Looking for search engines or chatbots beyond Google? Here’s a list to explore, each offering different ways to enhance your search experience.
For more than 20 years, Google has been the go-to search engine for daily queries, product research, and the latest news updates. Its dominance has also made it the primary platform that SEO and marketing professionals focus on.
However, the landscape started shifting with the launch of ChatGPT and Bing Chat. Reports suggested that Google’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, returned to actively contribute to integrating chatbot capabilities into Google Search.
In May 2023, Google released its chatbot Bard (later renamed Gemini). A year later, on May 14, 2024, it rolled out AI Overviews for U.S.-based users. Around the same time, OpenAI introduced ChatGPT search, transforming the earlier SearchGPT prototype into a fully integrated search feature within ChatGPT by late 2024.
While Google continues to lead the market, many alternative search engines now provide unique benefits—ranging from stronger privacy protections and specialized content to innovative algorithms and personalized user experiences.
AI-Powered Search Engines
When search engines integrate AI chatbots built on large language models, they can sometimes produce mistakes or hallucinations. It’s important to always verify critical information—especially medical, financial, legal, or safety-related—using trusted and authoritative sources.
1. Google AI Mode
Google AI Mode is the company’s latest experiment in AI-driven search, introduced in early 2025. It expands on Google’s AI Overviews with advanced reasoning abilities and interactive conversations.
This feature is designed for queries that need deeper analysis, comparisons, or exploration. Unlike traditional Google Search, AI Mode allows users to:
- Ask follow-up questions on the same topic
- Explore subjects in more detail with insights from multiple sources
- Keep a conversation history for future reference
- Interact through text or voice commands
Currently, AI Mode is available as an opt-in experiment in Search Labs, limited to Google One subscribers.
2. ChatGPT Search
OpenAI launched ChatGPT Search in October 2024, evolving from its earlier SearchGPT prototype. The feature combines real-time web data with AI to deliver relevant results along with proper citations.
It began as a paid product but has since been made accessible to all users.
Key Features include:
- Ability to continue with follow-up questions
- Access to the latest information by pulling live data from the web
- Citations with links to original content sources
- Tools for publishers to manage how their content appears in ChatGPT Search
Since release, OpenAI has continued improving the service, enhancing context handling and strengthening citation practices to resolve earlier attribution concerns.
3. Yep.com
Yep.com, developed by Ahrefs, positions itself as a search engine with a difference. Its primary focus is on user privacy—it does not track individuals or sell their personal data.
Instead of building advertising profiles, Yep.com tracks only the frequency of word searches and the popularity of links based on clicks.
What sets it apart is its 90/10 revenue share model, where 90% of all ad revenue is distributed directly to content creators. This approach ensures creators are fairly compensated for their work and allows users to support their favorite publishers more directly.
4. You.com
You.com is an AI-driven search engine founded by Richard Socher, a well-known NLP researcher and former chief scientist at Salesforce. As of March 2025, it has around 1.56 million monthly unique visitors.
The platform offers two browsing modes:
- Personal mode – lets users customize their preferred sources.
- Private mode – provides a completely anonymous experience with no telemetry data collected.
You.com also provides a Chrome extension and supports AI-powered image generation.
As an open search platform, it invites developers to create apps and contribute, aiming to build a more collaborative and transparent internet.
5. Perplexity.ai
Founded in 2022, Perplexity.ai is an innovative alternative to Google that focuses on delivering contextually rich answers. As of March 2025, it has 14.1 million monthly unique visitors.
Unlike traditional search engines that primarily direct users to web pages, Perplexity.ai functions as a chatbot that provides direct answers while citing its sources. Users also have the option to ask follow-up questions, enabling them to explore queries in greater depth.
This interactive, conversational approach makes it easier to refine searches and receive more precise results. Its evolving dialog-based system positions Perplexity.ai as a strong choice for those seeking a more intuitive and responsive search tool.
However, since it relies on large language models (LLMs) to generate responses, it may sometimes produce inaccurate or misleading information, known as hallucinations.
6. Openverse – A Copyright-Free Search Engine
Openverse is a go-to resource for discovering copyright-free media of nearly any type.
Unlike Google, which provides a broad range of search results, Openverse specializes in a vast, searchable collection of open-source content, including images, audio, and videos.
This makes it ideal for creators in need of music for a video, images for a blog post, or any other media, without the risk of copyright infringement. By focusing on open-licensed and public domain content, Openverse ensures users can find creative assets freely and legally.
