Popular search engines and browsers do a great job at finding and browsing content on the web, but can do a better job at protecting your privacy while doing so.
Ecosia is a program classified as a Browser Hijacker. If you have noticed that your Chrome, Firefox, IE or Edge homepage has been changed or a new search engine or some sketchy toolbar has been added to the browser without your agreement, then you've likely stumbled upon Ecosia.
With your data being the digital currency of our times, websites, advertisers, browsers, and search engines track your behavior on the web to deliver tailored advertising, improve their algorithms, or improve their services.
In this guide, we list the best search engines and browsers to protect your privacy while using the web.
Privacy-focused search engines
Below are the best privacy-focused search engines that do not track your searchers or display advertisements based on your cookies or interests.
DuckDuckGo
The first privacy-focused search engine, and probably the most recognizable, we spotlight is DuckDuckGo.
Founded in 2008, DuckDuckGo is popular among users who are concerned about privacy online, and the privacy-friendly search engine recently said it had seen 2 billion total searches.
- Ecosia is the default search engine of the Waterfox web browser since version 44.0.2. Since version 1.9, Vivaldi has included Ecosia as a default search engine option. In March 2018, Firefox 59.0 added Ecosia as a search engine option for the German version.
- Ecosia does however get criticism from a few sites online, including an article from 2Spyware claiming that Ecosia is a browser-hijacker, and borderline virus. While you can't really dispute the claims made by 2Spyware, just keep in mind that literally everything they criticize about Ecosia is also true for Google, Bing, Yahoo, and any other.
- Download Ecosia — The search engine that plants trees 🌱 for Firefox. Ecosia is a search engine that uses 80% of its profits from ad revenue to plant trees. By searching with Ecosia you can help the environment for free.
- Just use Firefox and set ecosia as your default search engine then you can use sync. View Entire Discussion (1 Comments).
With DuckDuckGo, you can search for your questions and websites online anonymously.
DuckDuckGo does not compile entire profiles of user's search habits and behavior, and it also does not collect personal information.
DuckDuckGo is offered as a search engine option in all popular browsers.
In 2017, Brave added DuckDuckGo as a default search engine option when you use the browser on mobile or desktop. In Brave browser, your search results are powered by DuckDuckGo when you enter the private tabs (incognito).
Last year, Google also added DuckDuckGo to their list of search engines on Android and platforms. With iOS 14, Apple is now also allowing users to use DuckDuckGo as their preferred search engine.
Startpage
Unlike DuckDuckGo, Startpage is not crawling the internet to generate unique results, but instead, it allows users to obtain Google Search results while protecting their data.
Startpage started as a sister company of Ixquick, which was founded in 1998. In 2016, both websites were merged and Startpage owners received a significant investment from Privacy One Group last year.
This search engine also generates its income from advertising, but these ads are anonymously generated solely based on the search term you entered. Your information is not stored online or shared with other companies, such as Google.
Startpage also comes with one interesting feature called 'Annonymous View' that allows you to view links anonymously.
When you use this feature, Startpage renders the website in its container and the website won't be able to track you because it will see Startpage as the visitor.
Ecosia
The next search engine in our list is Ecosia.
Unlike any other search engines, Ecosia is a CO2-neutral search engine and it uses the revenue generated to plant trees. Ecosia's search results are provided by Bing and enhanced by the company's own algorithms.
Ecosia was first launched on 7 December 2009 and the company has donated most of its profits to plant trees across the world.
Ecosia says they're a privacy-friendly search engine and your searches are encrypted, which means the data is not stored permanently and sold to third-party advertisers.
List of privacy-friendly browsers:
Web browser developers have taken existing browser platforms such as Chrome and Firefox, and modified them to include more privacy-focuses features that protect your data while browsing the web.
Brave Browser
Brave is one of the fastest browser that is solely focused on privacy with features like private browsing, data saver, ad-free experience, bookmarks sync, tracking protections, HTTPs everywhere, and more.
Memory usage by Brave is far below Google Chrome and the browser is also available for both mobile and desktop.
You can download Brave from here.
Tor Browser
The Tor Browser is another browser that aims to protect your data, including your IP address, as you browse the web.
When browsing the web with Tor, your connections to web sites will be anonymous as your request will be routed through other computers and your real IP address is not shared.
