Everyone uses Google, but are there alternative search engines? It is the must-have one for users. Indeed, searches in France on Google represent more than 90% of the market share. As soon as a need or a question arises, the first reflex of Internet users is to ask the question. But, he is not the only one on the market.
Alternatives exist . Indeed, other companies have embarked on the adventure. They allow access to sites having the answer to the search carried out.
In the world of SEO, having your site positioned first on Google remains the holy grail at present. The history of the search engine will help you understand how it managed to become the undisputed leader.
30 alternatives available on the market
Qwant
Launched in July 2013, Qwant is an alternative search engine developed by French people. The promise of this project is confidentiality. They do not record any personal user data. In view of the current situation and the debates concerning data on the Internet, this research is timely.
The interface is user-friendly and easy to use thanks to the presence of specific categories to present the results: on the web, social activities carried out, news, social networks, shopping, videos or even a music tab with recommendations according to your style of music.
In addition, this company wants to go further in its innovations. With the authorization of the Ministry of National Education, a Qwant Junior version has been created and is being tested in schools. This version is suitable for children aged 6 to 13. The goal is to protect these sensitive souls from violent or inappropriate content on the internet: violent sites, pornographic sites or e-commerce platforms. The content is appropriate for their age. On Qwant Junior, they mainly find educational games.
eWith the many changes it imposes on the market, it is 4th in France (0.74% market share) and 11th worldwide (0.02% share).
Duckduckgo
Like Qwant, DuckDuckGo 's main concern, created in 2013 by Gabriel Weinberg, is to respect the personal and private data of Internet users. No research is recorded and tracked.
They want to offer an optimal user experience:
- Few advertisements
- Simplified navigation
- Possible searches while on a site with the extension “bangs”
- Automatically takes care of the language (modifiable in the settings)
With these advantages of use, this search engine is ranked 7th worldwide with 0.25% market share. Its use is recommended by many browsers such as GNU IceCat, Palemoon, Dillo, Rekonq or SRWare Iron.
Ecosia
Ecosia is the ecological search engine par excellence.
It is important to know that digital data has an impact on the planet. According to figures from Planetoscop, 0.2 to 7 g of CO2 are released into nature after research has been carried out.
To fight against this phenomenon, Ecosia has embarked on a mission: to launch a reforestation program. On average, 45 searches must be made to plant a tree.
However, their actions go further. The German engine has allied itself with ecological companies all over the world. For example, on the African continent, they are present through WeForest and OZG in Burkina Faso and Eden Projects in Madagascar.
This global presence has allowed Ecosia to reach the milestone of more than 50 million trees planted.
Lilo
Lilo is one of the alternatives on the market. Their presence is more user-oriented.
Indeed, 50% of their turnover is donated to social, solidarity or environmental projects.
Its use is made through credits in the form of a drop of water. Users can after their research donate their collected drops of water to the project they want. The price of a drop of water is 0.002 and 0.003 €.
In addition, every week a project is selected so that it can benefit from greater aid. The winning project wins monthly funding.
This French initiative is growing with the creation in 2017 of a smartphone browser available on iOS and Android. It is known as Lilo Browser.
Quora
Quora was developed in 2009 by Adam d'Angelo.
As co-founder of Facebook, he wanted to create a user-oriented platform.
From this idea was born the first engine whose content is created directly by consumers. Indeed, this tool is presented in the form of a forum. The research is done in the form of questions classified by theme. Visitors can answer the questions asked and tell their personal experience in order to help other people.
It gets 100 million unique users per month. Public figures claim to have a Quora account. This is the case of Jimmy Wales, Justin Trudeau, Barack Obama or even Hillary Clinton.
SearX
SearX is a metasearch engine browser. This means that it gets its information from major engines like Google or Bing.
Research on this tool is done vertically. It is possible to find:
- general data
- Files like pictures, videos, maps, music
- News and new publications from social networks
Vimeo
Known to be an alternative to YouTube, this platform offers a wide choice of videos.
Unlike others, users can watch video files without the ads bothering them.
In addition, in order to maintain the quality of navigation, Vimeo controls all the contents published so that they do not have commercial messages, phonographic contents or plagiarism.
yandex
Yandex is a Russian engine developed to counter all American offers available on the market. It is also the only country where Google does not have a monopoly. This tool holds 60% of the Russian market share.
