8 Google Alternatives: How to Search Crypto, the Dark Web, and More

Probably the most well-known Google alternative, DuckDuckGo offers a privacy focused search engine that blocks ad trackers and doesn’t sell your search information. Is it perfect? No—and it’s had its own privacy controversies, to be sure. But, big picture, DuckDuckGo offers a pretty good way to explore the internet while not having your personal information and search activity sucked up by a giant (not?) evil corporation. Its search algorithm isn’t as powerful as Google’s but, for most searches, it gets the job done.

Rating: A reliable, privacy-focused option, if you’re looking to surf.

Microsoft’s Bing is notorious for sucking. Often hit with descriptors like “absolutely garbage,” “fucking shit” and “malware,” Bing has weathered a lot of insults over the years, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still searching for ways to lift its reputation out of the proverbial gutter. Recently, Microsoft announced a plan to use the AI revolution to rebrand its much maligned search engine and encourage folks to stop hating. Microsoft claims that OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the trendy new chatbot powered by artificial intelligence, will somehow be integrated into Bing. It’s unclear what that will look like exactly or how it will enhance the platform’s less than stellar reputation, though we’re all pretty curious to find out more.

Rating: Potentially the best search engine if you want to talk to a super smart chatbot? Otherwise, not the best choice out there, if we’re just being honest.

While not strictly an internet search engine, this one seemed worth mentioning. If you’re a programmer and want to scroll through a large repository of free open source code, you may want to check out Manticore Search. Launched way back in 2017, Manticore is a large, searchable database of code, which allows users to spin up the digital infrastructure they need with the click of a button.

Rating: Good place to find free code if you need it.

It’s time to get totally decentralized, dude. In recent years, web3 proponents have begun to launch their own search engines, claiming that blockchain and crypto can somehow help optimize the way web users search for information online. One of the big startups in this space is Presearch, which is powered by a supposedly decentralized network of 65,000 nodes—sorta like how the Tor browser’s infrastructure comes from a global army of volunteers. Presearch says that searches are anonymized, and users can get rewarded for search activity with Presearch’s native crypto token, PRE.

Rating: Best search engine for crypto hype men? Honestly, as a web3 experiment, Presearch works about as well as other Google alternatives. It’s worth checking out, if nothing else.

As integral as the internet is to modern life, it’s actually really friggin’ bad for our planet. Last year the BBC reported that carbon emissions generated by the web and its users accounted for a larger share of global greenhouse gases than all of aviation emissions combined. But, as bad as the internet is for the environment, you don’t have to feel like you’re contributing to the planet’s demise to surf the web! Instead, check out Ecosia. The company says it uses 80 percent of its ad revenue profits to fund tree planting efforts. Will it help save our dying world? Uh, maybe. Probably not. Still, you won’t feel like a privileged jerk, so that’s something.

Rating: Best Google search alternative if you want to feel good about yourself.

There’s more to the internet than the polite world of the “surface” web. There’s also (*cue ominous music)...the dark web. For those who want to explore the seamier side of the internet, check out Ahmia. One of several different dark web search engines, Ahmia is popular because—unlike others—it’s actually accessible from the “surface” web. Jumping onto its interface allows you to scroll through some of the non-indexed content but watch out: some of the content might be disturbing or weird, so searcher beware.

Rating: A solid way to surf the dark web, if that’s what you’re looking to do.

The Russian answer to Google, Yandex is the largest technology company in Russia and offers a search engine, email, and a number of other web services. Unfortunately, the company is alleged to have just suffered a major data breach that researchers say revealed the search engine’s ranking factors, providing insights into how information is prioritized by its algorithm. Before that, Yandex was thought of quite highly by some, and it was a popular search engine in a number of different countries, not just Russia.

Rating: Currently the best search engine if you want to understand how it works—since its source code is now all over the internet. Otherwise, a decent way to surf, albeit one in which you’ll have pretty much no privacy.

Whaa..?? Yahoo Search claims that it’s about to reinvent the search game. Nothing could be more surprising.

For the past decade or so, Yahoo has been pretty lackluster in the search department—so lackluster, in fact, that it lets Microsoft do all the searching for it. While Yahoo Search still exists, it is powered by Bing’s algorithm (via a partnership struck circa 2009). So...if you hate Bing, you probably also hate Yahoo Search. That said, Search Engine Land reports that Yahoo was recently spotted promoting a Product Manager for Search. The company has also been dropping hints on its Twitter account that it will soon be revamping its engine.

Could this have something to do with the current AI boom and its applications for the search industry? We don’t really know.

Rating: Best (or, potentially, worst) future search engine!