GeraGuard · Best private search engine

Best Private Search Engines

Search engines see some of your most sensitive queries. Compare the options on whether they build a personal profile from your searches, where they source results, and which privacy laws they operate under.

At a glance

Tool	Default protection	Open source	Jurisdiction
DuckDuckGo	No search-history profiling	Partial	United States
Startpage	No search logging; proxied results	No	Netherlands (EU)
Google Search	Personalised using account/activity data	No	United States (Google)

DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo, Inc.

DuckDuckGo returns search results without logging searches to a personal profile or tailoring results based on a tracked history. It sources results from its own crawler plus partners and offers a companion browser and extension.

Strengths

✓Does not build a personal search profile or personalise results from tracking
✓Companion app and extension add tracker blocking while browsing
✓Simple, no-account experience

Caveats

!Results partly rely on third-party partners for some queries
!The core search engine is not fully open source

Startpage

Startpage (Surfboard Holding B.V.)

Startpage fetches results from Google but strips the tracking, acting as a privacy proxy so you get familiar results without a personal profile being built. It is based in the Netherlands, under EU privacy law.

Strengths

✓Delivers Google-quality results without Google’s tracking
✓Optional Anonymous View to open results via a proxy
✓Operated under EU (Dutch) privacy law

Caveats

!Closed source
!Depends on Google as its results source

Google Search

Google

Google Search delivers highly relevant results in part by using data tied to your account and activity. Because Google’s business is advertising, signed-in searches can contribute to the ad profile Google holds about you.

Strengths

✓Largest index and typically the most comprehensive results
✓Deep integration with other Google services

Caveats

!Searches can be linked to your Google account and ad profile
!Results are personalised using tracked activity
!Closed source

Frequently asked questions

Does DuckDuckGo track my searches?

DuckDuckGo does not log your searches to a personal profile or personalise results based on tracked history, which is the core difference from profile-driven search engines.

How is Startpage different from Google?

Startpage shows Google’s results but acts as a privacy proxy — it does not log your searches or IP address or build a personal profile from them.

Does Google track what I search?

When signed in, Google can associate your searches with your account and use them to personalise results and ads. Privacy search engines avoid building that profile.

Add a privacy layer to any of them

GeraGuard blocks trackers on every site you visit and warns you when your email turns up in a breach. Free, no account.

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