Mainstream Search Engines
7. Yahoo.com
As of March 2025, Yahoo.com (owned by Verizon Media) holds a 2.65% U.S. search market share.
Yahoo’s strength lies in diversification, offering email, news, finance, and more alongside search. Active for over two decades, Yahoo continues to evolve. In January 2023, it teased plans to “make search cool again,” though details remain unclear.
🔹 Performance Data: Since Yahoo Search runs on Bing technology, you can track performance through Bing Webmaster Tools at webmaster.bing.com. Once set up, you’ll get insights into impressions, clicks, and keyword rankings.
8. Bing.com
As of March 2025, Microsoft Bing accounts for 7.48% of all U.S. searches.
Bing offers several advantages:
- A rewards program where searches earn redeemable points.
- A strong visual search API, often seen as better than Google’s.
- A clean, intuitive video search experience without YouTube bias.
In February 2023, Microsoft launched an AI-powered version of Bing called Copilot (formerly Bing Chat), designed to provide better answers, conversational search, and content generation.
🔹 Performance Data: Use Bing Webmaster Tools by signing up, verifying your website, and accessing insights on keyword rankings, crawl stats, and SEO recommendations.
9. Ecosia
Ecosia stands out for its environmental mission. It uses its ad revenue to plant trees worldwide, working with local communities to ensure long-term care. The company is not-for-profit, dedicating 100% of its profits to sustainability projects.
Ecosia is powered by Microsoft Bing’s search index and ads, and also offers a browser extension for faster access.
🔹 Performance Data: Since Ecosia relies on Bing technology, you can use Bing Webmaster Tools to track impressions, clicks, and keyword performance for your site in Ecosia’s search results.
Privacy-Focused Search Engines
10. KARMA Search
KARMA is a privacy-first search engine that turns ad revenue into wildlife conservation funding. Every search supports nonprofits like Re:wild, helping projects such as anti-poaching drones in Kenya or coral reef restoration.
It’s built on Brave’s anti-tracking framework, offering clean, Bing-powered results plus shortcuts to tools like Wolfram Alpha and the Internet Archive.
✅ Why It Stands Out
- 100% of profits go to real conservation efforts (no greenwashing).
- Vertical search shortcuts for math, archives, and more.
- Ethical ads—Bing’s network without personal tracking.
Reddit eco-communities praise KARMA for its transparency, with one user noting: “Finally, my cat video binges fund something besides Zuckerberg’s metaverse.”
🔹 Performance Data: Track referrals from karmasearch.org in Google Analytics. For ad-driven insights, use Bing Webmaster Tools to see which queries generate nonprofit revenue.
12. Startpage
Startpage is a metasearch engine that doesn’t crawl the web itself. Instead, it aggregates results from multiple sources—including Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo—and gives preference to links that appear across several of them.
It’s an excellent choice for users who like Google’s search results but don’t want their search history tracked or stored.
Some of its standout privacy features include a URL generator, proxy service, and HTTPS support. The URL generator is particularly useful since it removes the need for cookies by remembering your preferences in a privacy-friendly way.
How to Pull Performance Data
Startpage does not provide traditional webmaster tools because of its focus on privacy. To track performance, check your website analytics for traffic sources listed as “startpage.com” and review user engagement metrics from those visitors.
13. DuckDuckGo
As of March 2025, DuckDuckGo held a 2.07% search market share in the United States.
DuckDuckGo could be considered a mainstream search engine, but its biggest appeal lies in its commitment to privacy. Unlike Google, it does not collect personal data, track browsing history, or build user profiles. This means no targeted ads and no filter bubbles based on your search history.
When you search on DuckDuckGo, your activity remains anonymous, giving you peace of mind that your online behavior isn’t being monitored.
For mobile users, DuckDuckGo Lite provides a faster, simplified version of the search engine.
How to Pull Performance Data
DuckDuckGo does not offer webmaster tools due to its privacy-first approach. To measure performance, review your analytics for traffic sources marked as “duckduckgo.com” and analyze engagement from those users. Since DuckDuckGo also pulls results from Bing, some visibility insights may be reflected in Bing Webmaster Tools.
14. Brave
Brave Search has reached full independence, no longer relying on engines like Bing. It now runs entirely on its own index, highlighting a strong commitment to privacy and transparent search results.
