DuckDuckGo installs increase by 30% as people try to avoid Google’s AI-heavy Search

Google’s ambitious push to turn Search into an AI-powered assistant is beginning to drive some users away, with privacy-focused rival DuckDuckGo reporting a noticeable spike in app downloads and traffic following the company’s latest announcements.

At its annual developer conference, Google unveiled a major transformation of its search engine, replacing the familiar list of blue links with AI-generated answers capable of completing tasks, summarising information and even monitoring queries in the background.

While Google positioned the changes as the future of Search, not everyone appears convinced.

Critics argue the new AI-first approach risks undermining the open web by reducing traffic to publishers and websites. Others have questioned the reliability of AI-generated summaries, pointing to instances where search results produced confusing or inaccurate responses. For many users, the issue is also about choice, with some frustrated that AI features are becoming increasingly unavoidable.

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DuckDuckGo installs increased by 30 per cent

The company said installs of its app in the US rose by an average of 18.1 per cent week-on-week between May 20 and May 25, compared with the previous week. Growth reportedly continued for six straight days, reaching a peak increase of 30.5 per cent on May 25.

The surge was even more pronounced on Apple’s iOS platform, where average weekly growth climbed 33 per cent, with installs peaking at nearly 70 per cent in a single day.

DuckDuckGo also reported rising interest in its dedicated AI-free search experience, accessible through its “no AI” search page. According to the company, visits to the feature grew by an average of 22.7 per cent week-on-week, with traffic peaking on May 24.

The page disables AI-generated features such as AI-written summaries and synthetic image results by default, offering users a more traditional search experience.

Gabriel Weinberg, founder and chief executive of DuckDuckGo, criticised Google’s direction, claiming users are being “force-fed” AI features without meaningful opt-out options, reports TechCrunch.

He argued that search results were becoming “worse, not better” and said DuckDuckGo’s goal was to give users greater control over how much AI they interact with online.

Despite positioning itself as an alternative to AI-heavy search, DuckDuckGo is not abandoning the technology entirely. The company also offers an AI chatbot service called Duck.ai, which provides access to models from firms including OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta.

However, DuckDuckGo says its version prioritises privacy. The company claims it removes users’ IP addresses before requests are processed, does not store chat histories permanently and does not use conversations to train AI models.

DuckDuckGo remains a small player compared with Google, accounting for only a tiny share of the US search market. Yet the recent spike suggests that, as AI increasingly reshapes the internet, some users are actively looking for a way back to a simpler search experience.

Google Search alternatives

As Google pushes AI deeper into Search, users are increasingly being nudged towards conversational results. Even if you skip the new AI Mode, Google’s AI Overviews now include follow-up chat prompts, making the experience feel far closer to ChatGPT than the traditional search engine many have relied on for years. For those looking beyond Google and even alternatives like DuckDuckGo, a few other search platforms are gaining attention.

Brave offers both a browser and a search engine built on Chromium, meaning most Chrome extensions still work seamlessly. Its standout feature is “Goggles”, which lets users customise search results using filters like “Tech Blogs”, “News from the Left”, or even “No Pinterest”. Importantly, Brave allows users to switch AI features on or off.

Ecosia, also Chromium-based, markets itself as an environmentally conscious alternative. Funded through advertising, the company says it directs around 80 per cent of its profits towards reforestation projects and regularly publishes financial reports detailing its impact.

Meanwhile, Startpage acts as a privacy-focused middle layer for Google Search. It removes identifying information such as IP addresses before sending queries to Google, giving users familiar search results without directly handing over personal data.