There are many out there that wonder what they’re default search engine should be. Some like using Microsoft’s Bing, others prefer Yahoo, and the majority goes to Google for all of their searching needs. But, what about all of the other options out there, such as DuckDuckGo? Can DuckDuckGo do what Google does? Is it better than Google? Are there any differences?
Well, stick around, and we’ll show you!
SEARCH PROWESS
As far as actual search functionality goes, Google and DuckDuckGo are, pretty much, the same thing. There really aren’t a whole lot of differences here. Whatever you search for in either search engine, you’re going to find the same information. The only difference is that you’re trading Google’s personalized search results for DuckDuckGo’s more private browsing. And in all honesty, Google’s personalized search results and DuckDuckGo’s added privacy are simply “take it or leave it” features, as they really don’t provide much value.
DuckDuckGo has a couple of nice features that work a lot better than the implementation of them in other browsers out there. One of those first features is called Bangs. With bangs, you can search content of a specific website extremely fast. For instance, if you wanted to find the new Deadpool movie on Amazon quickly, all you would have to do is type !a Deadpool in the search bar, and that would be the first result that comes up. This functionality is available for many other websites out there, and makes searching oh so much quicker.
Other browsers offer a similar function, with the “site:” tag. Unfortunately, that’s not even a replacement for Bangs, as the “site:” tag concentrates all of the information in the search engine, whereas Bangs takes you directly to the website with the content you want to see.
The other neat feature is Hidden History. DuckDuckGo does not track your search history, and that’s a good thing as it’s not taking that history and monetizing it to you on every search you do. DuckDuckGo does have ads, but it’s not nearly as invasive as Google.
While there are a lot of benefits to DuckDuckGo, not all of it is good. One of the drawbacks of DuckDuckGo is that its not good with news. You can search Google for a topic, and you’ll instantaneously get results related to what you want to see. That isn’t the case with DuckDuckGo; however, it’s not too much of a downside, as you can get around this with Bangs. If you want to see news from Google’s search engine, just begin your search query with !g.
DUCKDUCKGO DOESN’T HAVE THE PRIVACY YOU’RE LOOKING FOR
Many think DuckDuckGo is superior because of its privacy. It has a lot of good features that makes it worth ditching Google, but the focus on privacy is more of an illusion. DuckDuckGo doesn’t have true privacy. Most search engines don’t. In fact, it’s almost impossible to browse the web privately. Hidden search history and things like Incognito Mode only makes things private on your computer’s end, not your ISPs.
If you’re looking for true privacy, DuckDuckGo definitely isn’t the option. But, if you want to find out how to browse the web as privately as possible, PCMech’s very own Christian De Looper put together a handy guide using the Tor browser.
Keep in mind that DuckDuckGo really doesn’t track its users. But, once you leave the search engine and hop onto another website, you’ll be tracked by that website or another. That’s why if you’re wanting true privacy, it’s best to take Tor for a spin.
CLOSING
And that wraps up our overview on DuckDuckGo vs. Google. As you can see, both of the search engines are relatively the same, as they both do the same thing: search. However, one reason why you might want to ditch Google and make DuckDuckGo your default search engine is because the latter option values a privacy a whole lot more than Google does or ever will.
There really isn’t much harm in ditching Google. Both search engines will serve you up pretty much the same information, only DuckDuckGo will do it with your privacy in mind. You truly aren’t losing much of anything here, aside from leaving some of Google’s ecosystem.
Of course, don’t make the jump based off of just my opinion. Be sure to see DuckDuckGo for yourself, try it out, and see it how it fits within your needs. One thing I can promise you: you’ll be impressed.
[Source: This article was published n pcmech.com by Brad Ward Uploaded by the Association Member: Steven Ryan]
