18 Alternative Search Engines Other than Google You Should Try

Many of you reading this have probably experienced this: You open Google to search for an urgently needed answer. Unfortunately, you're having trouble finding relevant information, or worse, you're being followed by ads.

StatCounter shows that Google currently has a 91.04% share in the search engine market and has revolutionized how we find things online. However, alternative search engines are sometimes better.

Google focuses heavily on monetization. The search engine harvests user data to generate profit, so privacy controls aren't too stringent. Other reasons people opt for search engine alternatives include the following:

• For ethical or philanthropic reasons
• They want metasearch engine results
• They want highly focused or topical results

Read on to learn about 18 unique search platforms and why they're worth trying.

Why Consider Alternative Search Engines?

As mentioned, Google collects user data to create targeted ads based on your searches. This practice turns many users away. For instance, searching for "cherry ice cream" on Google could lead to Facebook ads for that very flavor following you around.

This Facebook advertisement is what's called targeted advertising. It's how marketers reach consumers with things that target their distinctive tastes and interests -- Google helps them do it by mining your data.

However, not all search engines track your activity so closely. Some, like DuckDuckGo and Brave Search, prioritize user privacy. Jooice helps businesses optimize their online presence across multiple platforms by providing targeted results without infringing on user privacy.

Alternative Search Engines: Do They Benefit Businesses?

We've discussed why individual users would use Google and non-Google search tools, but what benefit is there to companies opting for other search tools?

Google is the most utilized search engine in the U.S., so why bother using something else? Alternative search engines allow businesses to reach audiences they normally wouldn't.

For example, privacy-focused search tools are ideal for audiences who don't want targeted ads following them. You can sell your services to clients via SEO-ranked web pages without alienating them.

Of course, some people don't use Google for other reasons, such as a desire for censored content.

Some of these alternative search engines aren't geared toward SEO, but to help companies improve in other ways. BoardReader and CC Search aid with research and content creation, respectively. Jooice consolidates many of these diverse tools into one dashboard to make it easier to manage your online presence.

Ethical Search Engines and Metasearch Engines

Some choose to use search engine alternatives because they champion good causes. Ethical search engines, like Ecosia, donate revenue to further altruistic goals. Jooice's integrated platform can help businesses showcase their alignment with these values across various ethical and metasearch engines.

Other internet users prefer search engines that offer a wider range of results -- metasearch engines. A metasearch engine technically isn't a search engine.

It's a web portal collecting search results from search engines via a keyword or phrase. Metasearch engines, like Dogpile, do this through proprietary algorithms.

Search Engines for Highly Focused or Topical Results

Sometimes you're searching for specified or particular information, like academic papers. Results for businesses and advertisements may distract from what you need.

An example of a search engine catering to a certain topic is Boardreader. You can easily search forums and message boards for more personal user-based data.

Jooice makes it simple to manage and adapt your listings across such focused platforms so that your business reaches the right audience.

The 18 Best Search Engines Outside Google

Below is a list of 18 Google and non-Google search tools for those expanding their web search repertoire. This is not an exhaustive list, but it will give you a starting point for search engine alternatives.

1. Bing

Microsoft Bing ranks second in the U.S.'s web search market at a distant, not quite 4%. You may want to try Bing because it's similar enough to Google for individuals and businesses branching into alternate search engines.

Bing's webpages look a lot like Google's, with comparable categories under the search bar, such as:

• All
• Videos
• Shopping
• News
• Maps
• Images

However, Bing also has a "Copilot" category, which leads to the search engine's integrated AI. Copilot summarizes search results, so you don't have to scour multiple pages for information.The Copilot AI provides links to where the information was pulled. Bing hosts a rewards program called Microsoft Rewards. You will receive points for shopping on the search engine, which you can redeem for:

• Gift cards
• Movies
• Apps
• Non-profit donations
• Microsoft devices
• Xbox games

Jooice makes it easy to adapt your listings for Bing by leveraging its familiar interface to attract users seeking Google alternatives.

2. Yahoo!

Yahoo! is the third most prevalent search engine in the U.S. It's owned and operated by Yahoo! and powered by Microsoft Bing.

