Those smaller numbers result in near-instantaneous loading times think milliseconds, rather than seconds. With the Lite option, the only elements that will show on your browser will be the search bar and the DuckDuckGo name - all ads and other images will be stripped away.Īdditionally, DuckDuckGo Lite needs to make only a few requests to populate the search results page, while its default page makes at least 50 and Google makes 100 or more. For reference, 1 Mbps is equal to 250 kbps. But if you're looking for a much faster browsing alternative, DuckDuckGo offers a Lite search option that trims use from 2 Mbps (Megabits per second) to just 33 Kbps (kilobits per second). DuckDuckGo saves you the step of having to navigate between options.ĭuckDuckGo says its homepage runs at the same speed as Google, so you shouldn't experience lags or excessive load times. This is another example in which encrypted and unencrypted options might exist on other search engines, but the default is usually not private. Searches made through DuckDuckGo also connect you automatically to encrypted versions of websites wherever possible - making it harder for others to see what you're looking at - and entirely blocks cookies from tracking you. (Because who hasn't googled some embarrassing things before?)

“Each time you search on DuckDuckGo, you have a blank search history, as if you’ve never been there before,” the company says.

DuckDuckGo never tracks use, and doesn't make you toggle between different versions to access a private mode.

The only thing these modes are definitely good for is not revealing your searches to someone else who might later use your computer. And while those commonly used browsers - including Google Chrome - have features such as private or incognito modes that suggest they won't track your search history, user lawsuits and debate by Google employees cast doubt on their value. DuckDuckGo does not track searches made through its browser extension or mobile app, unlike other browsers.

Duckduckgo gabriel weinberg