Here’s the most private search engine in 2025: 🥇 Mojeek: Mojeek is the best private search engine I could find. It doesn’t track identifiable data or create profiles of individual users. It’s also fully independent and doesn’t share data with other companies. Everyone wants their search history to stay private, but that’s hard in today’s world. The world’s most popular search engines (including one that rhymes with ‘bugle’) store heaps of user information and have been accused of misrepresenting their privacy practices. On the other hand, many that are actually private just aren’t good. When I tried them out, they did a poor job of taking me to the type of web pages I was searching for. A few were decent but full of ads. Even though they weren’t targeted at me, they were still annoying. Luckily I was able to find a few privacy-friendly search engines that work well. I looked at privacy and logging policies and considered whether each option had any relationships with third-party companies. While none of them are perfect, every option on my list is safer than Google or Bing when it comes to privacy. Pro Tip: The best way to stay anonymous online is to use a VPN. Even with the best search engine, your ISP, hackers, and anyone else connected to your network can still see your search history if they want to. A service like ExpressVPN will fully encrypt your data and block trackers to stop websites from collecting your info. Editors' Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group. Mojeek is my favorite private search engine. It uses an independent index, has excellent privacy policies, and doesn’t track users. What’s more, it’s easy to use and generated the results I was looking for when I tested it out. I really appreciate the fact that Mojeek doesn’t rely on third-party indexes. An index is the database of sites a search engine uses, and Mojeek’s developers built their index from scratch. This means it doesn’t depend on Google or other tech giants. Why is this important? Well, it’s because any search engine that relies on a third-party alternative has to share some amount of data with the larger partner. In most cases, this means giving some of your data to Google. Now this doesn’t mean that Google gets everything, but if full privacy is your aim, it’s better to keep larger search engines entirely out of the loop. Mojeek’s insular infrastructure ensures that your searches are never shared with other companies. Mojeek also has a stellar privacy policy. There’s no user tracking, no personal data collection, and no behavioral profiling. This means you won’t get any personalized ads based on your search history. What’s more, your results will be objective because Mojeek doesn’t tailor them based on what you’ve clicked on in the past. I really appreciate Mojeek’s clean user interface.

Here are the best private search engines: Brave's new private search engine, Brave Search, looks very promising. It is brought to you by the makers of Brave, which is a secure browser with built-in privacy that runs on open-source Chromium. Unlike most of the other private search engines in this guide, Brave is using its own search index, rather than relying on Bing or Google. Here is a brief overview of the Brave Search project from their website: Brave Search is the world’s most complete, independent, private search engine. By integrating Brave Search beta into its browser, Brave offers the first all-in-one browser / search alternative to the big tech platforms. Brave Search beta is also available in other browsers, at search.brave.com. You can learn more about this search engine on the FAQ page that answers some questions. We are excited to see this project develop as it appears to be a strong alternative from a well-regarded organization. We'll keep an eye on it as things progress. Jurisdiction: Germany Search Results: In our tests, most Megater search results came from Bing, followed by Scopia and Infotiger, another start-up search engine based in Germany. It also displays some results from Yandex and Yahoo. MetaGer is an open source search engine (metasearch) based in Germany. It gets search results from Bing, Yandex, Yahoo and others, as well as having its own web crawler. This interesting project started in 1996. It is now operated by a non-profit foundation in Germany called SUMA-EV (Association for Free Access to Knowledge). I tested MetaGer for this guide and found the results to be decent, with some nice features as well: MetaGer search engine does a decent job of protecting your privacy, as they explain here. MetaGer converts search requests into anonymous queries through a proxy server, which also provides the “open anonymously” viewing option with all results. With that being said, your IP address is being logged, as they explain in the privacy policy: Swisscows is a Switzerland-based private search engine that does very well with privacy and security. They promise no tracking or data collection, and even have a “ Swiss Fort Knox ” data center for their server infrastructure.