As a result, Yahoo's web page results are similar to those of Bing. However, the former has more news-heavy search engine result pages (SERPs).

Advertisers may want to use this non-Google search tool to attract people interested in business updates and tech news. These pages are more minimalistic than Google and Bing, and more text-heavy.

It may not have Google's popularity within the U.S., but TechReport says it averages about 38 million visits daily, and 3.4 billion globally. Yahoo! is the 11th (or 12th, TechReport sources vary) most visited website worldwide.

3. Internet Archive

The Internet Archive (IA) is one of those "highly focused or topical results" search engines we discussed; this one is not SEO-focused but preserves cultural artifacts. As the name implies, IA is a non-profit digital archive of:

• Movies
• Books
• Music
• Software
• Websites
• Images
• Audio Recordings

Researchers, scholars, those with issues consuming print media, and the general public could use this search engine to find old information for company articles or promotions.People, however, need a free account to upload things. IA also owns the Wayback Machine, an archive of the World Wide Web. Here, you can find copies of billions of defunct web pages. Jooice offers cloud-based solutions for uploading and managing your digital artifacts across platforms like the Internet Archive.

‍4. Yep

Yep is an ad-free alternative search engine launched by the SEO software suite, Ahrefs. This engine was created in 2022 and is AI-powered.

For those unaware, "AI-powered" refers to technology using artificial intelligence to make decisions or handle tasks that typically require human intelligence.

You could consider Yep an ethical search engine as it gives a part of its ad revenue to content creators, which is a good reason for companies to try ranking on this search tool.

Donating money to a good cause may encourage potential clients to use this search engine. The goal is to encourage people to share high-quality content and knowledge.

5. Gigablast

Gigablast is a potentially fine choice for companies wanting to appeal to those with privacy in mind when browsing the web. Don't be fooled by the dated-looking home page.

Gigablast is a powerful search engine and doesn't store personal information for marketing purposes. The SERPs are minimalistic and ad-free. There are only three categories under the search bar:

• All
• Images
• Videos

You can use advanced search options, like phrase searching, and the ability to restrict certain URLs. Gigablast also allows users to web cluster.Web clustering groups search results in real time based on their likenesses. Users can toggle this feature on or off.

6. Blackle

Blackle is the energy-efficient version of Google, meaning companies can achieve SEO rankings as on its parent site. It may save energy thanks to the pitch-black home page.

You can see how much watt-hours of energy other users are saving by others worldwide while searching. People looking to make small, environmentally-conscious changes may want to use Blackle.

7. Ask.com

Ask.com (formerly Ask Jeeves) began as a repository for long-string question answers. People had inquiries, and others tried their best to answer. Today, Ask works like Google.

It answers your search queries and provides related information to expand on what you want to know. We included Ask on our list because the homepage has regular news updates.

The interface is like Yahoo!'s but isn't powered by Microsoft Bing. You may want to use Ask.com for its independent search index, which allows businesses to reach a different audience than Google engines.

8. Ecosia

We mentioned Ecosia as an example of an ethical search engine. Ecosia has vowed to donate a portion of its profits to planting trees for each search users make.

Environmentally friendly businesses can reach people who care about conservationism. Searchers can even view how using the search engine helps reforestation efforts.

People can check the home page to see how many trees Ecosia has planted and how much they've donated to combat climate damage. As of now, they've planted over 213 million trees and given €87 million or $96 million.

9. Dogpile

Dogpile, as mentioned, is a metasearch engine that uses web crawlers to compile results from other search engines. A web crawler is a bot that downloads and indexes information from the internet.

Mined search engines include:

• Google
• Bing
• Yahoo

You'll also see results from audio and video providers. Users enter a query and the Dogpile algorithm then:

• Collects information from other search engines
• Finds which are useful to the user
• Removes duplicates

There isn't much you can do to rank on Dogpile given they compile the best from search engines. How well you perform on Bing or Google determines whether people will find you. Users can find web pages, images, videos, audio, yellow pages, white pages, etc. Dogpile does have a privacy setting, to make searches private but it's not the best choice if you want anonymity. You can't locally hide search history and sites visited from engine results pages may log usage. Law enforcement and other investigative agencies could access records via a court order.