The presentation in the form of favicons allows users to quickly find the desired information.
Ask
Created in 1996, ask.com is the old Google. It hasn't been updated since 2006 but is still presented as an alternative.
CCSearch
CC search is a tool dedicated to the search for royalty-free images. By typing the desired query, many photos appear to illustrate the websites.
Thanks to storage by category, it promises simplified navigation.
Framabee
Also known as Framasoft, Framabee presents data from other engines without keeping users' personal data. There is therefore no research suggestion.
Yacy
There are many alternatives to Google on the market and many come close. However, this is not the case with Yacy .
Indeed, this tool is the most different from Google. The creators were based on the peer-to-peer principle, i.e. a decentralized formula.
It does not go through central servers. This is the reason why Yacy is not a simple site. Users need to install this tool on their computer. The browser also counts on the data and files shared by Internet users.
Its content depends on what people want to broadcast on the platform.
Bing
Bing was developed by Microsoft in 2009 to replace Window Live. It is the second most used tool, after Google.
This tool is suitable for video searches since the display is done in the form of windows, which can also be called thumbnails. This presentation allows the preview of the content.
Many features are also available:
- Currency conversion
- Bing Translation
- Flight search
- Weather report
- Bing Maps
Besides, one of the big differences with Google is a rewards program. All users making purchases or searches from this search engine earn points that can be used to buy movies or download paid apps.
Giphy
Giphy specializes in finding animated GIFS, where Internet users find short videos.
Thanks to this tool, find all the GIFS according to the desired theme. Navigation is simple:
- The user types the query into the search bar.
- After finding the perfect GIF, you can download it.
- The format being optimized, users can share them in video, on writings (blog articles) or on social networks.
Wolfram Alpha
Wolfram Alpha is dedicated to all research concerning questions on science, mathematics, finance or socio-demographic themes. The display of results on Wolfram Alpha is different from other existing engines. Indeed it only displays a list of possible answers.
Baidu
Google being banned in China, Baidu is the most used search engine with 72.74% of the Chinese market share in 2019. It has many similarities with Google. The only major difference is that the tool is in Mandarin.
Moreover, in view of Chinese laws, censorship is present for certain themes. It is impossible to find all the information there. Pro-democracy images and content are not permitted.
However, these restrictions do not hinder them in their desire to establish themselves as the world leader. They partnered in 2011 with Microsoft to expand their presence in America.
Today, their global market share is 12.11%.
yahoo
Created in 1994 by Jerry Yang and David Filo, Yahoo was a web directory.
However, given its popularity with Internet users, it has become a real web portal. It can now be considered an essential search engine. It brings together all the elements to make everyday life easier for Internet users:
- websites
- Messaging to send and receive emails
- online games
These features are developed in 2011. It presents new options. Users can search directly. This gives users the possibility to translate the content into the desired language.
Videos are also featured with the Yahoo! Video.
Its global shares represent 2.11%. The proportion in France is 1.37%.
Yippy
Yippy is also known as Clusty. The results are displayed in the form of tabs and files concerning news, images, sites or even blogs.
This search engine has a real advantage. It allows users to filter the results obtained. You can add a filter about the source, the publication date or the topics covered.
This feature improves access to the information sought.
Disconnect
In order to ensure the protection of users' personal data, Disconnect has been developed. Access all information anonymously.
The principle of this search engine is to type your query in the search bar. You are then redirected to the search platform you selected.
Users have the option to install the Disconnect extension. Through it, block the tracking of websites or speed up the loading time of pages.
The existence of specific search engines
Beyond general search engines, specific alternatives to Google specialized in specific themes have been developed:
- For kids, beyond Qwant Junior , BabyGo was developed in 2019. They feature kid-friendly content to protect them from sensitive information.
- If you are looking for work, RegionsJob and CadreEmploi list all the ads on the market.
- TinEye and Pinterest are two powerful and effective tools in your search for visuals.
When consumers want to find information, the first instinct is to go to Google. However, all these sites are powerful search engine alternatives to facilitate the navigation of Internet users according to the desired uses.
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