Alternative search engine DuckDuckGo's worldwide market share has steadily increased from July 2019 to January 2025 – the largest surge being in the United States, which surpassed the search engine’s growth in all other regions. Here, an increased uptake began roughly around the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, continuing in the months leading up to the US elections and beyond, but later running a bit lower than three percent in since January 2023. Ecosia - the more popular alternative in Europe While Google is still the market leader by a long shot when it comes to search engines in the United States - where DuckDuckGo is also based, consumer trust in big tech has been waning and more are seeking out privacy-based alternatives. In Europe, Ecosia is the more popular option and has seen steady growth particularly in Germany and France. Despite not having privacy as its main selling point, the German-based company invests its profits into tree-planting and reforestation projects. Americans’ waning trust in the government The onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic caught most governments off-guard, invoking a host of different responses and approaches across the globe. In the United States, overall trust in the government to deal appropriately with the pandemic fell by approximately 20 percent in the period between February 2020 and January 2021. In fact, among the various institutions of authority, Americans had the least trust in the government – even less than that towards the European Union. Conversely, the United Nations commanded the most public trust. As the COVID vaccination rollout continues across the country, young Americans aged 18 to 24 are also the most skeptical when it comes to the idea of vaccination passports for travel, with approximately 41 percent in support of the measure.

Based on a survey conducted in 2019 among internet users in the United States, the majority of adults (36 percent) admitted they would switch search engines if it meant getting better quality results. Furthermore, 33.7 percent stated that knowing their data was not being collected by a platform would also encourage them to make the switch. Other factors listed included 'having fewer ads' and a well designed interface. Overall, there was a noticeable lean toward search result quality and data privacy when it came to search engine selection.

Google leads despite user preference for increased privacy

Despite a strong consumer call for data protection, Google topped the list when it came to search engines with 93 percent of Americans surveyed reporting to having used the popular search giant at some point during the past 4 weeks. In comparison, the second most popular platform Yahoo! had only been used by 31 percent of those surveyed. Meanwhile DuckDuckGo, the search engine most known for protecting user data and search history had only been used by 8 percent. Mobile search figures lean even more in Google's favor. Here, a similar share (93 percent) of the market as of January 2021 belonged to Google, while approximately 3 percent was held by DuckDuckGo.

Growth expected for search advertising

With search engines playing a significant role in internet use be it on desktop or mobile, companies and search platforms alike are seeing an increased opportunity in the field of search engine advertising. Nationwide spend in the industry reached an impressive 58.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, and was forecast to further rise to 66.2 billion within the following year.

Search engine DuckDuckGo has been gaining year-on-year traction since 2010. Having received **** million search queries that year itself, the platform, which promises data and user privacy set a record number of searches in 2020 - a total of over **** billion queries worldwide. As of June *** 2021, the U.S.-based platform had received **** billion search queries for the year.

The non-tracking search engine market, while still a niche segment, is experiencing significant growth fueled by increasing user concerns regarding online privacy and data security. The market, estimated at $1.5 billion in 2025, is projected to witness a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 25% from 2025 to 2033, reaching an estimated $7 billion by 2033. This robust growth is driven by several factors, including heightened awareness of data breaches and surveillance, the rising popularity of privacy-focused browsers and extensions, and increasing regulatory scrutiny of data collection practices. Key trends include the development of advanced privacy-enhancing technologies, the integration of non-tracking search engines into existing platforms, and the emergence of decentralized search solutions. However, challenges remain, such as overcoming the network effect enjoyed by dominant tracking-based search engines, and ensuring the financial sustainability of smaller non-tracking providers. The market is segmented by features (e.g., encryption, anonymity, data minimization), geographic location, and business model (e.g., advertising-supported, subscription-based). Competition is currently fragmented among players such as Qwant, DuckDuckGo, Startpage, and others, with opportunities for both existing players and new entrants to capitalize on the expanding demand for privacy-centric search. The competitive landscape indicates a race to establish market dominance. Existing players are focusing on enhancing their search algorithms, expanding their feature sets, and strengthening their brand identities as trustworthy alternatives to mainstream search engines. Future growth will likely depend on successfully attracting users from established search giants, particularly through improved search results and user experience. Furthermore, the market’s success will hinge on the sustained public interest in online privacy and the willingness of users to compromise on some features, such as personalized results, for enhanced privacy protection. The continued evolution of privacy regulations and enforcement will further shape the market's trajectory, potentially creating both opportunities and challenges for market participants. Successful players will need to demonstrate a strong commitment to user privacy and data security, coupled with a robust and efficient search technology.

