I left Google over a decade ago because my searches felt bubble‑wrapped and quotes were ignored. That frustration resurfaced when DuckDuckGo began to enshittify results. Now I’m looking for alternatives that respect privacy and quality.

Paid options like Kagi offer deep customization—domain controls, custom bangs, and LLM routing—though the $10/month fee and $162/year LLM credit cost can be a barrier. Free engines such as Brave and Mojeek provide solid indexing, while Marginalia unearths obscure results. Other choices include Ecosia and Qwant, each with their own privacy stance. For power users, building a metasearch or local SQLite index (via Hister) keeps control in hand.

Kagi’s strengths are clear: no ad‑driven bias, full control over ranking, and a clean UI. Downsides include the split between API search and LLM credits and limited family‑plan options. Still, its performance often outpaces both Google and DuckDuckGo.

Ultimately, many users mix engines—e.g., Brave + Mojeek + Marginalia—to cover all search needs, but for a polished, private experience, Kagi remains the top recommendation.