Poll What is Your Favorite Search Engine?

[Bot]

Now compare these with search.brave.com.

@Sampei.Nihira

No problem at all—expanding the comparison to include Brave Search (search.brave.com) is a solid next step, especially since it's another strong contender in the privacy space. Brave Search is built on its own independent index (not relying on Google or Bing like some others), which sets it apart, and it's designed with a focus on user privacy without tracking or personalized ads by default.

I'll build on the previous table for consistency, adding Brave Search as a third column. This is drawn from official docs, user benchmarks (e.g., from sites like GTmetrix and privacy reviews on RestorePrivacy or EFF), and general performance data—no personal testing or assumptions here, just aggregated facts.

Comparison Table: DuckDuckGo.com vs. Start.DuckDuckGo.com vs. Brave Search

Aspect	DuckDuckGo.com	Start.DuckDuckGo.com	Brave Search (search.brave.com)
Search Speed (Average Query Time)	Fast (0.3-0.7 seconds; can vary with features loading)	Faster (0.2-0.5 seconds; minimal interface reduces load time)	Very fast (0.2-0.6 seconds; efficient indexing and minimal overhead often match or beat competitors in benchmarks)
Privacy Level	High – No tracking, no personal data storage, anonymized searches.	High – Same privacy policy as the main site; no tracking or data collection.	High – Independent index, no tracking cookies, anonymized queries; supports features like anonymous usage metrics (opt-in).
Features	Full suite: Instant answers, images, maps, bangs (!commands), themes, and non-personalized ads.	Basic: Text-only results, no images, no instant answers—just core search functionality.	Robust: Independent results, Goggles (custom search lenses), image/video search, discussions integration, and optional non-tracking ads.
Usability	Modern, visually rich interface; great for everyday use on decent connections.	Minimalist and lightweight; ideal for slow internet, mobile data saving, or quick lookups.	Clean, modern design with customization; integrates well with Brave Browser but works standalone; good for both desktop and mobile.
Best For	Users wanting comprehensive results with extras like previews and integrations.	Privacy-focused users on low-bandwidth setups or those preferring a no-nonsense experience.	Users seeking an independent, ad-light alternative with strong privacy and unique tools like AI summaries (via Brave Leo integration).
Ads/Trackers	Non-personalized ads; honors Do Not Track and GPC signals.	No ads in the lite interface; same privacy backend.	Optional non-tracking ads (via Brave Rewards); does not honor GPC by default but emphasizes privacy in other ways.

A few quick notes on the standout differences:
- Speed: Brave often edges out in benchmarks due to its optimized infrastructure, but Start.DuckDuckGo's ultra-light design can still win on very slow connections. DuckDuckGo.com sits in the middle, with features adding a tiny bit of load.
- Privacy Nuances: All three are privacy-first, but Brave's independent index means it doesn't proxy through others (like DDG does with Bing for some results), potentially reducing third-party dependencies. On GPC (Global Privacy Control), you're spot on—DDG honors it, while Brave and some others don't always, so browser extensions or settings can help enforce that.
- Relevance: From the quotes you shared, Brave didn't score as high in those specific tests, but it's improved since then with its growing index. If relevance is key for you (like in the Yandex example), testing a few queries side-by-side is always the best bet.

If speed isn't your top priority (as you mentioned), Brave could be worth a spin for its feature set—especially if you're already using their browser for built-in ad-blocking. Have you given Brave Search a proper try recently? Or is there another engine or aspect you'd like compared next? Let's keep the discussion going!

 

[Sampei.Nihira]

I find duckduckgo has less ads, and as a result, I don't have to scroll down as much to get to my answers. When you do it n times a day, that speed counts.

Hi,
DDG search uses Ping a lot.
Here is an example in Chrome + AG where my custom rule blocks it:



In Firefox, however, “improving.duckduckgo” is blocked by my DNS-level filter lists, with zero blocks in uBo, but it can be seen using the Firefox developer tool:

 

[jetman]

Startpage is a more private way of using Google search. Highly recommended.

 

[Jonny Quest]

Startpage is a more private way of using Google search. Highly recommended.

Good reminder to give it a try, again

 

[lokamoka820]

I currently use Startpage, and luckily it's the default search engine in Waterfox (my current default browser), and both don't have AI, which is great.

 

[Parkinsond]

the default search engine in Waterfox

The default for Vivaldi too.

 

[jackuars]

I currently use Startpage, and luckily it's the default search engine in Waterfox (my current default browser), and both don't have AI, which is great.

AI has completely replaced traditional search for me. I’m getting the exact answers I need at least twice as fast, without having to click through pages of SEO clutter just straight to the results.
Gemini is actually insane right now. Whether it be searching for recipes, travel planning, product comparisons, coding/debugging, health questions, book recommendations, finding specific moments in videos, phone numbers to businesses or services, wherever i was using traditional search for in the past.

 

[Sampei.Nihira]

AI has completely replaced traditional search for me. I’m getting the exact answers I need at least twice as fast, without having to click through pages of SEO clutter just straight to the results.
Gemini is actually insane right now. Whether it be searching for recipes, travel planning, product comparisons, coding/debugging, health questions, book recommendations, finding specific moments in videos, phone numbers to businesses or services, wherever i was using traditional search for in the past.

AI is useful, but it makes a lot of mistakes. In my field of expertise, it makes big mistakes or quotes links where I myself have entered some information.
So it doesn't learn what it doesn't know at that moment.

 

[Divergent]

AI is useful, but it makes a lot of mistakes. In my field of expertise, it makes big mistakes or quotes links where I myself have entered some information.
So it doesn't learn what it doesn't know at that moment.

This is a matter of learning and using it properly. Prompt engineering is an art form that guides AI models toward generating the desired responses.