10. BoardReader

A business or person might want a more personal perspective on items or services. BoardReader is a search engine that organizes and categorizes social media and message boards.

The unique algorithm sifts through user and client business content and covers a range of business-related topics like:

• Industry news and trends
• Marketing and sales advice
• Product reviews and comparisons
• Customer service tips
• Technical support

The unique search platform ranks search results in many ways, including content relevance and user search history. Here are the specifics of what BoardReader does:

• Forum searching

• Scours forums and message boards for specific content

• Trending topics

• Shows trending topics and discussions from forums

• Not available on all versions of BoardReader

• Aggregation

• Pulls discussions from various forums

11. YouTube

YouTube may surprise you, given that it's video-only and Google-powered. Remember, we mentioned there are Google-powered search engines you may find worth using, like this one and Blackle.

YouTube is a search engine -- it's just not in a format many may think of. You can find practically any information you need on the video platform --which is why it could be a useful promotion vehicle.

Businesses can reach a wide audience, especially with popular content creators. Users can:

• Tie a tie
• Learn to cook
• Learn car maintenance
• Listen to audiobooks
• Listen to music
• Find educational materials

• Science
• English
• Math
• Language teaching aids

You won't find blogs or informational articles, so people who learn best by print may want to avoid YouTube. Visual or audible learners will likely have an easier time absorbing information.

12. CC Search

CC Search is a search engine that helps users find Creative Commons (CC) content to make personal or business-related content. Content creators may be familiar with Creative Commons, but we'll explain to those who may not.

Creative Commons is an international non-profit that collects knowledge and media people can use under copyright law. People who apply CC licenses to their work allow others to use them without repercussions.

CC Search allows users to look for many media types like images and music tracks. Users can search by:

• Authors
• Titles
• Tags

You can also see results from different search engines and public repositories. The latter is aggregated into a single catalog.

13. Swisscows

Swisscows is a web search engine launched by the Swiss company, Hulbee AG. This search engine made our list due to its unique focus on family-friendliness and filters:  

• Violence
• Pornography
• Drugs
• Alcohol
• Tobacco
• Medicine
• Horror

Note that sometimes the results don't always filter accurately, however. Swisscows' AI-powered algorithm works much like Google. It learns and understands query contexts to give the most accurate results. The search engine is Bing-powered and uses a standalone search index. Swisscows doesn't collect user data, so it's also a good alternative for businesses and users who care about privacy.Swisscows uses ad revenue to support orphanages in Haiti and Colombia. Companies may want to reach a niche audience that prefers censored search results and wishes to help others.

14. DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo has long enjoyed a reputation as "the search engine that doesn't track you." This non-Google search tool doesn't store your search or financial data or employ targeted ads.

There are still advertisements on DuckDuckGo, but they aren't personalized so it could be a good tool for SEO ranking. However, there has been recent controversy.

The search engine was discovered allowing Microsoft-owned trackers like Bing and Linkedin to track user activities. Essentially, the search engine was private, but not as private as many would like.

DuckDuckGo CEO Gabe Weinberg has said they've expanded tracker blocking to Microsoft-owned entities. You may wonder why we added DuckDuckGo, despite the controversy.

We reasoned that it was a trusted search engine for 16 years. Still, whether you trust them with your privacy is a personal decision. They're still privacy-focused, but it's understandable if you're leery of using this search engine.

15. Brave Search

Brave Search is like Yep in that it's AI-powered. It's a private, independent search engine developed by Brave Software Inc. and is the default in the Brave browser. It's also accessible at search.brave.com.

Brave Search's default settings don't include AI search but can be toggled on. Once turned on, users will receive AI summaries above traditional search results.

Brave delivers results from its search index without profiling or collecting user data. It blocks ads and cross-site cookie tracking. Cross-site cookie tracking uses third-party cookies to monitor users across websites.

Other features Brave Search has, include:

• AI answer engine

• Like Bing's Copilot or ChatGPT

• Forum discussions on the results page

• Provides searchers user-oriented results like BoardReader

• Community-driven ranking options
• The ability to filter results via:

• News
• Images
• Video
• Geographical location
• Result publish date

Brave Search is similar to DuckDuckGo in that there's a heavy focus on privacy. Businesses should consider Brave Search to attract those who typically steer from search engines like Google and Bing's data mining.

