Alternatives to Google Search

When you want to look something up online, you probably go to Google without thinking. The gesture is so automatic that for many people, "searching the internet" and "searching on Google" have become synonymous. The problem is that every search tells Google something about you: your fears, your interests, your habits. And Google keeps all of it.

Using an alternative search engine doesn't necessarily mean getting worse results. Sure, Google has an enormous index and sophisticated algorithms — but for most everyday searches, the alternatives hold up well. Some of them use results from other engines (like Bing or Google itself) without tracking who's doing the searching. Others have a completely independent index.

Meta-search engines deserve a special mention: these aggregate results from multiple sources, giving you a broader picture without tying you to a single provider. Some can even be self-hosted, giving you full control over your searches.

A practical tip: change the default search engine in your browser. You won't have to think about it again, and within a few days you'll have adjusted. If a result doesn't satisfy you, you can always add !g to your search on many alternative engines to get Google's results anonymously.