As of March 2025, Google represented 79.1 percent of the global online search engine market on desktop devices. Despite being much ahead of its competitors, this represents the lowest share ever recorded by the search engine in these devices for over two decades. Meanwhile, its long-time competitor Bing accounted for 12.21 percent, as tools like Yahoo and Yandex held shares of over 2.9 percent each. Google and the global search market Ever since the introduction of Google Search in 1997, the company has dominated the search engine market, while the shares of all other tools has been rather lopsided. The majority of Google revenues are generated through advertising. Its parent corporation, Alphabet, was one of the biggest internet companies worldwide as of 2024, with a market capitalization of 2.02 trillion U.S. dollars. The company has also expanded its services to mail, productivity tools, enterprise products, mobile devices, and other ventures. As a result, Google earned one of the highest tech company revenues in 2024 with roughly 348.16 billion U.S. dollars. Search engine usage in different countries Google is the most frequently used search engine worldwide. But in some countries, its alternatives are leading or competing with it to some extent. As of the last quarter of 2023, more than 63 percent of internet users in Russia used Yandex, whereas Google users represented little over 33 percent. Meanwhile, Baidu was the most used search engine in China, despite a strong decrease in the percentage of internet users in the country accessing it. In other countries, like Japan and Mexico, people tend to use Yahoo along with Google. By the end of 2024, nearly half of the respondents in Japan said that they had used Yahoo in the past four weeks. In the same year, over 21 percent of users in Mexico said they used Yahoo.

The Search Engine industry is highly concentrated, with three companies controlling almost the entire industry; the largest company, Alphabet Inc., has a market share greater than 96%. Search engines provide web portals that generate and maintain extensive databases of internet addresses. Industry companies generate most, if not all, of their revenue from advertising. Technological growth has resulted in more households being connected to the Internet and a boom in e-commerce has made the industry increasingly innovative. A climb in the proportion of households with internet access has supported revenue growth, while expanding technological integration with daily life has boosted demand for web search. A greater proportion of transactions being carried out online has driven innovation in targeted digital advertising, with declines in rival advertising formats like print media and television expanding the focus on digital marketing as a core strategy. Industry revenue is expected to jump at a compound annual rate of 3.8%, to reach £5.4 billion over the five years through 2025-26. Revenue is forecast to climb by 3.5% in 2025-26. Industry profit has remained high and expanded alongside a surge in search and display advertising, with total UK digital ad spend. The rise of the mobile advertising market and the proliferation of mobile devices mean there are plenty of opportunities for search engines, which are expected to capitalise on these trends further moving forward. While continued growth in localised digital marketing and rising overall UK marketing budgets are set to propel industry revenues, Google faces mounting regulatory scrutiny. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, with the impending Strategic Market Status designation for Google, is poised to shake up the landscape by curtailing Google’s market power and fostering greater transparency. Search engines will need to innovate to fend off rising competition from social media platforms, which are attracting advertisers through advanced targeting capabilities. Although niche, privacy-centric search engines could capture incremental market share as consumer privacy concerns intensify, the industry’s overwhelming concentration, with Google’s unmatched user base and ad inventory, means transformative change will likely be incremental. Nonetheless, technological advancements that incorporate user data are anticipated to make it easier to tailor advertisements and develop new ways of using consumer data. Industry revenue is forecast to jump at a compound annual rate of 5.9% over the five years through 2030-31, to reach £7.2 billion.

The privacy-focused search engine market is experiencing robust growth, driven by increasing concerns over data privacy and online surveillance. While precise market sizing data is unavailable, considering the rising demand for secure browsing and the expanding user base of privacy-conscious individuals and businesses, we can reasonably estimate the 2025 market size to be around $500 million. This segment is characterized by a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) that reflects the rapid adoption of privacy-enhancing technologies. A conservative estimate for the CAGR would be 25% for the forecast period (2025-2033), projecting significant expansion in the coming years. Key drivers include heightened awareness of data breaches, stringent data privacy regulations (like GDPR and CCPA), and the increasing sophistication of online tracking techniques. Market trends include the integration of advanced encryption methods, the development of decentralized search technologies, and a growing preference for ethical and transparent search practices. However, the market faces restraints such as limited indexing compared to mainstream search engines, potential limitations in search result accuracy, and challenges in achieving widespread user adoption. Segmentation reveals a diverse user base, comprising individual users, businesses (seeking to protect sensitive data and comply with regulations), and government entities. Search engine types include no-tracking and encrypted search engines, with the former gaining considerable traction. Leading players like DuckDuckGo, Search Encrypt, and Gibiru are actively shaping market dynamics through innovation and strategic partnerships. The market's future hinges on continued technological advancements, effective advocacy for online privacy, and regulatory support. The competitive landscape involves established players and emerging startups, each vying for market share. DuckDuckGo, with its extensive user base and brand recognition, maintains a leading position. However, competitors like Search Encrypt and Gibiru are actively innovating to differentiate themselves, with features like enhanced encryption and specialized functionalities for specific user segments. The market's regional distribution is likely skewed towards North America and Europe, given the higher awareness and stricter regulations around data privacy in these regions. However, rapid growth is anticipated in other regions as awareness of online privacy issues expands. Future growth depends on successful expansion into new markets, the integration of Artificial Intelligence for personalized and secure search results, and the development of trust and transparency mechanisms to address user concerns about data handling. Successful companies will need to effectively balance user privacy with search performance and usability.

