• Bookmark

    DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo

Is this your business?
Write a Review

Overview

DuckDuckGo has a rating of 2.3 stars from 223 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. DuckDuckGo ranks 270th among Search sites.

  • Service
    42
  • Value
    35
  • Shipping
    17
  • Returns
    17
  • Quality
    37
Positive reviews (last 12 months): 0%
Positive
0
Neutral
0
Negative
1
View ratings trends
20
See all photos
How would you rate DuckDuckGo?
Top Positive Review

“The price of freedom, and our best hope.”

Vince C.
5/22/19

Previously I was more critical on duckduckgo but I am converting my opinion. Their search function may not be as good as google but then they are not also compiling a database of everything you do on-line and then further sharing it with other organizations (including the government) behind your back. Our best hope is that we support this tool so that they can hopefully continue to improve it and to provide a counterbalance to organizations that are not interested in maintaining real user privacy. For those interested in knowing more about this issue I recommend the following podcast: https://fs.blog/gabriel-weinberg/

See positive reviews
Top Critical Review

“Difficult to go to another url address.”

susan i.
9/14/24

Duckduck go is ok, However it is very difficult to remove the last website visited. Right now the url box is stuck on the last page.

See critical reviews

Reviews (223)

Rating

Timeframe

Other

Reviews that mention popular keywords

search engine (71) search results (38) duck duck (30)
Thumbnail of user bennyc46
Maryland
1 review
5 helpful votes
  • Send Message
February 3rd, 2021

Duckduckgo gives me much more accurate search results than Google! I know that Duckduckgo still uses improving.duckduckgo.com, but this just makes a few anonymous ads. There are very few ads, and they don't use any of your data! You don't even have to make an account! One thing that would be nice would be something like Google Scholar, where only credible websites appear. Much better than any other web browser!

Tip for consumers:
Duckduckgo is really great! There is no history, but there are bookmarks. Incognito mode on other web browsers does nothing, use DuckDuckGo!

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user davids704
North Dakota
1 review
9 helpful votes
  • Send Message
March 5th, 2017

Just as often as not when I want to see a geographical location--i. E., a map--this inept would-be search tool offers nothing but articles or images with no map option. Simply put, literally half my searches for locations end in Google. Why bother. Much like the false hype of Apple.

Thumbnail of user benk3
California
7 reviews
37 helpful votes
  • Send Message
May 18th, 2012

By now all of us know that Google tracks you, and also owns Yahoo. Its like finding a clingy person you don't know, trailing after you all over town and making notes on everything you do. WOW! George Orwell just winked at me! Well now, we don't have to worry anymore about this creepy problem. Duck Duck Go.com is a new browser that gives you complete privacy. It does not track or bubble its clients, and says this, right up front, in writing. Duck Duck Go serves up tons of concise info in response to your search. They even personally acknowledge you for using " the Duck" by email. So next time someone tells you to DUCK IT, you don't have to run for cover.

Thumbnail of user chrisn281
Australia
1 review
18 helpful votes
  • Send Message
November 6th, 2019

Search is wrong. Ads everywhere I only tried duck duck go for something different. What I think everyone can do if they are worried about Google tracking is to download opera browser and use their VPN. It's free.

Thumbnail of user vincec53
California
1 review
27 helpful votes
  • Send Message
May 22nd, 2019
• Updated review

Previously I was more critical on duckduckgo but I am converting my opinion.

Their search function may not be as good as google but then they are not also compiling a database of everything you do on-line and then further sharing it with other organizations (including the government) behind your back. Our best hope is that we support this tool so that they can hopefully continue to improve it and to provide a counterbalance to organizations that are not interested in maintaining real user privacy.

For those interested in knowing more about this issue I recommend the following podcast:
https://fs.blog/gabriel-weinberg/

Not Ready for Prime Time
September 13th, 2018
• Previous review

Went to try out DuckDuckGo and on my very 1st practice test search it gave me results for a trojen website. The kind that locks up your browser and tries to hold you hostage. That's enough for me... too dangerous. I guess google filters these sites out because I just don't have those problems when I use it.

Thumbnail of user bobd287
GB
1 review
10 helpful votes
  • Send Message
January 12th, 2019

Firstly, Duckduckgo has no advanced search, which is annoying. When you try to highlight an image, it highlights all of them. Duckduckgo has no other services, like emailing on gmail, looking up where to go on maps or having a profile on G+. On google it's all connected, so when you use duckduckgo you need a seperate thing for everything. Google has just so many tiny things and easter eggs that duckduckgo just doesn't have the experience to add. In duckduckgo's advertisements, it says bad things about google when google really is the experienced one. It's a good principle but the product does not work. Also, have you ever heard of INCOGNITO MODE?