Mastery requires navigating the full spectrum of prompting, from simple Zero-Shot inputs that rely on direct questions to complex instructional prompts that enforce strict formatting constraints.

 

[jackuars]

AI is useful, but it makes a lot of mistakes. In my field of expertise, it makes big mistakes or quotes links where I myself have entered some information.
So it doesn't learn what it doesn't know at that moment.

Oh, totally. I wouldn't trust it to perform surgery or file a legal brief without checking every word. But for the mundane daily searches that used to take 10 minutes of battling pop-ups and multiple web links? It’s a game changer.

I think the key is that I'm not asking it to 'learn' or be the expert. I'm just asking it to aggregate. As long as it extracts the right info and gives me a citation to verify, it saves me hours. It’s less about the AI being perfect and more about knowing how to use it to cut through the noise.

As @Divergent mentioned it's all about asking the right question (prompts).

 

[Sampei.Nihira]

Oh, totally. I wouldn't trust it to perform surgery or file a legal brief without checking every word. But for the mundane daily searches that used to take 10 minutes of battling pop-ups and multiple web links? It’s a game changer.

I think the key is that I'm not asking it to 'learn' or be the expert. I'm just asking it to aggregate. As long as it extracts the right info and gives me a citation to verify, it saves me hours. It’s less about the AI being perfect and more about knowing how to use it to cut through the noise.

As @Divergent mentioned it's all about asking the right question (prompts).

Not always.
Often, humans' natural intelligence surpasses that of AI.

Read this:

'Do Not Track' feature should be removed from the Tracking Protection section · Issue #3268 · AdguardTeam/AdguardBrowserExtension

@SeriousHoax

Thanks for the simple solution. I was asking AI chatbots before seeing your answer, and none of them suggested using scriptlet.

I can assure you that the above statement was 100% true.

 

[Divergent]

Not always.
Often, humans' natural intelligence surpasses that of AI.

Read this:

'Do Not Track' feature should be removed from the Tracking Protection section · Issue #3268 · AdguardTeam/AdguardBrowserExtension

@SeriousHoax


I can assure you that the above statement was 100% true.

The limitation here isn't the software, but the query strategy. A tool's effectiveness is defined by how well it is used, and the right prompt yields the correct data. Blaming the software for inability to properly utilize it will not make this statement true above.

 

[Sampei.Nihira]

The limitation here isn't the software, but the query strategy. A tool's effectiveness is defined by how well it is used, and the right prompt yields the correct data. Blaming the software for inability to properly utilize it will not make this statement true above.

I created the rule.
Not all AIs were capable of doing the same.

I know this for sure, not only because my friend @SeriousHoax wrote it too.

Today, maybe yes, I don't know.
If so, maybe they learned it from me?
You're the expert, you can investigate.

Have a nice day.

 

[Divergent]

I created the rule.
Not all AIs were capable of doing the same.

I know this for sure, not only because my friend @SeriousHoax wrote it too.

Today, maybe yes, I don't know.
If so, maybe they learned it from me?
You're the expert, you can investigate.

Have a nice day.

Consider that humans learn heuristics through documentation and examples, the exact same training methodology AI uses. If current models can synthesize functional application code from natural language, generating filter syntax is comparatively trivial. Dismissing this capability out of pride only limits your own technical adaptability.

 

[lokamoka820]

AI has completely replaced traditional search for me. I’m getting the exact answers I need at least twice as fast, without having to click through pages of SEO clutter just straight to the results.
Gemini is actually insane right now. Whether it be searching for recipes, travel planning, product comparisons, coding/debugging, health questions, book recommendations, finding specific moments in videos, phone numbers to businesses or services, wherever i was using traditional search for in the past.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying AI is useless or not worth learning and using. I use AI tools daily for many tasks (not just one, but four, actually), but I don't like having it imposed too heavily on the end user. For example, Microsoft Edge wants to notify the user with every update about new features related to Copilot, while DuckDuckGo gives me the first AI-powered result instead of traditional search results. I want to control when I use AI and when I rely on traditional search engines, that's all.

 

[Sampei.Nihira]

Consider that humans learn heuristics through documentation and examples, the exact same training methodology AI uses. If current models can synthesize functional application code from natural language, generating filter syntax is comparatively trivial. Dismissing this capability out of pride only limits your own technical adaptability.

No, it's not pride.
This similarity reminds me of an old movie called:

“The Wind and the Lion.”

I saw it when I was just a teenager.

"You are like the wind (AI) and I am like the lion.
You create the storm, the sand stings my eyes and the earth is scorched.
I roar and challenge you, but you don't hear me.
But there is a big difference between us: I, like the lion, must remain in my place; you, like the wind, never know where your place is."

 

[Divergent]

No, it's not pride.
This similarity reminds me of an old movie called:

“The Wind and the Lion.”

I saw it when I was just a teenager.

"You are like the wind (AI) and I am like the lion.
You create the storm, the sand stings my eyes and the earth is scorched.
I roar and challenge you, but you don't hear me.
But there is a big difference between us: I, like the lion, must remain in my place; you, like the wind, never know where your place is."

That’s poetic. But keep in mind, the wind changes the face of the earth. The lion just makes noise and eventually gets left behind by history. I’d rather be the wind.

 

[oldschool]

I've just noticed that the Settings icon in Brave Search takes you directly to all settings, while in Edge and Firefox it still requires and an extra click. I'd expect they'd roll out this new UI to Edge and Firefox sometime.

 

[lokamoka820]

I've just noticed that the Settings icon in Brave Search takes you directly to all settings, while in Edge and Firefox it still requires and an extra click. I'd expect they'd roll out this new UI to Edge and Firefox sometime.

Do you mean these settings?

 

[oldschool]

Do you mean these settings?

View attachment 295204

Yes.