DuckDuckGo Review 2026

Where DuckDuckGo's results come from

DuckDuckGo runs its own crawler, DuckDuckBot, and its own indexes, while most of its traditional links and images come from Bing. Instant Answers draw on specialized sources such as Sportradar and Wikipedia, and DuckDuckGo says those requests pass through its own servers so the partner never learns who asked.

So for ordinary links DuckDuckGo leans on Bing's index; the difference lies in what it keeps about you.

What it keeps about you

DuckDuckGo's privacy policy says it does not save or share your search, chat or browsing history, does not save your IP address alongside your searches, and has no way to build a history of your queries. Search ads are based on the results page you are viewing rather than on you, and Microsoft, which handles clicks on those ads, has committed not to link them to a user profile.

The browser and the paid plans

Search, the browser extensions and the DuckDuckGo browser are free. The browser runs on Windows, Mac, Android and iOS; it blocks third party trackers from companies such as Facebook and Google, blocks most ads and cookie pop-ups, deletes browsing data with one button, manages passwords and blocks email trackers.

The optional Plus plan costs $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year and adds a VPN, more advanced AI models in Duck.ai, Personal Information Removal and Identity Theft Restoration. The Pro plan costs $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year and adds stronger AI models and higher usage limits in Duck.ai.

Questions people ask

Is DuckDuckGo really private?

Its privacy policy says DuckDuckGo does not save or share your search history and does not store your IP address alongside your searches, so it has no way to build a profile of your queries. Ads are matched to the search you are on rather than to you.

Where do DuckDuckGo's search results come from?

From its own crawler, DuckDuckBot, and its own indexes, with most traditional links and images sourced from Bing and some answers from partners such as Wikipedia.

Is DuckDuckGo free?

Search, the browser extensions and the DuckDuckGo browser are free. An optional Plus plan at $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year adds a VPN, Personal Information Removal, Identity Theft Restoration and advanced AI models in Duck.ai.

Which devices does the DuckDuckGo browser run on?

Windows, Mac, Android and iOS.

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against these pages on 30 September 2026.

1. DuckDuckGo Help: Where do DuckDuckGo search results come from?
2. DuckDuckGo: Privacy Policy
3. DuckDuckGo: Browser
4. DuckDuckGo Help: How much does DuckDuckGo cost?