This detailed guide aims to provide you with the best search engines that respect your privacy. It covers why an encrypted search solution is needed in this digital age, some genuinely private search engines to use in 2025, and a quick checklist to let you complete your online security puzzle. Popular search sites, including Google, Yahoo, and Bing, officially trace users’ online activities. These browsing sites keep the log of searches, browser cookies, IPs, location, and device information for advertising agencies, thereby increasing the risk of privacy breaches. That’s where private search engines come into play. These platforms do not log users’ activities and prevent other web tracking entities from getting your traces. This guide lists the best search engines besides Google to search and browse the web safely online. Are you in a rush? No problem. Check out our list of the three best secure searching options you can use today: DuckDuckGo: Most well-known user-friendly private search tool. It boasts a 100% transparent privacy policy and does not bombard users with targeted ads based on their searches. SwissCows: An innovative, secure research solution that does not store your data. It has positioned everything outside of the EU and the US geographically. Yippy: A metasearch tool with the ability to query multiple search engines. It allows users to combine the displayed results as cloud, a group, or on one screen. Want to see more options? Perfect. This guide covers 20 in total. Continue reading to read about it all in detail. What is a private search engine? A search engine can disclose your private data like employment status, political beliefs, medical conditions, financial information, and other personal information. For this, the provider gathers, saves, and associates the aggregated data with your data profile. To successfully keep your search data private, you need to keep it away from the reach of data collectors. That’s where secure search engines come into play. A secure search engine does not track user data and returns results with additional protection and privacy. Secure search engines do not track your steps online or store search queries. It is the most widely used privacy-focused search engine, receiving around 100 million daily average queries. Regarding its features, DuckDuckGo provides unpaginated results. The results also include favicon symbols on the side that make recognizing your favorite web spaces easy. With DDG, you get almost the same experience as with traditional search engines (but in a unique way). Since it aims to make your search experience private, you might notice it lacks a few functions, such as image filtering by licensed tailored ads (that is a good thing). DuckDuckGo boasts a mighty metasearch engine that collects results from over 400 sources, including Yahoo, Bing, Wikipedia, and Yandex. The value DuckDuckGo provides as a search tool and its transparent and detailed privacy policy deserve appreciation. However, some things might make someone with a 100% anonymity goal uncomfortable. As per the disclosure on DDG’s site, they save all users’ search queries. As this web engine does not record your User-agent strings or IP address, the data collected is not in a personally identifiable manner. However, this fact can still make some people avoid trying it. Another not-so-cool thing about DuckDuckGo is that it is based in the United States and runs on Amazon servers in the US. As the U.S. lacks adequate pro-consumer internet privacy laws, being based on it can be a drawback for many users of this well-known privacy search engine. 2.

These search engines deliver the same experience without tracking you. My list of tested private search engines are easy to use, provide quality results, and have transparent privacy policies. Plus, they each offer something unique. Short on Time? Here Are the Best Private Search Engines in 2025 Startpage — Uses powerful Google technology without tracking to provide an anonymous and smooth browsing experience. Ecosia — An environmentally-focussed private search engine that uses its profits for reforestation. WolframAlpha — Powerful tools and modes to conduct academic research. DuckDuckGo — Most popular private search tool with a 100% transparent privacy policy. Qwant — Filter your searches by country to refine your results. Even with private search engines, your data is exposed to internet service providers (ISPs), government agencies, and hackers. A VPN is a simple app that encrypts your data, so it’s virtually untraceable to anyone watching. Plus, it hides your real IP address and replaces it with one from a region of your choosing. Whether you’re using a private search engine or browsing the results, a VPN will protect your privacy. For best results, I recommend using a VPN in combination with a more privacy-focused browser, as this will provide multiple layers of protection for your data. Editor's Note: Transparency is one of our core values at vpnMentor, so you should know we are in the same ownership group as ExpressVPN. However, this does not affect our review process. 1. Startpage — Leverage the Power of Google Search Technology, Without Any Tracking Startpage offers the benefits of Google's search algorithm without logging your data or sharing it with third parties. During testing, search results were consistently relevant. You can filter out results from specific countries or search by location. Its interface is straightforward and features 80+ different languages. With Anonymous View, you can see images, videos, and websites without leaving any traces. This feature protects you from website fingerprinting, cookies and trackers, Facebook tracking, and geo-based price tracking. Simply click the mask icon next to your search results to use this mode.

