Is DuckDuckGo Safe? Pros & Cons of DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo is a search engine that is only available to registered users. Unlike Google and other prominent search engines, it does not provide tailored search results, making it more difficult to become trapped in an information echo chamber. It does not create user profiles based on their search habits; everyone receives the same search results.

While it primarily serves as an online search engine — comparable to conducting a Google search — DuckDuckGo also provides applications and extensions for all major operating systems and internet browsers. DuckDuckGo is a stripped-down search engine that doesn’t include many extra features but concentrates on its core function: offering a quality and private search experience. It is compatible with both desktop and mobile browsers.

DuckDuckGo’s search results are similarly not spread across many pages. Instead, users will have a single never-ending scroll. This is far more convenient because, in the case of Google, most internet users never browse past the first page.

Is DuckDuckGo a VPN?

No, DuckDuckGo is not a VPN. As previously stated, DuckDuckGo is a search engine. While it would be pretty easy to confuse DuckDuckGo with a VPN, as both of these terms protect your privacy and anonymity, they are not the same.

Like Google, DuckDuckGo is a website that can be accessed with any internet-connected device with a web browser. On the other hand, a Virtual Private Network or VPN is used to encrypt users’ internet connection.

VPN connects users’ devices to a VPN server through a secure and encrypted tunnel; that VPN server then connects to the internet. It is advised to use the DuckDuckGo search engine while accessing the internet with a VPN to stay 100% secure while accessing the internet.

Is DuckDuckGo Safe to Use and Private?

For anyone searching for a private search engine for carrying out searches on the internet that is safe and private, DuckDuckGo is the perfect option.

Compared to Google, the DuckDuckGo search engine focuses on your privacy and does not store or track your data or browsing history in any way when searching for your queries.

In simpler terms, using DuckDuckGo will give you a blank search history every time.

DuckDuckGo does not store your browsing history or user data unless users allow it. This means that DuckDuckGo users stay away from the annoying and eerie targeted ads and won’t be able to access the auto-suggest feature offered by Google.

So, if any internet users feel like their browsing activities are being tracked, it is advised to use DuckDuckGo to use the internet without the fear of getting tracked.

Pros and Cons of DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo, like any other search engine, has advantages and disadvantages due to its lack of data collection policies. DuckDuckGo does not ask for any of the users’ personal information allowing them to enjoy full anonymity and privacy. But this can also have negative consequences, like slow loading times or less accurate search results. Nonetheless, this article will make your decision easier.

Pros of DuckDuckGo

• DuckDuckGo does not track the users.
• DuckDuckGo uses secure cookies and encrypted connections to protect the users.
• It does not store any information about the users.
• DuckDuckGo does not use your data for any form of tracking or advertising.
• It does not filter search results.

Cons of DuckDuckGo

The only drawback that DuckDuckGo has is that its search results are not as tailored or personalized as Google. DuckDuckGo’s search engine is not as advanced as Bing or Google’s and has less accurate search results and slow loading times.

Is DuckDuckGo Better than Google?

If users wonder if DuckDuckGo is better than Google, you’re at the right place. Google has positioned itself as the dominant force in search by offering you personalized search options. Google built incredibly useful services and apps that captured many users’ data to improve their search results further. However, people are now getting more cautious with their data, considering the privacy scandals in recent years.

DuckDuckGo portrays that usefulness and user privacy are not mutually exclusive, which makes DuckDuckGo an absolute winner of the Google vs. DuckDuckGo fight.

DuckDuckGo is the best search engine for all privacy-minded individuals making it a niche product. DuckDuckGo offers a wide range of useful features and has recent search tricks that don’t even work on Google.

Google and DuckDuckGo offer search engines that can be used to search on the internet. Both of these search engines look familiar and feature text-based layouts primarily. The search criteria of both search engines are slightly different, and users won’t receive the same set of website rankings while searching for the same term in each search engine.

The comparison between Google and DuckDuckGo is split in terms of privacy. DuckDuckGo search engine does not keep users’ search history and browsing data, while Google, on the other hand, keeps a cache to provide you with better search results and advertisements.

Importance of a VPN

User traffic is not encrypted on DuckDuckGo, so law enforcement agencies, prying eyes, and third parties can easily see users’ IP addresses and online activity. Accessing the internet on public Wi-Fi exposes users to cyberattacks and hackers. That’s when a VPN comes to users’ rescue. A VPN encrypts users’ traffic with AES 256-bit encryption and hide their IP address from the prying eyes and cybercriminal.

It does a good job of providing users with exceptional privacy when searching for sites but can not keep you safe from other threats on the internet like social media trackers. Using a reliable premium VPN service like Ivacy VPN ensures that your search history and personal data are never logged, and your activity is all sent through an encrypted tunnel securing users’ IP addresses.

If law enforcement requests your ISP to give over your activity records, you are secure while using a VPN; Ivacy VPN, for example, does not maintain any logs of user activity; thus, there is never any to hand over.

Ivacy VPN and DuckDuckGo provide users with the highest level of data protection. Users’ connection speed will be the fastest while allowing users to access geo-restricted websites and content while staying anonymous and safe online through Ivacy VPN.

Final Thoughts

To answer users’ question, “is DuckDuckGo safe?”, DuckDuckGo is relatively safe than Google, which means that using DuckDuckGo for your online searches means that any website or web service can not track you. But DuckDuckGo does not provide you 100% protection and security online. For an added layer of protection and anonymity online, we recommend getting Ivacy VPN.