Search platform DuckDuckGo has seen a month-on-month increase in its number of daily search queries over the past 12 months. The search engine, which promises the absence of targeted searches based on user history and and total search privacy had received an average of **** million queries daily in August 2020. By August 2021, this stood at ***** million.

The global search engine market, valued at $171.85 billion in 2025, is projected to experience robust growth, exhibiting a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.5% from 2025 to 2033. This expansion is fueled by several key drivers. The increasing penetration of internet and mobile devices globally continues to broaden the user base for search engines. Furthermore, the escalating demand for advanced search functionalities, including AI-powered search, voice search, and personalized results, is driving innovation and market growth. The rise of e-commerce and the increasing reliance on online information for various aspects of life further solidify the importance of search engines as a critical gateway to the digital world. Market segmentation reveals significant opportunities in both crawler-based and meta-search engines, particularly within large enterprises and SMEs seeking efficient information retrieval and targeted marketing solutions. Competition is fierce, with established players like Google, Baidu, and Microsoft dominating the landscape alongside emerging players focusing on niche markets or innovative search technologies. Geographic expansion continues to be a significant area of focus, with regions like Asia-Pacific showing particularly strong growth potential due to rising internet adoption rates and expanding digital economies. Despite the positive outlook, certain restraining factors exist. Concerns about data privacy and user security continue to impact user trust and influence regulatory pressures. The ever-evolving search engine optimization (SEO) landscape poses challenges for both businesses and search engine providers alike. Maintaining a competitive edge in the face of constant technological advancements and evolving user expectations necessitates significant investments in research and development. The market also faces challenges from increasing competition and the rise of alternative information retrieval methods. However, the overall market trajectory suggests a continued upward trend driven by innovation, expanding digital infrastructure, and the fundamental role search engines play in the modern digital economy. The forecast period of 2025-2033 anticipates substantial market expansion, driven by ongoing technological advancements and increasing global internet adoption.

Market Analysis: Non-Tracking Search The global non-tracking search market is projected to reach USD XXX million by 2033, exhibiting a CAGR of XX% during the forecast period 2025-2033. The growing privacy concerns among internet users and the increasing adoption of mobile devices are driving the growth of this market. Search engines that prioritize user privacy, such as DuckDuckGo and Qwant, are gaining popularity as consumers become more aware of the data collection practices of traditional search engines. Additionally, the rise of decentralized and blockchain-based search technologies is further fueling market growth. Key market segments include the search engine and meta search types, as well as applications in social media, advertising, and other sectors. Geographically, North America and Europe are the largest markets for non-tracking search, followed by Asia Pacific and the Middle East & Africa. Key players in the industry include Qwant, DuckDuckGo, Startpage, and WolframAlpha. The market is expected to face challenges such as the limited availability of data for personalized search results and the potential for privacy concerns to shift to alternative technologies. However, the increasing regulatory focus on data protection and the growing demand for user-centric search experiences are expected to support the long-term growth of the non-tracking search market.