Thumbnail of user stever39
Australia
1 review
16 helpful votes
  • Send Message
August 26th, 2013

It is like a virus. Once in your computer you cannot get rid of it. Email them asking how, and no reply.

It might be the best search engine out there but when it acts like a virus, and keeps taking over my browser, I do not want it.

Wonder how many of the 5* reviews are just their spam. They are good at that

Thumbnail of user johnj145
GB
1 review
21 helpful votes
  • Send Message
June 19th, 2014

DuckDuckGo promote Scam websites to the top of their search lists, just like the others! I thought they were an ethical business, but found out to my loss (when I trusted their link) to buy a Rod Licence. They promoted a direct link into this scam website, which had the Environment Agency name on it, without any mention of additional fees etc.
Is there ANY search engines you can trust, now? I think not, they are all morally corrupt.

Thumbnail of user renm5
Kentucky
3 reviews
68 helpful votes
  • Send Message
January 2nd, 2020

They may claim to not track you, but they do. I have a screenshot of what Ublock Origin blocked: 3 tracking cookies. Now Google does a lot worse, but it is false advertising. They also recommend IPhone over Android yet Apple has just as bad of a privacy policy as Google does. They also host their website on a Amazon web server, which Amazon is notoriously known for their terrible privacy practices.

Thumbnail of user dont350
California
1 review
47 helpful votes
  • Send Message
March 12th, 2022

I have used DuckDuckGo since its inception. However, now that it has become "woke" and has chosen to suppress or down list searches based on "misinformation" I am permanently removing my support and use of a service that believes it is a better judge on content than my own judgement. You guys at DuckDuckGo just blew a good thing.

Thumbnail of user karenk37
Florida
1 review
27 helpful votes
  • Send Message
October 4th, 2014

On Sept. 29,2014 I searched DuckDuckGo for Duke Energy. The first site on the list was for My.Check.Me/DukeEnergy.com. This site ripped me off for $212.10. They took the money and did not pay Duke Energy.
Right! It's not DuckDuckGo's fault because I didn't see the word AD.
However DuckDuckGo got a cut of that theft by taking a fee from check.me and promoting them to top of the list.

Thumbnail of user barneyr36
GB
1 review
1 helpful vote
  • Send Message
February 10th, 2023
Verified purchase

Tried it as a new search engine and went online shopping. Near the top of a list of searches for item I was after was online shop foresightclothing. Looked legit with padlock payments etc but but turns out is scam and I'm now £70 poorer. Tried other search engines like Google and Bing for same item and foresightclothing nowhere to be be seen in results. So DDG gives poor protection imo. Avoid at all costs.

Thumbnail of user mh252
Oregon
1 review
46 helpful votes
  • Send Message
July 6th, 2018

Good luck finding any products other than what is offered by Amazon. Seriously frustrating. When searching for a specific product, 100% of the results are Amazon links. When I type -amazon at the end of the search, there are NO "product" results. I highly suspect DDG is owned or otherwise affiliated with Amazon - and anyone who thinks Amazon isn't going to track users (and subsequently LIE about it across the board...) think again.

Quality
Thumbnail of user jamesh473
GB
7 reviews
29 helpful votes
  • Send Message
August 11th, 2017

DuckDuckGo is just bothered about getting you to click ads even if those ads go to viruses or scam websites. Not good.

I use startpage now... uses google search results but doesn't track you or benefits google.

Thumbnail of user trisham42
Washington
1 review
17 helpful votes
  • Send Message
April 17th, 2019

I can comment on my looking at getting the app. When I was about to install the duckduckgo app it wanted to be installed to chrome. When I left the article that linked me to the app, and trying another way, every way was connected to Google. You get the app from Google store. They have a youtube video. Regardless of what they are trying to portray about how our privacy is protected using their service and how it's not by using Google. Well I am not real tech savvy so it is possible that I could be wrong but I can't help but think they are connected to Google. I've added 8 screenshots...

Thumbnail of user ck112
Florida
1 review
46 helpful votes
  • Send Message
November 30th, 2017

Every search term I type in Duckduckgo shows up with all the other search terms typed by everybody else in Google, etc., for the world to see. Every disease, address, name, issue is all out there, exposed, courtesy of Duckduckgo.

Thumbnail of user wardb17
California
1 review
16 helpful votes
  • Send Message
August 18th, 2013

UGH! Very difficult to remove and automatically becomes your default Web Browser in FireFox no matter what you do... Had to work very hard to remove. I would have been happy to keep it and use it if it didn't take over my browser... Be careful installing this because it makes itself almost impossible to remove!