Using a private search engine such as StartPage or DuckDuckGo is becoming ever more important. Many privacy focused alternatives usually leverage the big search engines in order to return results, but proxy search requests so that Google, Yahoo or Microsoft do not know who did the search. In other words, they only see that the query was searched for, not the indvidual who searched for it. These privacy search engines promise not to log your IP address or any searches you make, unlike Google and the other search engine giants. If you want the benefits of rapid access to information that a search engine provides without giving up your privacy, read on. What Does Google Know About Me? The problem with most search engines is that they spy on you. This is their business model – to learn as much about you as possible, to deliver highly targeted advertising directly to your browser window. Google has even recently dropped its moratorium on combining what it learns by scanning your emails with what it learns about you through your searches. All the better to spy on you. Information typically collected and stored each time you make a search includes: A cookie is deposited in your browser’s cookie folder that uniquely identifies your computer. With it, a search engine provider can trace a search request back to your computer. This information is usually transmitted to the requested web page, and to the owners of any third party advertising banners displayed on that page. As a result, as you surf the internet, advertisers can build up a (potentially highly embarrassing) profile of you. It is a US-based company and is the most popular and high-profile of the privacy search engines. Searches are primarily sourced via Yahoo, with whom DuckDuckGo has a strong relationship. This is very worrying given recent revelations about its ties to the NSA, but DuckDuckGo continues to promise that it does not collect or share personal information. DuckDuckGo offers search suggestions as you type in a query. Search returns are speedy. Includes image and video search returns. Presentation of results is very clear. Search filter categories include: Web, Images, Videos, Products, Meanings, Definition, and News. Displayed filters are adaptive. DDG will initially show results under the filter category that it feels is most appropriate to the search terms. Ads may also be displayed but are clearly marked, discreet, and are never mixed in with the “pure” search returns. Video results display a thumbnail preview. YouTube videos can be played directly from DDG. A warning alerts you to the fact that these will be tracked by YouTube/Google. Results can also be filtered by country and date (Anytime, Past Day, Past Week or Past Month). Subjectively, the quality of DuckDuckGo’s search returns to be very good. I have seen complaints, however, by others who do not find them as good as those from Google. This is one reason why "bangs" are so useful (see below). This makes SearX the only metasearch engine where you can be 100 percent sure that no logs are kept! By default, SearX leverages results from a large number of search engines. In Preferences, users can change which search engines are used. Searches can be filtered by: General, Files, Images, IT, Map (using OpenStreetMap), Music, News, Science, Social Media, and Videos. Searches can also be filtered by time. There are no ads. Wikipedia entries are displayed to the right of search results. Search results can be downloaded as a .csv, .json., or rss file. Search results can be viewed proxied. This will "break" many websites, but does allow for a very high level of privacy. Search results are as good as the engine’s selected. The official instance uses Google, Bing, Wikipedia, and a host of other first-rate engines by default, so the results are excellent. Video results display a thumbnail preview. Clicking on a video takes you to the website it is hosted on (for example YouTube or Vimeo).

Popular search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing collect a lot of data about you — your IP address, user agent, a unique identifier (stored in browser cookies), and your search terms. It helps these companies to understand your ‘user behavior’, serve you targeted ads, and even track you. In fact, EU GDPR laws and regulations identify metadata and your IP address as personally identifiable. To be GDPR compliant, these companies would either have to let you not disclose this digital data or be transparent about its collection. To see what data is collected about you (and possibly to get rid of it), you will have to dig pretty deep. In most cases, you can’t even be 100% sure that they’ll actually delete it. However, you can still do everything that’s in your power and delete your Google history. Even when you use a VPN, search engines still sometimes collect data and update your user profile. It happens when you are connected to your Google account and use Google search at the same time. Therefore, you might want to use a private search engine with a VPN for increased privacy. Popular search engines are so ingrained in our systems that we rarely think about alternatives. However, those alternatives can provide excellent privacy while still delivering great search results. Here is our list of the 11 most popular and trustworthy private search engines to choose from: 1. Startpage Startpage is one of the best alternatives to Google due to its high-quality search results and commitment to user privacy. Startpage offers search results that are comparable to Google’s, while maintaining a strict policy of not collecting any personal data or IP addresses. This means that users can enjoy highly relevant search results without compromising their personal data or location. One of Startpage’s standout features is its Anonymous View mode. When accessing search results through Startpage, the Anonymous View feature acts as a protective shield, preventing websites from tracking users. Additionally, the private search engine offers instant answer tools like weather updates, translations, stock trackers, and a currency converter. Startpage was founded in The Netherlands and is now owned by a US company, System1. Overall, Startpage is a reliable private search engine, providing top-quality search results and innovative features to safeguard user privacy. 2. DuckDuckGo If you’ve ever looked for a private search engine, you probably came across DuckDuckGo. This search engine is a popular choice, and it serves around 10 million searches a day. Its results are generated from over 400 sources including Wikipedia, Bing, Yandex, and Yahoo. DuckDuckGo offers extra features such as !bang, which allows users to search other websites such as Amazon, Wikipedia or Yahoo directly. Simply type an exclamation mark in front of your query. You can also install the DuckDuckGo extension on Chrome and see how ‘private’ the websites you visit actually are. Sounds like the perfect private browser? Well...not quite. In 2022, news broke that DuckDuckGo had given Microsoft permission to track users through certain platforms, including LinkedIn and Bing. This is apparently an unavoidable stipulation of a deal DuckDuckGo has with Microsoft, which facilitates some of their advertising infrastructure. According to a statement by DuckDuckGo, these trackers cannot be tied to a specific user profile, meaning that their privacy claims are still technically accurate. However, it’s the lack of transparency about this that has troubled many. For a company that places so much emphasis on personal privacy, the information should really have been made public sooner. How is DuckDuckGo different from a VPN?

