A life after Google: Kagi vs. DuckDuckGo
Kagi and DuckDuckGo offer alternatives to Google: Kagi provides paid, ad-free, customizable search, while DuckDuckGo focuses on free, more private browsing. Both aim to deliver relevant results without tracking, reminiscent of early Google's simplicity.
The search for a better search engine has led many users to explore alternatives to Google, with Kagi and DuckDuckGo emerging as privacy-focused contenders. While both offer ad-free experiences and prioritize user privacy, they differ in their approaches: Kagi provides high-quality, customizable results through a paid subscription model, while DuckDuckGo offers a free service with a strong emphasis on anonymity and untracked searches.
While both prioritize user privacy, Kagi and DuckDuckGo differ in their approach to open-source development. Kagi's core search engine technology remains proprietary, but its official browser extensions are open-source and available on GitHub1. In contrast, DuckDuckGo has a more extensive open-source presence, with many of its apps and extensions, including mobile apps, being open-source2. However, DuckDuckGo's core search engine technology is not entirely open-source due to API licensing and competitive reasons3. This difference in transparency and community involvement may influence users who prioritize open-source solutions in their decision-making process.
The choice between Kagi and DuckDuckGo often boils down to a trade-off between search result quality and privacy. Kagi's paid model allows it to focus on delivering high-quality, relevant results without the need to optimize for ad revenue, offering extensive customization options for users to fine-tune their search experience. However, while Kagi emphasizes privacy, it does collect some data to improve services. DuckDuckGo, on the other hand, prioritizes absolute privacy, not tracking users or personalizing results based on search history, but this approach may sometimes lead to less tailored or up-to-date results compared to Kagi or Google45.
Kagi: Is Paying for a Search Engine Worth It? - Techlore
Kagi employs a subscription-based model, offering tiered plans starting at $10/month or $100/year, with no advertising in search results. This approach allows Kagi to focus on delivering unbiased, high-quality results with extensive customization options. In contrast, DuckDuckGo generates revenue primarily through contextual advertising based on current search queries and affiliate marketing partnerships with companies like Amazon and eBay. DuckDuckGo has been profitable since 2014, with annual revenue exceeding $100 million in recent years and projections estimating $150 million by 20253. While Kagi's model may face challenges in rapid scaling, DuckDuckGo's ad-based revenue allows for easier scalability and has led to consistent growth, with daily searches surpassing 100 million6.
Kagi's AI Assistant offers a unique integration with high-quality search results, providing customizable responses based on up-to-date information while maintaining user privacy. It allows seamless transitions between traditional search and AI-generated answers, offering transparent sourcing and specialized knowledge domains1. In contrast, DuckDuckGo's DuckAssist, introduced in 2023, focuses on quick summaries for straightforward questions, primarily drawing information from Wikipedia and Britannica. DuckAssist appears as an information box above regular search results, maintaining DuckDuckGo's commitment to privacy by processing queries anonymously and not engaging in extended conversations2.
- Kagi Browser Extension
- DuckDuckGo Open Source Policy
- r/duckduckgo - Why isn't Duckduckgo completely open source?
- r/PrivacyGuides - Thoughts on Kagi? (Premium search engine)
- r/PrivacyGuides - Kagi Search | Ad Free Paid Search Engine
- TechCrunch - DuckDuckGo calls for EU to widen its Digital Markets Act probe of Google