Thumbnail of user aledl
Netherlands
1 review
24 helpful votes
  • Send Message
September 22nd, 2017

I fell for the hype, but have paid with a lot of wasted time and effort. Even searching for a document name directly does not lead you to the document, while the same search on Google has the document on the second search result. The image search is worse; try looking for the famous photo of Donald Trump outside of the Scottish parliament while a comedian demonstrated the law of static electricity with a balloon and Trumps wig. You won't find it on any Duckduckgo search results neither will you find image search results for his sons safari kills... Duckduckgo fails at it's only major objective, being a reliable search engine that provides relevant and useful results!

Thumbnail of user bobt73
Florida
1 review
17 helpful votes
  • Send Message
December 23rd, 2015

I set DuckDuckGo as my homepage. When I later wanted to use a different search provider, DuckDuckGo would not allow it. Every normal avenue I attempted was prevented, and DuckDuckGo remained stubbornly my search provider. I finally did a system restore to get rid of this. I was hoping to have three different search providers, to use for different needs. But now I'm afraid of your product. Something very wrong happened. I am not the only guy who has had a problem. Bad duck.

Thumbnail of user johnm297
GB
1 review
9 helpful votes
  • Send Message
April 5th, 2014

This is about duckduckgo.com's ability to find and rank websites. Our site ranks on page 1 of 14 of the top 15 search engines, the exception beingduckduckgo. So just how relevant are duckduckgo's results to the search term? If this is not an anomaly then not good at all.

Thumbnail of user victorh108
New York
1 review
13 helpful votes
  • Send Message
September 25th, 2019

Figured I'd give it a try - on my *FIRST* search, a Trojan ad popped up and tried to hold my browser hostage.

Too dangerous, it had to go. Unfortunate, because their advertising had me really interested.

Thumbnail of user howardr12
California
26 reviews
61 helpful votes
  • Send Message
May 13th, 2022

Duckduckgo would have you believe that it is a program alternative to Google. But it is not. Once you load t on your computer, it does not appear in the program list and can't be easily removed. It takes over all your search imitations like a virus. You can't switch back a and fourth between search engine. It is hard to remove it and depending on your experience you might have to hire a professional to remove it. You have to wonder why they would do it this dishonest way and not make it a program that you can remove? What are the up to? Alternative to his BS virus is Incognito mode on Google. Much easier to use and turn on and off.

Tip for consumers:
Avoid this virus.

Products used:
Incognito Mode on Google.

Thumbnail of user hubhubb
Netherlands
1 review
15 helpful votes
  • Send Message
March 6th, 2017

I found out that DuckDuckGo used to set a tracking cookie, even though they claimed they didn't. (!) Back then, I used DuckDuckGo as my default search engine believing I was totally safe. Now I hate them more than Google, at least with Google you know what you're getting yourself into. You can read all about it here: https://archive.is/qntuk I would switch to secure search engines like ixquick, searx or Startpage.

Thumbnail of user bobb1715
California
1 review
19 helpful votes
  • Send Message
March 13th, 2022

I am terribly disappointed in this company's decision to control search information by altering its algorithm to begin down ranking sources that promote Russian "misinformation." Users don't need DDG's "protection". Users can make their own informed decisions about the validity of the information a search produces. This is nothing more than DDG putting it's finger on the scale of their search results. This calls into question DDG's whole operation. With this type of Big Brother control, it especially casts doubt on DDG's claims of privacy for users. If users wanted a search engine with this type of limitation, They would have stayed with google. Go woke... go broke. Changed to Brave FDDG!

Tip for consumers:
Avoid DDG until they change their policy. Use a search engine like Brave or startpage.

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user bc348
Washington
1 review
2 helpful votes
  • Send Message
October 7th, 2023

1. ZERO microphone capability
2. ZERO search title at top of results page
3. ZERO ability to back button to view what was typed on original search pg

All 3 are requisites when doing an internet search.

If you are incapable of adding these features to your search engine you fail any attempts to create anything similar to an internet search engine.

Privacy is not the requisite, efficiency is the requisite.

Sitejabber for Business

Gain trust and grow your business with customer reviews.

About the business

The Internet privacy company that empowers you to seamlessly take control of your personal information online, without any tradeoffs.

How do I know I can trust these reviews about DuckDuckGo?

  • Sitejabber’s mission is to increase online transparency for buyers and businesses
  • Sitejabber has helped over 200M buyers make better purchasing decisions online
  • Suspicious reviews are flagged by our algorithms, moderators, and community members
Have a question about DuckDuckGo?

Is this your business?

Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and manage your listing.

Claim Your Business