Elyse Betters Picaro (with graphic elements from Paolo Boaretto, Sparklestroke Global, and Cosmic Latte via Canva) / ZDNET
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of seeing AI used in place of actual search results in my web browser or used to summarize whatever I’m looking for. Google has become useless because of this, and other popular search engines are following close behind.
With more and more search tools turning to AI, what can you do? Are there alternatives that aren’t pushing AI front and center? Why yes, there are.
Here’s a short list of search engines that do not push AI in your face and instead go the old‑school route with actual website results.
Also: How to get rid of AI Overviews in Google Search: 4 easy ways
I will offer this one warning: At least two of these search engines (Brave and DuckDuckGo) offer AI features that can be disabled.
In Brave’s case, it’s the Answer With AI feature that can be disabled in Settings, and with DuckDuckGo, there’s a button at the top-right for Duck AI, which you can also disable in Settings. Once you’ve disabled those features, they won’t appear in your search results or on the main page of the engine.
1. Brave
Did you know that Brave has its own search engine? That’s right — go to search.brave.com, and you won’t find AI at the center of this privacy‑focused search engine. You just need to disable the Answer With AI feature in Settings first.
In 2021, Brave’s search engine became the default for the Brave browser. I’ve used it, and it’s quite good. With no data collected, you can bet I use it regularly. Brave’s search engine is free to use.
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One thing to keep in mind is that the Brave index is intentionally smaller than Google’s or Bing’s to avoid spam and low‑quality content.
2. Dogpile
Dogpile actually fetches results from Google, Yahoo!, Yandex, and Bing, but it presents the results totally AI‑free. By aggregating results from the bigger sites, you can be sure you’ll find what you’re looking for (without having to deal with AI summaries).
Also: Google’s new Search mode puts classic results back on top – how to access it
Dogpile has been around since 1996 and shows no sign of going away. It also includes features such as category links, Yellow Pages, White Pages, spelling correction, filters, statistics, recent searches, favorite fetches, and more.
3. DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo has been my default search engine for some time now, for several reasons — one of which is that it doesn’t force AI into the results. It’s also one of the more private search engines available. AI features are available but disabled by default. To enable or disable Duck AI, use the button in the top‑right or toggle it in Settings.
Also: Tired of seeing AI images online? DuckDuckGo lets you hide them from results now
You can use DuckDuckGo in conjunction with the DuckDuckGo browser for extra security — blocking, no cookie pop‑ups, and the Leave No Trace feature. You can easily set DuckDuckGo as your default search engine in most web browsers.
4. Ecosia
Ecosia is touted as a “green search engine.” The company behind Ecosia plants trees in more than 35 countries and restores biodiversity. Ecosia is transparent — you can even view its current revenue. This search engine is all about helping the planet with green initiatives, all while giving you a search engine with zero AI features.
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The company also offers a web browser that sets Ecosia as its default.
5. Lilo
Lilo is unique: you can save sites on the page itself to shrink your carbon footprint, because you won’t always need to search for the same sites. You’ll notice the Lilo logo is a water drop — and there’s a reason for that: for each search you perform, you earn a drop of water. That drop can then be donated to the association or project of your choice.
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Lilo also includes a news feed, though I’ve often found the results are typically in French.
6. Metacrawler
Metacrawler is a metasearch engine that aggregates results from multiple search engines, including Google and Bing. By being an aggregator, you’ll get a broader perspective on any subject and might come across results you wouldn’t find elsewhere. Of course, results may vary.
Also: Fed up with AI scraping your content? This open‑source bot blocker can helphere’s how
Metacrawler was the first meta search engine — so it’s trusted to stick around. It’s been bought and sold several times, but it’s still kicking.
7. Qwant
Qwant values you as a person, not a product. Your data is never sold, your searches are not saved, and you can set the level of content filtering. There’s no AI involved. One nice Qwant feature in settings lets you open all clicked links in a new tab. I appreciate this because I often need to go back to results to check other sites. Most search engines open links in the same tab — you can right‑click or Alt‑click to open in a new tab, but I sometimes forget.
Also: People are Googling fake sayings to see AI Overviews explain themand it’s hilarious
The important thing is that Qwant does not push AI summaries or results.
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