the time to jump to specific sites instantly. It makes searching faster than any other engine I’ve tried.

Pros : DuckDuckGo supports “!bangs” like !yt, !a, and !w to jump directly to YouTube, Amazon, or Wikipedia.

Cons : New users often don’t know about bangs, and some sites don’t always support them perfectly.

Switched from : Google Chrome

Reason to switch : Google didn’t offer a similar system of shortcuts, and DuckDuckGo’s approach reduced the number of clicks I needed.

4.3/5

“Awesome Privacy Browser but a Few Missing Features”

I use DuckDuckGo as my secondary browser whenever I want privacy. It’s fast, blocks a lot of trackers, and keeps things tight.

Pros : The private browser blocks cross-site tracking, third-party cookies, and fingerprinting attempts.

Cons : Lacks some advanced browser features like extensive extensions or developer tools.

Switched from : Mozilla Firefox

Reason to switch : I still use Firefox, but I added DuckDuckGo because it offered easier, automatic privacy without any tweaking.

4.3/5

“Best for Private Searching, But Not Perfect for Maps”

Most of my search needs are privacy-based and simple, so DuckDuckGo was a natural fit. It keeps my queries anonymous and blocks trackers automatically.

Pros : DuckDuckGo is strong for private browsing, tracker blocking, and encrypted connections.

Cons : The mapping and location-based results still depend on Apple Maps and aren’t always perfect.

Switched from : Safari

Reason to switch : I switched because I wanted my search engine to align with my privacy-focused browsing habits. DuckDuckGo met that need better than Google.

4.3/5

“Great for Avoiding Targeted Ads”

I used to see ads for everything I searched on Google follow me around all day. DuckDuckGo ended that. No more creepy targeting.

Pros : Users praise DuckDuckGo’s strict no-tracking and anti-ad-profiling policies.

Cons : Retail shopping results are less personalized, so sometimes I have to refine my search extra.

Switched from : Yahoo Search

Reason to switch : Yahoo’s search ads were overwhelming and felt intrusive. DuckDuckGo’s privacy-first approach solved that problem.