I'm using DuckDuckGo almost exclusively[1] for years now and I'm pretty happy with it.<p>I don't see much benefit in their browser though. I think their <i>"Privacy Grade"</i>, which is shown very prominently in the browser UI, is more harm than help. It is much too strict and rating everything down is counter to their intention. Is a B site still OK? What about a C, or. B+? If nothing is A, this is just confusing to the user.<p>Is there any website, except duckduckgo.com itself, that has an A rating? Why has a perfectly legit site like Wikipedia only a B rating?<p>Ironically even the service they use to rate terms of service (<a href="https://tosdr.org/" rel="nofollow">https://tosdr.org/</a>) only has a rating of B+, because of <i>"Unknown Privacy Practices"</i> in their very own terms of service.<p>[1] The only exception being local searches.
Their selling points seem to be:<p>- DuckDuckGo for Mac gives you privacy by default<p>- DuckDuckGo for Mac is really fast!<p>- DuckDuckGo for Mac is built for security.<p>.. isn't that just (almost/good enough) Safari these days? Plus with Safari you typically get better battery life. And Apple's monetisation model makes me feel like they'll treat my privacy even better than a search engine. The only reason why sometimes I miss/use browsers like Brave is because of the Chrome Extensions.
Sorry, but if it doesn’t have ublock origin, it’s not privacy friendly enough.<p>Please make sure that this extension works, if any (and including advanced functionality such as disabling link auditing, which is no longer an option in safari).
Extension support will be crucial for people to jump over, including me from Firefox.<p>I use Bitwarden for password management and I'm not really interested in porting that over to Duck.<p>Safari-like performance with extension support is essentially my endgame browser on Mac. Although it makes me uneasy that the entire browser is built on Apple's api's, it's seems like they will be at their mercy for whatever changes are made in the future.
This is awesome news for those who prefer not to use Chromium browsers. Between Safari, Orion [1], and DDG, macOS starts to have a competitive landscape for native browsing. Will definitely try once they will implement password syncing.<p>[1] <a href="https://browser.kagi.com" rel="nofollow">https://browser.kagi.com</a>
> Download the DuckDuckGo mobile app (or update to the latest version)<p>I must say, this is a great method of marketing. I've never been super interested in trying the DDG mobile app, but the MacOS option caught my eye. I've now downloaded the app simply to sign up for the desktop option.
> 1. Download the DuckDuckGo mobile app (or update to the latest version)<p>> 2. Open Settings > DuckDuckGo for Desktop (in the Privacy section).<p>This doesn’t seem to exist? Just installed on iOS.
Is anyone still using DDG after they stated that they will be editing results re the Ukraine war? This was a clear statement that they not letting the algorithm do the talking - they are taking a parental role and deciding what we can and cannot see.<p>I've switched to presearch - <a href="https://engine.presearch.org/" rel="nofollow">https://engine.presearch.org/</a> - which I have to say I'm enjoying.
> by blocking trackers before they load (unlike all the major browsers[0])<p>I certainly like that DDG is pushing for privacy oriented systems and services, but when I read things like the above, and the accompanied page, I become quite sceptical of them. They don't mention Firefox with uBlock Origin, nor do they mention Firefox's Enhanced Tracker Protection (IIRC you get asked if you want to enable on first start up).<p>[0] <a href="https://spreadprivacy.com/browser-privacy-protection/" rel="nofollow">https://spreadprivacy.com/browser-privacy-protection/</a>
I'm interested in trying this. There are a few things about it that appeal to me more than the other options. Plus, I like the idea of another browser option.<p>However, I find it weird that in order to get on the waitlist, I have to install the Duck mobile app. That seems like an unnecessary complication. And it also excludes people who don't have an iPhone. (I'm not sure if there's a Duck browser for Android.)<p>If it somehow incorporates Apple Pay, I will switch. That is the killer feature that keeps me on Safari.
Why reinvent the wheel and force yourself to go through a new browser when you have Vivaldi? Extension support is being planned (not sure when it will release). Windows is "coming soon". Linux- I don't think they will support it.<p>Vivaldi fits the use cases completely - you can keep it as simple or complex as you want. I don't want a browser which is "fast". I want one which works and supports specific general and niche use cases rolled into one.
With their browser based on Safari and their search engine using Google’s index, DDG just feels like a rebranding exercise. It would be nice to get some real competition.
If this is built well over time and catches on, it could decrease Firefox’s share on the Mac even further. Safari typically has the best (lowest) energy usage pattern on Macs. DuckDuckGo browser built on top of the same should be similar. The promise of extensions is also quite tempting.<p>I love that users who value privacy have even more choices and flexibility.
I'm using DDG exclusively, for a few months now. Trying to get away from Google. I still find myself going back now and then though because the DDG results can be so bad compared to Google. I plan on continuing to use it primarily, it's just super annoying to struggle to find something and then go search Google and find it instantly.
I think this will sit very well with their new Email Protection feature (Firefox Relay, Apple HideMyEmail). Looks like they’ve plans for that feature or other future add-on features as well. What’s next - VPN? Full fledged mail hosting (Proton, Fast, Mailbox) and hook it up with Email Protection (because without that it doesn’t make much sense)?
There have been a couple DuckDuckGo initiatives recently where they force you to download their mobile app in order to get access to a product or feature on the desktop. I don't see how this is necessary, and it seems a little bit like a "growth hack", which is not the tone I want to associate with DuckDuckGo.
DDG has been recently under attack due to tampering of search results [1]. Hope they don’t involve politics in their browser!<p>[1] <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22981115/duckduckgo-free-speech-privacy-oops" rel="nofollow">https://www.vox.com/recode/22981115/duckduckgo-free-speech-p...</a>