Privacy comparison · 2026
DuckDuckGo vs Startpage
DuckDuckGo and Startpage are often weighed against each other. This side-by-side compares how each protects you by default, whether the code can be inspected, who runs it, and how to pick the more private option.
Side by side
| DuckDuckGo | Startpage | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Search engine | Search engine |
| Default protection | No search-history profiling | No search logging; proxied results |
| Open source | Partial | No |
| Operator | DuckDuckGo, Inc. | Startpage (Surfboard Holding B.V.) |
| Jurisdiction | United States | Netherlands (EU) |
| Cost | Free | Free |
DuckDuckGo
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.
Privacy 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 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.
Privacy 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
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between DuckDuckGo and Startpage?
DuckDuckGo: DuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine that does not build a personal profile from your searches. Startpage: Startpage is a privacy search engine that returns Google results through a proxy without logging your searches or IP.
Which is more private by default, DuckDuckGo or Startpage?
DuckDuckGo — No search-history profiling. Startpage — No search logging; proxied results. Choose based on which default matches how you use it.
Are DuckDuckGo and Startpage open source?
DuckDuckGo: partly open source. Startpage: no, closed source.
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.
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