The Next Generation Search Engines (NGSE) market is poised for significant growth, projected to reach $11.45 billion in 2025 and exhibiting a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.9% from 2025 to 2033. This expansion is driven by several key factors. Increasing demand for more sophisticated and accurate search results, fueled by the exponential growth of data and the rising complexity of information retrieval, is a primary driver. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and natural language processing (NLP) technologies is revolutionizing search capabilities, enabling more contextualized and personalized results. Furthermore, the rise of voice search and the increasing adoption of visual search are transforming user interaction with search engines, further propelling market growth. The market segmentation reveals a strong presence across mobile, desktop, and application platforms, with both enterprise and individual users contributing significantly to the market's overall value. Competition is intense, with established players like Google, Microsoft (Bing), and Yahoo facing challenges from innovative startups and specialized search engines like DuckDuckGo and WolframAlpha, each striving to cater to niche user requirements and preferences. Geographic distribution shows a strong North American market presence initially, but rapid expansion is anticipated in the Asia-Pacific region, driven by rising internet penetration and increasing smartphone adoption in countries like India and China. The restraints on market growth are primarily centered around data privacy concerns, the need for continuous technological advancements to maintain accuracy and relevance, and the inherent challenges associated with combating misinformation and biased algorithms. However, the ongoing development of more ethical and transparent AI algorithms, along with stricter data privacy regulations, are expected to mitigate these challenges. Future growth will likely be influenced by the successful integration of emerging technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) into search interfaces, potentially creating immersive and interactive search experiences. The continued development of more personalized and context-aware search algorithms will also be a major growth factor. The diverse range of segments and regional variations indicate a dynamic and evolving market landscape, offering significant opportunities for both established players and emerging entrants.

As of January 2025, DuckDuckGo and Brave were the most popular search engines among privacy-conscious users, each preferred by ** percent of respondents. Startpage followed, with ***** percent of users favoring it for privacy-focused browsing.

User mood and ratings for Duckduckgo

The global crawler-based search engine market is a dynamic and rapidly evolving sector, exhibiting significant growth potential. While precise market size figures are not provided, industry analyses consistently show a multi-billion dollar market driven by the ever-increasing reliance on online information access. A Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) in the range of 10-15% over the forecast period (2025-2033) seems reasonable considering the continuous advancements in search algorithms, natural language processing, and the expanding digital landscape. Key drivers include the increasing penetration of smartphones and internet access globally, rising demand for sophisticated search functionalities (e.g., voice search, image search, personalized results), and the emergence of new technologies like AI and machine learning, which enhance search accuracy and efficiency. Trends such as the growing importance of mobile search, the rise of e-commerce and its dependence on search engine optimization (SEO), and the ongoing battle for market share among established players and emerging competitors contribute to this market dynamism. However, the market also faces certain restraints, including concerns regarding data privacy, the challenge of combating misinformation and fake news, and the increasing complexity of managing and scaling search infrastructure. The competitive landscape is dominated by established giants like Google, Baidu, Microsoft (Bing), and Yandex, but also features smaller players like DuckDuckGo and others focusing on niche markets or specialized search functionalities. Regional variations exist, with North America and Asia (particularly China) representing significant market shares. The continuous innovation within the search engine market – including improvements in search algorithms, enhanced user interfaces, and the integration of advanced analytics – are key factors in shaping future growth. The market will likely see further consolidation as smaller players either get acquired or focus on specific niche markets to maintain competitiveness. Understanding these dynamics and the inherent growth potential is crucial for investors, businesses relying on search engine traffic, and developers aiming to innovate within this sector.

In January 2025, Google remained by far the most popular search engine in the UK, holding a market share of ***** percent across all devices. That month, Bing had a market share of approximately **** percent in second place, followed by Yahoo! with approximately **** percent. The EU vs Google Despite Google’s dominance of the search engine market, maintaining its position at the top has not been a smooth ride. Google’s market share saw a decline in the summer of 2018, plummeting to an all-time-low in July. The search engine experienced a similar dip in June and July 2017. These two low points coincided with the European Commission’s antitrust charges against the company, both of which were unprecedented in the now decade-long duel between both parties. As skepticism towards search engine platforms grows in line with public concern regarding censorship and data privacy, alternative services like Duckduckgo offer users both information protection and unfiltered results. Despite this, it still held less than *** percent of the industry’s market share as of June 2021. Perception of fake news in the UK According to a questionnaire conducted in the United Kingdom in 2018, **** percent of respondents had come across inaccurate news on social media at least once before. Rising concerns over fake news, or information which has been manipulated to influence the public has been a hot topic in recent years. The younger generation however, remains skeptical with nearly **** of Generation Z claiming to be either unconcerned about fake news, or believed that it did not exist altogether.

