Google may be the most popular choice in search engines, but here are 27 search engines you can – and should – try.
Google has transcended from being just another search engine.
It has become ubiquitous, often used as a transitive verb.
If you have any doubts, just Google it!
With its ever-evolving algorithms, a dominant online advertising platform, and personalized user experience, Google has amassed a global market share of 87%.
No one serves up better search results than Google.
At least that’s a common perception.
but is that always the case?
Google’s easy-to-use interface and personalized user experience come at a cost.
It’s no secret the search engine giant catalogs the browsing habits of its users and shares that information with advertisers and other interested parties.
If you are unwilling to trade privacy for convenience or have specific search needs, there are a number of Google alternatives that offer a better search experience.
Here are 27 search engines alternatives to Google.
1. Bing
One could argue that Bing actually outperforms Google in certain respects.
For starters, Bing has a rewards program that allows one to accumulate points while searching. These points are redeemable at the Microsoft and Windows stores, which is a nice perk.
In my view, the Bing image search GUI is superior to its rival’s and much more intuitive.
Bing carries that same clean user experience to video, making it the go-to source for video search without a YouTube bias.
2. Yandex
Yandex is used by more than 45% of Russian Internet users.
It is also used in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Ukraine.
Yandex is an overall easy-to-use search engine. As an added bonus, it offers a suite of some pretty cool tools.
3. CC Search
CC Search should be your first stop on the hunt for nearly any type of copyright-free content.
This search engine is perfect if you need music for a video, an image for a blog post, or anything else without worrying about an angry artist coming after you for ripping off their work.
The way CC Search works is simple – it draws in results from platforms such as Soundcloud, Wikimedia, and Flickr and displays results labeled as Creative Commons material.
4. Swisscows
Swisscows is a unique option on this list, billing itself as a family-friendly semantic search engine.
They also pride themselves in respecting users’ privacy, never collecting, storing or tracking data.
It uses artificial intelligence to determine the context of a user’s query.
Over time, Swisscows promises to answer your questions with surprising accuracy.
5. DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo doesn’t collect or store any of your personal information.
That means you can run your searches in peace without having to worry about the boogeyman watching you through your computer screen.
DuckDuckGo is the perfect choice for those who wish to keep their browsing habits and personal information private.
6. StartPage
StartPage serves up answers from Google, making it the perfect choice for those who prefer Google’s search results but aren’t keen on having their search history tracked and stored.
It also includes a URL generator, a proxy service, and HTTPS support.
The URL generator is especially useful because it eliminates the need to collect cookies.
Instead, it remembers your settings in a way that promotes privacy.
7. Search Encrypt
Search Encrypt is a private search engine that uses local encryption to ensure your searches remain private.
It uses a combination of encryption methods that include Secure Sockets Layer encryption and AES-256 encryption.
When you input a query, Search Encrypt will pull the results from its network of search partners and deliver the requested information.
One of the best parts of Search Encrypt is that your search terms will eventually expire, so your information will remain private even if someone has local access to your computer.
8. Gibiru
According to their website, “Gibiru is the preferred Search Engine for Patriots.”
They claim their search results are sourced from a modified Google algorithm, so users are able to query the information they seek without worrying about Google’s tracking activities.
Because Gibiru doesn’t install tracking cookies on your computer they purport to be faster than “NSA Search Engines.”
9. OneSearch
Verizon Media launched its privacy-focused search engine, OneSearch, in January 2020.
It promises:
- No cookie tracking, retargeting, or personal profiling.
- No sharing of personal data with advertisers.
- No storing of user search history.
- Unbiased, unfiltered search results.
- Encrypted search terms.
Looking for crowd-sourced search results? Then try…
10. Wiki.com
Wiki.com pulls its results from thousands of wikis on the net.
It is the perfect search engine for those who appreciate community-led information as found on sites like Wikipedia.
11. Boardreader
If you’re interested in finding a forum or message board about a specific subject, Boardreader should be the first place you turn to.
This search engine queries its results from a wide variety of message boards and forums online. You should be able to find the forum you want with just a few keystrokes.
Prefer search engines with a mission of doing social good? Check out:
12. giveWater
GiveWater is a self-described “social impact search engine” which aims to have a positive impact on the world by empowering users to solve the issue of poor quality water and ineffective sanitation across the developing world.
It was founded after the company’s CEO met the founder of Charity: Water, Scott Harrison, and was inspired to try to make a difference through his own work.
13. Ekoru
Ekoru is taking on the ever-present threat of climate change by donating 60% of its monthly revenue to one of several partner charities, ranging from those focusing on reforestation and climate action to those who are dedicated to animal welfare and conservation.
They also aim to select a different charitable cause every month.
Interestingly, Ekoru puts its money where its mouth is, using renewable energy sources for its data centers and taking a stand for civil rights by not storing any user or search-related data on their servers.
14. Ecosia
Looking to save the planet, one tree at a time? Then check out this environmentally friendly search engine!
This may come as a surprise, but your Google searches actually contribute to the creation of quite a bit of CO2.
To battle this issue, Ecosia uses the revenues generated from search engine queries to plant trees. Typically Ecosia needs around 45 searches to plant a new tree.
One can debate if the following are search engines, but there is no question there’s loads of information to be found at:
15. Twitter
Twitter is hard to beat as a real-time search engine. It’s the perfect place to go for minute-by-minute updates in the case of an emergency.
Google’s algorithm will catch up eventually, but nothing beats a Tweet in the heat of the moment.