16. Phind

Phind is another search engine alternative for highly focused, topical answers. You can enter typical queries like, "Is Italian pizza better than American?" but the search engine is designed for developers.

Phind is an AI-powered search and answer engine made to help software developers problem-solve and create code. You may have heard how people use ChatGPT for ideas, Phind is the developer's version.

The AI can answer complex inquiries and give users answers with accompanying links. Phind also aids debugging and code testing with its "pair programmer" option. Users can work alongside another developer.

The answer engine can walk developers through ideas by generating code and explaining its purpose. You should consider Phind if you're struggling with coding; however, it works best when users ask full questions.

For example, "What is the difference between an array and a linked list?" will garner better results than "Linked list vs. array." You can use Phind for free, but there is a Pro version for more accessibility.

Users can also install Phind as a web app. You can download it to your home screen instead of typing the website into your browser.

17. MetaGer

MetaGer is a German-based, collaborative effort between the non-profit SUMA-EV and the University of Hannover. Yes, they do have an English version that launched in 2013.

It is another metasearch engine like Dogpile and while free, it has ads. You can upgrade to a paid version to block advertisements. Like Dogpile, MetaGer uses web crawlers to gather information from the internet.

You can create a "website blacklist" that filters sites you don't want. MetaGer offers various privacy features like:

• Not collecting or sharing data with third parties
• The option to open search results anonymously
• The option to open search results in Tor

• Tor is a browser popular for promoting anonymity

Data privacy and security practices may differ based on user age, region, and use. Like most selections on this list, MetaGer could also serve companies and individuals who value privacy.

18. Wiki.com

We're completing our list of search engine alternatives with Wiki.com, another highly focused search tool. Wiki.com was created in 2004 by a group of independent developers.

The goal was to make a search engine that would scour all wikis. A wiki is an online collection of information updated and managed by its audience -- Wikipedia may come to mind for many readers.

Wiki.com allows users to also search for:

• Wikia (also known as Fandom) wikis
• Wikimedia Foundation
• All sites based on MediaWiki

• MediaWiki is a free, open-source software that powers wikis

Wiki.com has four search settings that users can browse by:

• Wikipedia only
• People's wikis only
• Encyclopedias only
• All wikis (the default setting)

The search engine is Google-powered, so it's an alternative search tool in that the results are limited to wikis. However, wikis are useful for quickly sharing information on specific topics -- like your business. They make it easy to find associated information via hyperlinks and are ideal for creating data chains. You may want to consider Wiki.com to find easily accessible, well-organized information. Jooice ensures your business content is easily accessible so you can connect to a knowledge-focused audience.

Should You Use Alternative Search Engines?

You've just explored a list of alternative search engines to Google - but are they right for you? While Google has its flaws, other search engines have their own challenges.

DuckDuckGo, for instance, doesn't personalize search results which makes it harder for some users to find what they need quickly. MetaGer, on the other hand, is criticized for being "too streamlined" and not very user-friendly, though it wins points for its privacy features.

AI-powered search engines also have their downsides. They can be expensive to maintain, especially for smaller businesses, and sometimes present biased, one-sided results. It's important to use discernment and cross-check information when relying on AI for search.

What Is Your New Search Engine?

We've covered 18 alternative search engines that offer various advantages, from enhanced privacy to niche, topic-focused results. While Google dominates the market, these alternatives can help businesses reach different audiences and meet unique user preferences.

This is where Jooice shines. We simplify your digital presence by consolidating and managing your business listings across these diverse platforms. Unlike other solutions, Jooice evolves with your business, utilizing AI-driven insights to ensure your listings are always optimized to save you both time and resources.

What sets Jooice apart is its ability to disrupt the complexity of digital management. We bring all your digital work tools into a single, intuitive dashboard to give you full control from one place.

Ready to simplify your business marketing? Start a free trial today and discover how our unique, cloud-based solution can give your business the competitive edge it deserves.

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