This dataset contains the data produced for the dissertation ""User Interface Variations in Search Engine Results Pages Across Types of Search Queries and Search Engines"". The project was conducted by student Adelaide Miranda Santos at FEUP, University of Porto, as part of the Masters in Informatics and Computing Engineering. The primary objective of this work is to study interface variations in search engine results pages (SERPs) across different search engines and types of search queries. To this end, nearly 8,000 SERPs were captured using the ORCAS-I-gold dataset across six leading web search engines: Google, Microsoft Bing, Yandex, Yahoo!, Baidu, and DuckDuckGo. For each captured SERP, the number of occurrences of each interface element was recorded. Additionally, to analyze how the language of a search query affects SERP composition in Yandex and Baidu, the original English queries were translated into Russian and Simplified Chinese." The dataset is organized in the following folders: Search Query Dataset Translation Contains the search queries from the ORCAS-I-gold dataset translated into Russian and Simplified Chinese. The translation was made using ChatGPT-4o and verified by native speakers. In addition to the translated queries, the complete original ORCAS-I-gold dataset is also included as an independent resource. SERP Captures Includes HTML files of the search engine results pages collected from Baidu, Microsoft Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google, Yahoo!, and Yandex. Each top-level subfolder is named after the respective search engine. Within each of these, there are folders named according to the language and the query intent associated with the search query. These folders contain the corresponding SERP HTML files. File names represent the search queries and may be either encoded or displayed as in the original dataset. Occurrence of Elements per SERP For each captured SERP, we recorded the frequency of each interface element. This data is organized in a relational database structure composed of the following CSV files: - elements.csv: Lists all identified SERP elements along with their corresponding IDs, categories, types, and subtypes (if applicable). - identifiers.csv: Contains the selectors or identifiers used for automatic detection of each element, along with their associated element ID, identifier ID, and the corresponding search engine ID. - intents.csv: Maps query intent names to their corresponding intent IDs. - search-engines.csv: Maps search engine names to their corresponding IDs. - main.csv: Records the frequency of each element in each captured SERP. Each row represents an observation and includes the following fields: element ID, identifier ID, search engine ID, query language, intent ID, query ID (as defined in the ORCAS-I-gold dataset), and the number of occurrences.

The global market size of Next Generation Search Engines is $XX million in 2018 with XX CAGR from 2014 to 2018, and it is expected to reach $XX million by the end of 2024 with a CAGR of XX% from 2019 to 2024.

Global Next Generation Search Engines Market Report 2019 - Market Size, Share, Price, Trend and Forecast is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global Next Generation Search Engines industry. The key insights of the report:

1.The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Next Generation Search Engines manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry.

2.The report provides a basic overview of the industry including its definition, applications and manufacturing technology.

3.The report presents the company profile, product specifications, capacity, production value, and 2013-2018 market shares for key vendors.

4.The total market is further divided by company, by country, and by application/type for the competitive landscape analysis.

5.The report estimates 2019-2024 market development trends of Next Generation Search Engines industry.

6.Analysis of upstream raw materials, downstream demand, and current market dynamics is also carried out

7.The report makes some important proposals for a new project of Next Generation Search Engines Industry before evaluating its feasibility.

There are 4 key segments covered in this report: competitor segment, product type segment, end use/application segment and geography segment.

For competitor segment, the report includes global key players of Next Generation Search Engines as well as some small players. At least 7 companies are included:

* Microsoft

* Facebook

* Ask

* Quora

* YouTube

* DuckDuckGo

For complete companies list, please ask for sample pages.

The information for each competitor includes:

* Company Profile

* Main Business Information

* SWOT Analysis

* Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin

* Market Share



For product type segment, this report listed main product type of Next Generation Search Engines market

* Product Type I

* Product Type II

* Product Type III



For end use/application segment, this report focuses on the status and outlook for key applications. End users sre also listed.

* Enterprise

* Individual

* Other



For geography segment, regional supply, application-wise and type-wise demand, major players, price is presented from 2013 to 2023. This report covers following regions:

* North America

* South America

* Asia & Pacific

* Europe

* MEA (Middle East and Africa)

The key countries in each region are taken into consideration as well, such as United States, China, Japan, India, Korea, ASEAN, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, CIS, and Brazil etc.



Reasons to Purchase this Report:

* Analyzing the outlook of the market with the recent trends and SWOT analysis

* Market dynamics scenario, along with growth opportunities of the market in the years to come

* Market segmentation analysis including qualitative and quantitative research incorporating the impact of economic and non-economic aspects

* Regional and country level analysis integrating the demand and supply forces that are influencing the growth of the market.

* Market value (USD Million) and volume (Units Million) data for each segment and sub-segment

* Competitive landscape involving the market share of major players, along with the new projects and strategies adopted by players in the past five years

* Comprehensive company profiles covering the product offerings, key financial information, recent developments, SWOT analysis, and strategies employed by the major market players
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