16. SlideShare
SlideShare allows you to search for documented slideshow presentations.
You can also search for ebooks and PDFs, making it an excellent tool if you have a business presentation to prepare for.
SlideShare also allows you to save slides and even download the entire slideshow for use on your local computer.
17. Internet Archive
The Wayback Machine is great for researching old websites, but it’s so much more.
As the name implies, this search engine queries a massive collection of documented material, including millions of free videos, books, music, and software.
Essentially, the Internet Archive is a vast online library where you can access just about anything you could imagine.
The Takeaway
Google may be the most popular choice in search engines, but it may not always be the best choice, depending on your needs and priorities.
Many of these alternative search engines can provide a better user experience than Google.
Whether you are concerned about privacy or just want to explore your options, there are plenty of search engines to experiment with.
Do yourself a favor and give some of these a try.
The 10 Best Video Search Engines
Tons of video search engines are out there to help you find the perfect video – or create your own. Here’s a list of the 10 best.
Video content is super popular today.
In fact, internet users spend an average of 6 hours and 48 minutes watching videos per week.
That’s a 59% increase since 2016!
What’s more, users spend on average 2.6x more time on pages with video than without.
So, why not spice up your blog with engaging, relevant videos?
The good news is there are tons of search engines you can use to find the perfect video to use in your blog or inspire you to create your own.
Here’s a list of the 10 best ones out there.
10 Video Search Engines You Should Use to Find Excellent Video Content
We all know about Google and YouTube, but have you ever heard of video search engines like Dailymotion and Metacafe?
These video search engines are gold when you learn to use them.
Read on below to find a mix of familiar and new video search engines.
1. Google
We can’t leave Google out, although everyone online knows about it. It’s just too big and popular to scratch from our list
So, what’s special about Google videos?
You can search for practically any video on Google using the Videos search bar.
First, type in your keyword on Google.
Voila! You get tons of videos based on the keyword you used. It’s that simple.
2. YouTube
YouTube is the second most-visited site in the world (next to Google).
And it’s no wonder, since over 500 hours of video are uploaded on YouTube per minute!
Here’s an example of a search on YouTube for “white strawberries.”
If you’re feeling uninspired for your next video, head over to YouTube and type in a rare keyword.
Chances are, you’ll find a unique video on it.
3. Bing
If you’re like a ton of other people, you think of Bing as a search engine “living in the shadow of Google.”
But Bing isn’t inferior to Google, it’s just different.
For example, there’s its video platform.
Here are three amazing things you didn’t know about Bing videos:
- They’re optimized for mobile usage.
- They play directly from the website.
- You can easily find paid video content.
Finding inspiring videos on Bing is super easy.
Simply type your keyword into the search engine and select Videos.
4. Dailymotion
Dailymotion is a platform with millions of videos.
Right on its homepage, you can watch trending videos on the latest news, entertainment, music, and sports.
Looking for something specific?
Head over to the search bar in the right-hand corner and type in your keyword.
You can even create a personal library with all your favorite videos on the platform.
5. DuckDuckGo
If privacy is important to you and you don’t like the idea of everything you do online is recorded, you should use DuckDuckGo.
DuckDuckGo does three things for you:
- Blocks trackers.
- Allows you to search privately.
- Gives you secure connections.
Using the search engine is super easy because of its simple interface.
If you’re looking for videos, simply type in your keyword into the search field and click Videos.
You’ll be thrilled to find out that selecting a different country gives you different video results!
For example, here are the top videos for the keyword “content marketing” in the U.S.
Now, select another country. Say, Argentina. This is what you get
6. Yahoo
Remember Yahoo?
Well, considering Yahoo’s search engine market share is under 2% market globally, you aren’t alone if you don’t.
However, just like other search engines, Yahoo makes it super easy to browse through tons of videos.
What’s interesting is that although Bing powers Yahoo’s search results, you won’t get the same video results if you enter the same keyword on both platforms.
Let’s take a look.
Here are “marketing tips” on Yahoo.
And here’s “marketing tips” on Bing.
Since searching both Yahoo and Bing will give you different results, they’re each worth trying if you want to find some hidden gems.
7. Metacafe
Metacafe is the place to go to find fun, unusual videos.
It offers a ton of categories to choose from including art animation, comedy, entertainment, how-to, fashion, and more.
You can also search for popular or trending videos using the search bar at the top of the page.
If you’re suffering from a creative block and you need inspiration, Metacafe is an excellent video search engine to visit.
8. Ask
Ask once used to be a popular competitor to search engines like Google and Yahoo.
Today, it’s known as a question and answer site.
But you can still search for videos on Ask.
Simply type your keyword in the search box and click Videos.
When you search for videos on Ask, you’ll get results straight from YouTube
But again, you won’t get the same results as using the same keyword on YouTube.
9. Yandex
Yandex is the the Google of Russia.
It’s a massive search engine offering mail, maps, a browser, translation, images, and more.
Of course, Yandex also has a video search bar.
10. Swisscows
Swisscows is a search engine that bills itself as “family-friendly.”
It also offers a unique promise to users: it doesn’t collect or store any user data.
Aside from music, images, and web content, Swisscows has a wide range of videos to choose from.
How to Find Amazing Videos for Your Content
Yes, video is extremely popular today.
Internet users prefer watching videos over reading long blocks of text.
In fact, 85% of U.S. internet users watch online video content each month.
But creating videos isn’t easy.
There are days when you simply lack inspiration and need a breath of fresh air to get your creative juices going.
When this happens, make sure to visit the top video search engines on the web.