Duckduckgo is not as popular as Google Search because it lacks some of the features that Google Search has, such as its ability to translate words and phrases, its lack of an autocomplete function, and its inability to recognize pictures.
It wasn’t until two years back or so, when I stumbled across “DuckDuckGo” and happened to discover it as the most privacy-focused and incognito search engine present on the internet with over 30 million users every day.
I was stunned! I had always heard people chanting about Google Search, Bing, and Yahoo with Google Search taking the lead with innumerable users.
This intrigued me to search more about DuckDuckGo and that is how I concluded 7 reasons why people don’t use DuckDuckGo instead of Google Search. Before we get into that, let me educate you on what DuckDuckGo actually is all about.
Table of Contents
- What is DuckDuckGo?
- 7 Reasons Why People Prefer Using Google Search Over DuckDuckGo:
- 1. DuckDuckGo is not as Popular as Google Search:
- 2. Google has more services to offer than DuckDuckGo:
- 3. Google Search has Better Features than DuckDuckGo:
- 4. Google Search Provides More Relevant Information:
- 5. No Personalization in DuckDuckGo:
- 6. DuckDuckGo does not have a Mobile App:
- 7. Small Search Market Share:
- Bottom Line:
What is DuckDuckGo?
DuckDuckGo was created in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, who felt resentful towards existing search engines because they were not meeting his needs. He wanted a search engine that did not track its users or share personal information about them with other companies.
He aspired and turned his dream into a reality. DuckDuckGo is famous for; being “a search engine that doesn’t track you.”
It doesn’t store your personal information and it doesn’t try to sell you things; meaning that there are no ads on the site or in its apps. This makes for a cleaner experience when searching for things online.
The downside to using DuckDuckGo is that some websites might not show up as often as they do on Google or Bing because they don’t pay for advertising space on DuckDuckGo like they do with Google or Bing.
7 Reasons Why People Prefer Using Google Search Over DuckDuckGo:
1. DuckDuckGo is not as Popular as Google Search:
In terms of the number of users, Google Search takes the lead with 4.8 million users. That’s how well-known Google Search is in front of DuckDuckGo.
A vast majority of people are not even aware that Google Search has an alternative named DuckDuckGo except for a bunch of internet explorers.
2. Google has more services to offer than DuckDuckGo:
There is no doubt that Google Search offers way more services than DuckDuckGo does. Google has a search engine, an email service, a browser, an operating system, maps and so much more. DuckDuckGo is just a simple search engine. It doesn’t have any other services to offer.
Google’s image search is great compared to DuckDuckGo. DuckDuckGo lacks efficiency in recognizing pictures. It would provide a picture behind a curtain type, unlike Google Search which mostly provides actual, full-resolution pictures.
3. Google Search has Better Features than DuckDuckGo:
Google has plenty of cool, thrilling features that you wouldn’t find while using DuckDuckGo. Exciting features such as flipping the wheel or sounds of animals, all of which are known as Google Easter Eggs.
Google Search also has a better dictionary as compared to DuckDuckGo. It is more extensive and displays better definitions upon searching. It also has Google Scholar which you can use to search for Scholarly articles, a voice search option, and protection from viruses, malware, etc. These features are exclusive to Google Search and cannot be experienced on DuckDuckGo.
4. Google Search Provides More Relevant Information:
Google Search provides more relevant information when users search for something. For instance, when we search about a certain actor or personality, everything about them appears on Google; their image, description, personal details, and so on, or when we search about a show that we recently binged on, Google Search would displays the whole cast, overview, number of episodes, reviews, etc.
All of the essential yet relevant information is easily presented on Google Search, something you cannot find on DuckDuckGo.
5. No Personalization in DuckDuckGo:
Google Search knows you better! It has a better algorithm because no data about the user is collected or detected on DuckDuckGo due to its complete privacy feature, hence it does not ensure a personalized experience for its users.
Google Search would display ads based on your algorithm, your likes, search requests, the sites you visit, etc. They record everything you do on the internet.
This does bother some people so you’d see them using DuckDuckGo but most of the users are either not aware of this or using Google has become a habit.
6. DuckDuckGo does not have a Mobile App:
DuckDuckGo does not have any mobile app to date. This means that all the searches are done through the browser on your PC, laptop, or tablet.
This is an issue because most of the searches happen on mobile devices these days and this limits your access to Duckduckgo’s services.
7. Small Search Market Share:
DuckDuckGo has a tiny share of the online search market. Google has over 92.24% market share and takes dominance over the internet. This is mostly because people trust Google more and find it accessible.
Bottom Line:
I wouldn’t say that DuckDuckGo is “the search engine you shouldn’t be using.” From a privacy standpoint, DuckDuckGo is the best in the market.
However, it cannot beat Google Search in terms of popularity, services, features, etc which is why people do not use DuckDuckGo instead of Google Search.