StartPage calls itself “the world's most private search engine." The Netherlands-based company recognizes that when it comes to search, it's hard to beat Google. That's why they use the power of Google without passing along user tracking. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. StartPage pays Google for the use of its search algorithm but strips out the tracking and advertising that usually comes along with it. You get a Google-like experience, along with the promise that your data will never be stored, tracked, or sold. Test it out at startpage.com. You can also set StartPage as your browser’s default search engine. NOT JUST SEARCH: Want to ditch Google Chrome and Gmail, too? Here are some great alternative browsers, email services, maps apps and more. 2. Ecosia Ecosia takes an entirely different approach. It’s a traditional search engine, ads and all, but the money raised is used to make the world a greener place. When you search on Ecosia, you’re helping to plant trees all around the world. A nice bonus if you’re privacy-conscious: Ecosia doesn’t sell your data, searches are encrypted, and search data is anonymized within a week. They do collect “a small amount of data” by default, but you can opt-out. Search on ecostia.org or you can add an extension to your computer or mobile browser. 3. This search site is the likely most well-known privacy-focused one of the bunch. DuckDuckGo doesn’t track users, so it’s not clear exactly how many people use it. However, the CEO estimates about 25 million users. Why does it stand out? DuckDuckGo doesn’t track you the way Google does, it doesn't allow targeted advertising, research results are not based on your search history, and you'll see fewer ads based on your search. It’s easy to use and install, too, with an extension that plugs in with all the major browsers. You can also search at duckduckgo.com. BROWSER SHOWDOWN: Which web browser reigns supreme? W e compare Chrome, Safari, Fire, Edge and Tor. Why CVS, Walgreens allow pharmacists to deny birth control Georgia residents can claim embryo as a dependent on their state taxes As online shopping slows, Amazon closes or pauses 40 warehouses is Gen Z underestimating how much money it will need to retire? The Daily Money delivers our top personal finance stories to your inbox 5. Kiddle If you have little ones at home, consider Kiddle. It's not affiliated with Google, but Google Safe Search powers it. The visual search engine promises a safe web environment for kids, with big thumbnail images and bigger text for easy reading. The first few results of any given search are pages specifically written for children and approved by Kiddle editors. Kim Komando shares 6 Google search engine alternatives that don't track, store, or sell your private data.

Use these alternative search engines that do not track you. Google — unquestionably the best search engine out there (for most)- uses powerful and intelligent algorithms (including A.I. implementations) to let users get the best out of a search engine. This sounds good until you start to live in a filter bubble. When you start seeing everything that ‘suits your taste’, you get detached from reality. Too much of anything is not good. Too much personalization is harmful as well. Therefore, one should get out of this filter bubble and see the world as it is. But how do you do that? You know that Google tracks a lot of information about your connection and the system when you perform a search and take action within the search engine or use other Google services such as Gmail. So, if Google keeps on tracking you, the simple answer would be to stop using Google to search the web. But what would you use in place of Google? Microsoft’s Bing is no saint, either. So, to address the netizens concerned about their privacy while using a search engine, I have curated a list of privacy-oriented alternative search engines to Google. Do note that the alternatives mentioned in this article are not necessarily “better” than Google but only focus on protecting users’ privacy. Here we go! Also, the list is in no particular order of ranking. 1. DuckDuckGo DuckDuckGo is one of the most successful privacy-oriented search engines as an alternative to Google. The user experience offered by DuckDuckGo is commendable. DuckDuckGo, unlike Google, uses the traditional method of sponsored ads and affiliate commissions to monetize the platform. The ads are privacy-friendly and are often relevant, which is a minimal experience. Of course, DuckDuckGo’s search algorithm has improved over the years (even if it has no idea who you are!). The quality of the search results is on point for what I tested. It lets you select a country to get the most relevant result you may be looking for. But, it might be disappointing for your local searches (based on your region/country). Also, when you type in a question or search for a fix, it might present you with an instant answer (fetched from the source), which works well. If you loved using Google, you might miss quite a few functionalities (like filtering images by license) that you usually find with Google. 2. Qwant Qwant is an interesting private search engine. It claims to track none of your data for searches or advertising. The user experience is pretty refined and looks similar to Google’s layout. Unfortunately, at the time of updating this article, Qwant was inaccessible for every country (like India). So, this can be a bummer.

