If you’ve ever searched for a pair of shoes and then watched ads chase you across the internet, you’ve seen tracking in action. Most big search engines build profiles of what you look for, where you are, and what you click because showing you targeted ads is their business. For most of us, search engines feel like a two-choice menu, Google upfront, with Bing as the alternative. But beyond these giants, there’s a quieter circle of search engines designed for privacy, where your searches stay yours instead of becoming part of an advertising business. The good news: you don’t have to accept that trade-off. A growing set of private search engines minimize or eliminate tracking so you can look things up without leaving a personal trail. These are some private search engines worth knowing: 1) Brave Search Brave Search runs its own web index (so it doesn’t lean on Google or Bing for most queries), and it avoids tracking or profiling users. Brave also provides an optional, privacy-preserving “Web Discovery Project” that lets you contribute anonymised data to improve the index if you opt in. You can use Brave Search in any browser; you don’t need the Brave browser. Why it’s good: Independent results, no account needed, and no search-history profiling. Trade-offs: Smaller index than Google means the occasional niche query might need a fallback. 2) DuckDuckGo DuckDuckGo’s mission is “privacy, simplified.” It doesn’t store personal info or your search history, and it shows contextual (not behavioral) ads. The ads and some results are powered by Microsoft; ad clicks are processed by Microsoft, but DuckDuckGo says that doesn’t identify you. The company has expanded tracker protections in its apps/browsers to block more third-party tracking. Why it’s good: Easy drop-in replacement with decent results, “bangs” shortcuts (!w, !yt, etc.), and no logins. Trade-offs: It relies on Microsoft for ads/results; if you’re avoiding Big Tech entirely, consider an independent-index engine. 3) Swisscows Swisscows pitches itself as a no-tracking engine with family-friendly filtering. It claims its own index and a cooperation with Brave for results quality, while funding itself with contextual ads delivered by Bing with an emphasis that it does not pass personal data to ad partners. Why it’s good: Strong privacy messaging, conservative filters by default, simple UI. Trade-offs: If you need unfiltered results, you may need to adjust settings; some features depend on partners. 4) Startpage Startpage privately proxies Google results you get Google-grade web coverage without sending identifying data to Google. It recently added richer “enhanced results” (maps, weather, images) through partners, designed to keep those features inside Startpage’s privacy rules. The company emphasizes no tracking or selling search histories. Why it’s good: Very strong results quality with a clear no-tracking stance. Trade-offs: Metasearch model means you’re trusting Startpage’s proxying rather than touching Google directly. 5) Mojeek Mojeek is one of the few engines with a fully independent web index and a strict no-tracking policy (no cookies for tracking, no profiling). It’s a great way to diversify beyond the usual sources. Why it’s good: Independence from Big Tech, minimal data collection by design. Trade-offs: Smaller index means results can be less comprehensive for obscure topics.
