Alternatives to Google
The index everyone measures against
Google ranks #5 of 7 in Search engines, with an Alt Score of 50. It is proprietary, free from Free and available on the web. 10 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Anyone looking to find information, websites, or answers on the internet — from casual users to researchers and professionals doing everyday lookups.
A ranked list of relevant web pages, images, videos, news, and maps results for a given query, often paired with direct answers, knowledge panels, or AI-generated summaries above the links. Results are personalized based on location, search history, and device.
A user types or speaks a query into the search box; Google matches it against its index of crawled web pages and returns ranked results, letting the user click through to a source or read an on-page answer directly.
Where Google stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave Google
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the Search engines checklist (14 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| Search engines checklist | Brave Search | Kagi | DuckDuckGo | Ecosia | Mojeek | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Independent index | ||||||
| No tracking | ||||||
| Bangs / shortcuts | ||||||
| AI answers | ||||||
| Ad-free option | ||||||
| Customizable ranking | ||||||
| Self-hostable | ||||||
| Maps & local results | ||||||
| Image & video search | ||||||
| Paid tier value |
Every fact and feature listed for Google is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Pricing model Free verified 2026-07-10
Ads help us keep Search accessible – but they're the only thing we sell. We don't charge anyone to be in our search index, and we don't accept payment for search result rankings.
https://www.google.com/search/howsearchworks/ -
License Proprietary verified 2026-07-10
You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or lease any part of our services or software.
https://policies.google.com/terms -
Starts at Free verified 2026-07-10
Ads help us keep Search accessible – but they're the only thing we sell.
https://www.google.com/search/howsearchworks/ -
Platforms Web verified 2026-07-10
Web-based service.
Go to Google.com.
https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/112511 -
Status active verified 2026-07-10
Google Search is gradually making AI Overviews available to more users, in more languages and regions.
https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/14901683 -
Independent index Yes verified 2026-07-10
Most of our Search index is built through the work of software known as crawlers. These automatically visit publicly accessible webpages and follow links on those pages, much like you would if you wer
https://www.google.com/search/howsearchworks/how-search-works/organizing-information/ -
No tracking No verified 2026-07-10
Google uses your information to show you ads that we think are relevant to your interests based on your activities or help you discover something new.
https://safety.google/intl/en/safety/ads-data/ -
Bangs / shortcuts No verified 2026-07-10
Documented operators (quotes, site:, -exclude, before:/after:) include no bang-style shortcuts.
Here are some popular operators:
https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/2466433 -
AI answers Yes verified 2026-07-10
AI Overviews can take the work out of searching by providing an AI-generated snapshot with key information and links to dig deeper.
https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/14901683 -
Ad-free option No verified 2026-07-10
No ad-free tier; ads are the sole monetization for Search.
Ads help us keep Search accessible – but they're the only thing we sell.
https://www.google.com/search/howsearchworks/ -
Customizable ranking Partial verified 2026-07-10
Location/context settings influence results; no direct control of the ranking algorithm.
You can update your location settings as you use Google services to get the search results you want and control your privacy in a way that's right for you.
https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/179386 -
Self-hostable No verified 2026-07-10
You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or lease any part of our services or software.
https://policies.google.com/terms -
Maps & local results Yes verified 2026-07-10
Search contains maps when appropriate that can help you get to where you want to go, or more easily locate local businesses and information.
https://www.google.com/search/howsearchworks/features/ -
Image & video search Yes verified 2026-07-10
Video results also supported (support.google.com/websearch/answer/11216447: 'You can find video results for most searches on Google Search').
To find a page or an answer to a question, you can search for a related image on Google Images.
https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/112511 -
Paid tier value No verified 2026-07-10
No paid tier for Search; ad-supported and free.
We don't charge anyone to be in our search index, and we don't accept payment for search result rankings.
https://www.google.com/search/howsearchworks/
FAQ
Yes. Brave Search, DuckDuckGo and Ecosia have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.