The platform has seen remarkable growth, handling 1.19 billion monthly queries as of December 2024.
Brave also provides features such as free video calling, offline playlist support, and a customizable news feed.
Its advanced security offerings include IPFS integration, Tor (Onion Routing), and a built-in crypto wallet.
Users can earn rewards by opting into its privacy-friendly ads. With more than 82 million monthly active browser users, Brave is promoted as a faster and safer way to browse the internet.
How To Track Performance
Brave Search does not provide conventional webmaster tools because of its privacy-centric design. To monitor performance, review your site analytics for traffic sources labeled “search.brave.com” and analyze engagement data from those users.
15. Swisscows
Swisscows stands out as a family-friendly semantic search engine.
It draws on Bing for general search functions but has built its own index for German-language queries.
The platform is committed to protecting privacy, never storing, collecting, or tracking user information.
With the help of artificial intelligence, it interprets the intent and context behind search queries.
Over time, Swisscows aims to deliver highly accurate answers to user questions.
How To Track Performance
Like Brave, Swisscows does not offer webmaster tools due to its strict privacy policies. To evaluate your reach, check your website analytics for visits from “swisscows.com” and assess engagement metrics from those visitors.
16. Mojeek
Mojeek is the true independent player among search engines—an indie crawler that doesn’t depend on Google or Bing. Looking for a forgotten 90s Geocities page? Mojeek’s straightforward index often brings back results that mainstream algorithms overlook.
- Fully independent: Operates MojeekBot, its own crawler, with zero reliance on Big Tech data.
- Unbiased results: No personalization—everyone sees the same outcomes.
- Indie-friendly: Gives preference to smaller blogs and forums over corporate websites.
The Trade-Off
Mojeek may feel slower than AI-powered tools and lacks the polished look of You.com. Yet, many users describe it as reminiscent of the early internet—raw, quirky, and authentic.
How To Track Performance
Mojeek does not provide webmaster tools. To monitor visibility, check your analytics for visits originating from “mojeek.com” and review engagement metrics from those users.
17. Kagi
Kagi is a premium, ad-free search engine that has won over researchers, journalists, and academics willing to pay for cleaner results. Running on its own index, Kagi removes ads, trackers, and clutter, delivering pure search results. Its unique “Lenses” feature allows users to filter by type, highlighting forums, blogs, or scholarly sources.
Key Benefits
- Ad-free experience: Ideal for researching delicate or controversial topics without commercial influence.
- Custom “Lenses”: Focus results on Reddit discussions, academic papers, or independent blogs.
- Family subscriptions: $25/month supports up to five users, making it cost-effective.
The Catch
Being managed by a small team, minor bugs do appear. Some users note that it can be too efficient, missing the randomness of traditional search engines.
How To Track Performance
Kagi offers no webmaster dashboards. To gauge performance, look for traffic from “kagi.com” in your website analytics and assess visitor activity.
Knowledge-Based Search Engines
18. SlideShare
SlideShare is a dedicated platform for discovering slideshow presentations.
Beyond slides, it also lets users search for ebooks and PDFs, making it a valuable resource when preparing for professional or academic presentations.
Presentations can be saved for later or downloaded in full for offline use.
How To Track Performance
SlideShare includes a creator dashboard with built-in analytics. From there, you can review engagement metrics for your uploaded presentations. Additionally, check your site analytics for visitors coming from “slideshare.net” to measure traffic generated by your SlideShare content.
19. X (Formerly Twitter)
X serves as one of the fastest real-time search engines available.
It’s the go-to platform for instant updates, especially during live events or emergencies, delivering news faster than traditional search engines.
While Google eventually catches up, nothing matches the immediacy of posts on X.
How To Track Performance
Use X Analytics to measure impressions, engagement, profile visits, and follower growth. For website traffic insights, look at referrals labeled “t.co” or “x.com” in your analytics to see how many visitors are arriving through X links.
20. Wayback Machine
The Internet Archive—widely known as the Wayback Machine—specializes in capturing and storing historical versions of websites.
It’s not just for web history; the archive also contains millions of free books, videos, music, and software, functioning as an enormous digital library.
With it, users can explore past web pages and access a vast collection of archived content.
How To Track Performance
Since the Wayback Machine is an archival service, it does not provide webmaster tools. To check your site’s presence, use the URL search to see how often your pages have been stored and preserved over time.
