How does DuckDuckGo's search quality compare with Google?

[pepperminty]

After using Google for many years, I'm switching to DuckDuckGo (hereafter DDG). I'm doing so for privacy. I've read that the US government has asked Google and Yahoo for customer info for everybody within a geographical region that used specific search terms.
If the government went to DDG with such a request, DDG would have nothing to give the government because DDG doesn't keep any records.
So in the case of privacy, DDG is the winner.


But how does the quality of DDG's search results compare with that of Google?

[dvirberlo]

Hi,
There is a lot of information on the internet that you can find about the pros and cons of each search engine ( depends on your search engine ):
An example: https://www.lifewire.com/duckduckgo-vs-google-4570974

But I just want to point out a few things:
1. Google's advantage is DDG's disadvantage and vice versa.
When you give up on gather user's data- you can't use it to improve search quality either.
2. DDG is relatively new, and still under serious development- for good and for worse.

If you feel good using DDG- you can keep using it, but I don't think you should not worry so much about that this kind of privacy, because after all, the definition of democracy is "rule of the people".

Best of luck!

[absque fenestris]

Lately, I've been finding the image search with DuckDuck better than with Google.
Image filtering, e.g. by size or by image properties like transparent background, works better with DuckDuck and the handling of the search page is more user-friendly.
This is regardless of the concerns about Google's surveillance tendencies.

[cliffcoggin]

I don't use Google so I can not compare, but I have been satisfied with DDG for four years.

[cabbagetreemo]

Word to the wise, DDG doesn't do a great job of filtering explicit content if Safe Search is not set to strict. Without giving any specific search terms, I have found that the image search can turn up some explicit content with very unrelated words. It seems to be related to adjectives (again, the adjective itself and even the whole search term would not turn up anything explicit on Google with Safe Search off)... Maybe that says something about the 'fairness' of the search algorithms

[cliffcoggin]

A revealing anecdote about how skewed some search engines are. Years ago I searched for a book about Cox and Danks, salvors of the German High Seas fleet at Scapa Flow. Internet Explorer ignored the "and Danks" part of the search and concentrated on Cox. I leave to your imagination the results it generated.

[Moem]

Internet Explorer ignored the "and Danks" part of the search and concentrated on Cox. I leave to your imagination the results it generated.

Which search engine were you using though? Was it Bing?

[Moem]

Lately, I've been finding the image search with DuckDuck better than with Google.

That is interesting. I have been using Startpage for years. I think I should give the Duck a Go.

[absque fenestris]

...
That is interesting. I have been using Startpage for years. I think I should give the Duck a Go.

Regarding DuckDuckGo: This GIF, for example, appeared promptly with the image search > Zebra and the filters applied > Black & White > Animated GIF and there are actually only images with the requested images properties on the DuckDuck search page.
Google meanwhile makes it more difficult.





The ultimate test is the term Schneewittchensarg. If something useful appears on the screen, the search engine can be used.
The Duck passes the test.

[chavic]

DDG is a company and want to be a better one that's all, is not full privacy protector at least what I think, I use it anyway

Short article here:
https://steemit.com/technology/@kevinsa ... duckduckgo

There are alternatives for Google and DDG

[Hoser Rob]

Lately, I've been finding the image search with DuckDuck better than with Google.

That is interesting. I have been using Startpage for years. I think I should give the Duck a Go.

I prefer startpage https myself, DDG is good but I get better search resulots with startpage.

[cliffcoggin]

Internet Explorer ignored the "and Danks" part of the search and concentrated on Cox. I leave to your imagination the results it generated.

Which search engine were you using though? Was it Bing?

It was whatever came as standard with Win98. It was long before I became aware of what a search engine was, and never questioned whether alternatives existed. Oh, how things have changed.

[Hoser Rob]

Word to the wise, DDG doesn't do a great job of filtering explicit content if Safe Search is not set to strict. ...

Startpage is very good at this since safe search is the default, it must be turned off rather than on. I suspect any search engine would be like that

[metamus]

In my experience, Google is smart but dishonest, while DDG is dumb but honest. When I search on Google, I can always feel that it's omitting results from me--be it ones that are subject to copyright laws, politically abrasive, etc. However, within Google's standards for what they're willing to show you, it is much better at finding relevant results. DDG on the other hand will only show me vaguely related results, but won't hide illegal or fringe stuff. The point has already been made in this thread, but DDG is indeed very eager to show you pron in the search results, regardless of your settings. That's a shame, but it also points to how blunt and permissive DDG results are, which is the main advantage of the platform (from a practical perspective anyway, and ignoring Google's scummy business tactics). Personally, if I can't find something on either, I use Yandex or SearX, which often seems to understand what I'm searching for in a more literal sense, and censors little to nothing.

[blueicetwice]

...
That is interesting. I have been using Startpage for years. I think I should give the Duck a Go.

Regarding DuckDuckGo: This GIF, for example, appeared promptly with the image search > Zebra and the filters applied > Black & White > Animated GIF and there are actually only images with the requested images properties on the DuckDuck search page.
Google meanwhile makes it more difficult.





The ultimate test is the term Schneewittchensarg. If something useful appears on the screen, the search engine can be used.
The Duck passes the test.

Absque Fenestris, do you know what circus workers call zebras Convicts

I have used quackquackgo exclusively. Start Page [out of Germany] is also an excellent
search tool. Neither of these two spy and collect data on their users. Locally, on am radio,
Duckgo has been advertising on Conservative stations.

EDIT: The other day I was searching for " red china GNP." The first page of Duck and no linkies
with any data: Google did in short order.

Today in Duckgo I entered "how to show pictures in Linux forum and got no results on page one.
Whereas, with Google the Linux Mint Forum was on page one with a thread.

The Wiener, Google [do no evil].

[absque fenestris]

To search for text content I use etools.ch. There are currently 16 search engines combined. But actually I do not expect to find any useful information. If, then from page 47 or 58 -- maybe ...

[absque fenestris]

...
EDIT: The other day I was searching for " red china GNP." The first page of Duck and no linkies
with any data: Google did in short order.
...

If it may also be other than Google or DuckDuckGo. Provided that GDP is also acceptable - here is a screenshot of swisscows.com:



...and if you type in "red china" you don't have to wonder about nonsense


The Schneewittchensarg test with swisscows.com. Thus Swisscows has landed among my search engines.

[Moem]

Swisscows looks good, but it states that

We place great importance on family-friendly Internet content! Our search results do not include sexual and / or pornographic content.

Apparently it has some sort of content filtering in place. There are no children that use my computer, and I would like insist on control over this kind of filtering, so Swisscows is not for me.

[Bolle1961]

Start Page [out of Germany] is also an excellent
search tool.

Startpage is a dutch company
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Startpage.com

[blueicetwice]

Start Page [out of Germany] is also an excellent
search tool.

Startpage is a dutch company
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Startpage.com

I stand corrected, Bolle. It is Dutch, until the next German invasion