I am kinda fed up off trying all these privacy focused search engines which provide lesser quality service. Here’s what I’ve tried so far:

  1. Duckduckgo: bad results when you search something that piracy related
  2. Searx: I’m not geeky enough to host mine own searx so I just jump from one instance to another and the uptimes have been bad.
  3. Startpage: Idk why it’s down most of the time
  4. Ecosia: Not very private, but I just tried it for the sake of it. It’s bad when it comes to the results.

Honestly I feel Brave search is the best when it comes to results. But the sketchy practices kept me away from it. Kagi is paid so I haven’t tried it.

What have you been using?

    • cardfire@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      2·
      2 days ago

      This is exciting to hear! Last I heard, Ecosia just wrapped Google’s results. KAGI is pretty upfront about doing the same.

      This will sound silly, but an absolute need-to-have for me is the ability to throw basic math problems into the search bar as a calculator.

      I never reach for a calculator or spin up a separate app for it, or want to widget on my desktop… instead, I just press the keyboard shortcut for a new tab in my browser and then just belt out whatever parentheticals I need.

      This pretty much serves as the basis for my evaluating different search engines, if it won’t handle the algebra for me, I have to move on.

      • passenger@sopuli.xyzEnglish
        2·
        2 days ago

        Afaik qwant is using Bing where their own index fails.

        You could set up a key combo for a calculator app all the same. And have some fancier calculator app open locally…

        • cardfire@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          2·
          1 day ago

          I absolutely could launch the calculator app by keyboard shortcut when I’m on a desktop. And I kept a calculator widget across an entire full screen in my Android phone’s home menu, for many years.

          These days, I really value the ability to just open a new tab, belt out my instructions, hit enter, and see the result though - - it is mostly things like calculating the total cost of buying something across a year, or calculating currency conversions, or estimating battery capacities and consumption rates.

          In this regard, without wanting to buy into an entire AI ecosystem, I do require my search engines to do at least one function beyond mere searches: Pre-algebra.

  • ekZepp@lemmy.worldEnglish
    161·
    3 days ago

    Duck Duck works for me. I use the “Disable Ai” addon (libreoffice) to remove most of the useless stuff. I’ve also tried Ecosia, but the lack of option for chronological results is a big No for me.

  • okwhateverdude@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2410·
    3 days ago

    If you aren’t paying for it, you are the product. I pay for Kagi and I am very happy with the results and tools they develop.

    • cardfire@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      1·
      2 days ago

      I very much want to use KAGI but their basic tier isn’t enough querying for me in any given month. I have to rephrase, or correct my own typos at least 300 times a month, in my searches.

    • sem@piefed.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      27·
      3 days ago

      Lots of times you pay, but you are still the product.

      I also use kagi when I need it, and have managed to stay on the free tier. DDG for everything else.

      • artyom@piefed.socialEnglish
        101·
        3 days ago

        And even sometimes you don’t pay and still aren’t the product. See most FOSS stuff. The statement is just false.

    • rozodru@piefed.worldEnglish
      8·
      3 days ago

      I have a hard time justifying paying for it. it’s a good search engine but I don’t agree with their AI stance.

  • Voxel@feddit.ukEnglish
    12·
    3 days ago

    Startpage has never been down for me, so idrk what the problem on ur end is.

    • teyrnon@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      51·
      3 days ago

      You are doing business with google when using it though, and it’s results have severely enshitified along with the rest since 2021. (They pay google.)

      • Voxel@feddit.ukEnglish
        22·
        3 days ago

        *you’re supporting Google

        StartPage or rather the companies behind it do business with Google, not yourself.

        • teyrnon@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          61·
          3 days ago

          Which amounts to the same thing. I use startpage too for lack of an alternative, but it’s not ideal. I want to do zero business with these silicon valley parasites.

          • Voxel@feddit.ukEnglish
            54·
            3 days ago

            Consider Brave Search. It is the only search engine with useful results I’m aware of that doesn’t use the search index of Bing (Microsoft) or Google, but it is sadly also by an US-based company and not as privacy-friendly as StartPage afaik.

    • s38b35M5@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      3 days ago

      Same. Been using for two years or more. Never had an issue except the settings cookie seems to expire monthly.

    • zerozaku@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      32·
      3 days ago

      I get this page all the time idk why. I thought it was startpage’s issue.

      • J3N5T4R@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5·
        3 days ago

        I get my connection blocked a lot by that search engine saying to many requests despite using it very little.

        • frongt@lemmy.zipEnglish
          2·
          3 days ago

          Are you sharing your IP address with other people? CGNAT or university network or something?

          • J3N5T4R@lemmy.worldEnglish
            1·
            2 days ago

            Usb tethering to one pc. They block Mr saying I make hundreds of searches yet it’s my first of the morning. I gave up an moved to noai duck.

  • HelloRoot@lemy.lolEnglish
    8·
    3 days ago

    searXNG

    with a lot of “backends”. I like how it aggregates the results from multiple engines, at least for my searches they turn out consistently more relevant when using any single search.

  • Wildmimic@anarchist.nexusEnglish
    4·
    3 days ago

    after a similar path that you took, I now use Metager.org, a privacy respecting meta search engine. You pay for your search requests, but it’s very, very cheap since it is run by a nonprofit (around a eurocent/search depending on settings). They integrate a lot of smaller search indexes, and you can choose to integrate braves and googles index if you wish. You can blacklist webpages too, and the source is FOSS.

  • Corvus Cornix@piefed.socialEnglish
    61·
    3 days ago

    I know you mentioned having tried it but my experience with DDG has been pretty good and it’s what I use (edit to add that I’m not doubting your experience with it has been poor and this isn’t intended to sound flippant).

    I see Kagi come up a lot. I don’t trust engines like Kagi not to link my payment data with my search history, personally. They’re a US company, so consider what that means in the current state of the world and privacy. I haven’t deeply investigated the validity of it, but the Kagi CEO allegedly harassed a journalist (minor edit, a blogger) who had a critical take on their service, and supposedly they were founded as - you guessed it - an AI company.

    And sure, DDG is a US company, too. But they don’t really have anything personally identifying to link my searches back to me. I can accept the ads (though I have uBlock), which are only contextually targeted based on search keywords. I don’t think I’d use their browser or extensions, which would have a much more privileged place in my “tech stack”, but for search it does well enough.

  • tangible@piefed.socialEnglish
    43·
    3 days ago

    I’m using Kagi. I’ve also tried out Uruky to see if that would be a viable non-US alternative.