In addition, Tor bundles comes with the NoScript and HTTPS Everywhere extensions preinstalled, and clears your HTTP cookies on exit, to further protect your privacy.
You can download Tor browser from here.
Ecosia Firefox
Firefox Focus
Firefox Focus is also a great option if you use Android or iOS.
- Ecosia is the default search engine of the Waterfox web browser since version 44.0.2. Since version 1.9, Vivaldi has included Ecosia as a default search engine option. In March 2018, Firefox 59.0 added Ecosia as a search engine option for the German version.
- Ecosia does however get criticism from a few sites online, including an article from 2Spyware claiming that Ecosia is a browser-hijacker, and borderline virus. While you can't really dispute the claims made by 2Spyware, just keep in mind that literally everything they criticize about Ecosia is also true for Google, Bing, Yahoo, and any other.
- Download Ecosia — The search engine that plants trees 🌱 for Firefox. Ecosia is a search engine that uses 80% of its profits from ad revenue to plant trees. By searching with Ecosia you can help the environment for free.
- Just use Firefox and set ecosia as your default search engine then you can use sync. View Entire Discussion (1 Comments).
With DuckDuckGo, you can search for your questions and websites online anonymously.
DuckDuckGo does not compile entire profiles of user's search habits and behavior, and it also does not collect personal information.
DuckDuckGo is offered as a search engine option in all popular browsers.
In 2017, Brave added DuckDuckGo as a default search engine option when you use the browser on mobile or desktop. In Brave browser, your search results are powered by DuckDuckGo when you enter the private tabs (incognito).
Last year, Google also added DuckDuckGo to their list of search engines on Android and platforms. With iOS 14, Apple is now also allowing users to use DuckDuckGo as their preferred search engine.
Startpage
Unlike DuckDuckGo, Startpage is not crawling the internet to generate unique results, but instead, it allows users to obtain Google Search results while protecting their data.
Startpage started as a sister company of Ixquick, which was founded in 1998. In 2016, both websites were merged and Startpage owners received a significant investment from Privacy One Group last year.
This search engine also generates its income from advertising, but these ads are anonymously generated solely based on the search term you entered. Your information is not stored online or shared with other companies, such as Google.
Startpage also comes with one interesting feature called 'Annonymous View' that allows you to view links anonymously.
When you use this feature, Startpage renders the website in its container and the website won't be able to track you because it will see Startpage as the visitor.
Ecosia
The next search engine in our list is Ecosia.
Unlike any other search engines, Ecosia is a CO2-neutral search engine and it uses the revenue generated to plant trees. Ecosia's search results are provided by Bing and enhanced by the company's own algorithms.
Ecosia was first launched on 7 December 2009 and the company has donated most of its profits to plant trees across the world.
Ecosia says they're a privacy-friendly search engine and your searches are encrypted, which means the data is not stored permanently and sold to third-party advertisers.
List of privacy-friendly browsers:
Web browser developers have taken existing browser platforms such as Chrome and Firefox, and modified them to include more privacy-focuses features that protect your data while browsing the web.
Brave Browser
Brave is one of the fastest browser that is solely focused on privacy with features like private browsing, data saver, ad-free experience, bookmarks sync, tracking protections, HTTPs everywhere, and more.
Memory usage by Brave is far below Google Chrome and the browser is also available for both mobile and desktop.
You can download Brave from here.
Tor Browser
The Tor Browser is another browser that aims to protect your data, including your IP address, as you browse the web.
When browsing the web with Tor, your connections to web sites will be anonymous as your request will be routed through other computers and your real IP address is not shared.
In addition, Tor bundles comes with the NoScript and HTTPS Everywhere extensions preinstalled, and clears your HTTP cookies on exit, to further protect your privacy.
You can download Tor browser from here.
Ecosia Firefox
Firefox Focus
Firefox Focus is also a great option if you use Android or iOS.
According to Mozilla, Firefox Focus blocks a wide range of online trackers, erases your history, passwords, cookies, and comes with a user-friendly interface.
Firefox Focus also comes with built-in ad blocker to improve your experience and block all trackers, including those operated by Google and Facebook.
You can download Firefox Focus from the App Store and Play Store.
Ecosia Search String
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