The 8 Best Search Engines of 2024

While you could use Google to find other search engines, here are the ones we think are arguably better

Most people prefer to rely on just one or two search engines that deliver three key features:

  • Relevant results (results you are interested in)
  • Uncluttered, easy-to-read interface
  • Helpful options to broaden or tighten a search

This article's options should help you find the best search engine for your needs.

These are mainly web page search engines, but others exist for specific searches. Other search engines exist just for people, images, and, of course, jobs.

01
of 09

Duck Duck Go Search

DuckDuckGo search screen
What We Like
  • Does not track or store user information.

  • Fast searches.

  • Optional one-month search window.

What We Don't Like
  • Search results are not dated.

  • Limited image search results.

  • No personalized results.

At first, DuckDuckGo.com looks like Google. However, many subtleties make this search engine different.

DuckDuckGo offers some slick features, like zero-click information, wherein all your answers appear on the first results page. DuckDuckgo offers disambiguation prompts that help to clarify what question you are asking. Most significantly, DuckDuckGo does not track information about you or share your search habits with others.

Give DuckDuckGo.com a try. You might like this clean and simple search engine.

02
of 09

Google Search

Google Search screen
What We Like
  • Favors fresh content.

  • Ranks blogs and services.

  • Accessible on any device.

What We Don't Like
  • Collects information on users.

  • Hidden content might damage ranking.

  • Search delivers too many results.

Google is the reigning leader of spartan searching and is the most used search engine in the world. Google is fast, relevant, and has the most extensive single catalog of web pages available.

Try Google images, maps, and news features; they are outstanding services for locating photos, geographic directions, and headlines.

03
of 09

Yippy Search

Yippy Search screen
What We Like
  • Blocks undesirable websites.

  • Search result previews.

  • Cloud of related topics in results.

What We Don't Like
  • Cannot turn off the filtering process.

  • Ad-supported.

  • No intuitive search.

Yippy is a Deep Web engine that searches other search engines for you. Unlike the regular internet, which uses robot spider programs for indexing, Deep Web pages are usually harder to locate by conventional search.

That's where Yippy becomes very useful. If you are searching for obscure hobby interest blogs, hard-to-locate government information, offbeat news, academic research, and similar content, then Yippy is your tool. 

04
of 09

Bing Search

Bing Search
What We Like
  • Favors older, established web pages.

  • Ranks home pages, not blogs.

  • Crawls hidden and non-hidden content equally.

What We Don't Like
  • Ranks forums low in search results.

  • Instant search is slower than Google.

  • Some ad-heavy search result screens.

Bing is Microsoft's attempt at unseating Google, arguably the second-most-popular search engine today.

In the leftmost column, Bing tries to support your research by offering suggestions; it also provides search options across the top of the screen. Things like wiki suggestions, visual search, and related searches might benefit you. Bing is not dethroning Google soon, but it is worth trying. 

05
of 09

Dogpile Search

Dogpile Search screen
What We Like
  • Links to "favorite fetches" on whimsical home screen.

  • Pulls from multiple databases for broad results.

  • Fast search results.

What We Don't Like
  • Result screen entries aren't dated.

  • No home screen personalization.

  • Lots of sponsored results.

Years ago, Dogpile preceded Google as a fast and efficient choice for web searching. Things changed in the late 1990s, Dogpile faded into obscurity, and Google became the leading platform.

Today, however, Dogpile is back with a growing index and a clean and quick presentation that is a testimony to its halcyon days. If you want to try a search tool with an engaging appearance and desirable crosslink results, definitely try Dogpile.

06
of 09

Google Scholar Search

Google Scholar screen
What We Like
  • Save articles to read later.

  • Citations in several styles.

  • Results include how many times an article has been cited and by whom.

What We Don't Like
  • Wide-ranging but not comprehensive.

  • No criteria for what makes a result "scholarly."

  • No way to limit results by discipline.

Google Scholar is a particular version of its platform. This search engine will help you win debates.

Google Scholar focuses on scientific and hard-research academic material that scientists and scholars have scrutinized. Example content includes graduate theses, legal and court opinions, scholarly publications, medical research reports, physics research papers, and explanations of economics and world politics.

If you're looking for critical information that can stand up in a heated debate with educated people, then Google Scholar is where you want to go to arm yourself with high-powered sources.

07
of 09

Webopedia Search

Webopedia Search screen
What We Like
  • Focuses on technical terms and applications.

  • Friendly to non-tech users.

  • A different Term of the Day every day.

What We Don't Like
  • Searches only Webopedia's 10,000+ word and phrase database.

  • Search results are not dated.

  • You have to open the article to find out more.

Webopedia is one of the most useful websites on the web. Webopedia is an encyclopedic resource dedicated to searching technology terminology and computer definitions, the domain name system, or what DDRAM means on your computer. Webopedia is a perfect resource for non-technical people to make more sense of the computers around them. 

08
of 09

Yahoo Search

Yahoo! Search screen
What We Like
  • Home screen includes news and trending topics.

  • One-stop shop for search, email, horoscope, and weather.

  • Options to search verticals rather than the web.

What We Don't Like
  • Ads aren't clearly labeled as ads.

  • Search results aren't dated.

  • Large ads on the home screen.

Yahoo has several things: a search engine, a news aggregator, a shopping center, an email service, a travel directory, a horoscope and games center, and more.

This web-portal breadth of choice makes this a beneficial site for internet beginners. Searching the web should also be about discovery and exploration, and Yahoo delivers.

09
of 09

The Internet Archive Search

The Internet Archive Search screen
What We Like
  • Search text, news, archived websites, and much more.

  • Advanced search also available.

  • "Wayback Machine" lets you search old websites.

What We Don't Like
  • Vast amount of archived content can be overwhelming.

  • Advanced search requires a learning curve.

  • Not practical for daily use.

The Internet Archive is a favorite destination for longtime Web lovers. The Archive has been taking snapshots of the entire World Wide Web for years, helping users virtually travel back in time to see what a web page looked like in 1999 or what the news was like around Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

It's essential to think of the Internet Archive as much more than a web page archiver; it's a versatile search engine that also finds movies and other videos, music, and documents.

You won't visit the Archive daily like Google, Yahoo, or Bing, but when you need historical context, use this search site.

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