There are ways to search the internet without being tracked, such as using virtual private networks (VPNs) or private search engines that don’t log your searches, track your behavior or sell your data to third parties. Explore the top-ranking search engines for privacy to get options that allow you to browse the web freely and securely — without sacrificing your peace of mind. What Is a Private Search Engine? Private search engines help you browse the internet without storing search or user information, making them ideal for privacy. User information includes a variety of data that helps hackers track your identity. Some of that information includes: From saving search query history to capturing personally identifiable information, you have the right to private internet use. Luckily, there are a number of private search engines available, each offering a different level of privacy based on how the business gathers revenue. Why Should You Use a Private Search Engine? Unlike more common search engines like Google, private search engines prioritize user privacy by avoiding the collection of search data or personal information. In contrast, traditional engines often use this data to: While these practices may seem harmless — primarily supporting marketing efforts or platform improvement — they also pose risks. Cybercriminals and malware can exploit this data, turning benign information into vulnerabilities. Even though popular web search engines like Google comply with regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by requiring users to opt into data collection, many prefer to bypass these risks entirely. By using private options, you can avoid falling victim to data misuse, tracking or phishing attempts. Looking for better search engines than Google that prioritize your privacy? Here’s a carefully curated list of search engines designed to protect your data, ensuring your searches stay anonymous while offering a seamless browsing experience. 1. DuckDuckGo Best for: Untracked searching With 6 million monthly downloads, DuckDuckGo (DDG) is one of the most popular private search engines on the market. Accessible from desktop, mobile, browser extension and app, DDG is an anonymous search engine that blocks trackers, allowing users to escape the filter bubble. DDG features a proprietary !Bang shortcut that pulls results directly from third-party sites. The engine also generates revenue through private, contextual ads based on search queries — not user profiling. Features: Pros: Cons: Price: Free 2. Startpage Best for: Unprofiled browsing A great DuckDuckGo alternative, Startpage is an award-winning Netherlands-based private search engine that specializes in blocking third parties from gathering personal data or setting price trackers. Your personal data, such as IP addresses, network settings, browsers, locations or hardware, are removed by the company’s two levels of managed, on-premise servers, resulting in unpersonalized results. The engine’s Anonymous View allows you to choose when to browse without being tracked and can block targeted and retargeting ads when turned on. The engine is accessible as a Google Chrome extension, and the company earns revenue through paid contextual advertising.

If Google is your default search engine, your data may be exposed. Google and many other popular search engines aren’t private and they put your online anonymity in danger. Don’t panic! This guide will show you alternative search engines that prioritize your privacy, so you can enjoy the internet’s convenience without worrying about your safety. First, let’s see why it’s important to use private search engines. Why Use a Private Search Engine? You may not realize this, but your search history reveals so much information about you to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and other third parties. Your IP address, location, passwords, and internet activity are all up for grabs. Even worse, some search engines use your data to create a “user profile”. They sell this profile to advertisers who then pester you with targeted ads. That usually happens without your knowledge, so it’s a huge infringement on your privacy and autonomy. Private search engines don’t track, store, or sell your information. The search results they give you are unbiased, not based on marketing strategies. That’s why it’s important to use a private search engine. We’ve analyzed different search engines to find out what the best and worst ones are for your online privacy. We’re also going to perform the same search on each engine to see just how unfiltered the results are! 1. MetaGer Why it stands out: Founded by an NPO TMetaGer is a ‘metasearch engine’, which protects your privacy while you search. It doesn’t track or store your data, like your IP address, location, and searches. It has an anonymizing proxy that ensures your internet activity is 100% private at all times. A non-profit organization called “SUMA-EV-Association” founded MetaGer. That means it doesn’t have an incentive to sell your data. MetaGer’s open-source code means you can review it and check for privacy weaknesses at any time your heart desires. Search Test: 2. Startpage Why it stands out: Anonymous View proxy Startpage allows you to search Google without its privacy risk factors. It hides your IP address and data while you use it. Startpage never tracks, stores, or records your data. It blocks third parties from accessing your data or browser history, so they can’t use it to build a user profile. That also means all your search results will be unbiased and unfiltered. Startpage’s “Anonymous View” proxy gives you 100% online anonymity and keeps your location hidden. Startpage also encrypts your internet activity to keep your data safe while you surf.