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yandex provides objectively better results for many things than google/ddg/bing
The results are kind of weird, but it does have one advantage: either nobody bothers to DMCA them, or they ignore it, or both.
Search engines alternatives now that Google isn't Google anymore
351–360 of 614 posts
Re: Search engines alternatives now that Google isn't Google anymore
#352Earlier quoted context omitted.
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If a search engine starts censoring by whatever means, I'll not be using it, neither free or paid no matter how good it is (and by definition it can't be). Shills can provide a list of countries they don't want to see, hopefully some crooked search engine will satisfy their desire for censorship.
Censorship? This isn't about free speech, there's a war on.
Re: Search engines alternatives now that Google isn't Google anymore
#353I must be the only person in this website who is happy with the AI Overview feature. It messes up sometimes (very rarely) but so do websites. And between ads, cookie popups, newsletter popups, notification permission popups, websites with a high Time to First Byte, and all the useless filler around the content, websites are a nightmare to browse. I would say that for almost all of my searches the AI Overview feature…
> It messes up sometimes (very rarely)
Then you are extremely ignorant about the topics that you research, because I don't think I've seen a single AI overview that did not have a mistake, and I don't think I've seen less than half that got a critical fact wrong.
Re: Search engines alternatives now that Google isn't Google anymore
#354Earlier quoted context omitted.
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If a search engine starts censoring by whatever means, I'll not be using it, neither free or paid no matter how good it is (and by definition it can't be). Shills can provide a list of countries they don't want to see, hopefully some crooked search engine will satisfy their desire for censorship.
No search engines are uncensored, not even Yandex. Partly because they have to exist in a country somewhere, and partly because really nobody wants to index CSAM.
Re: Search engines alternatives now that Google isn't Google anymore
#355I must be the only person in this website who is happy with the AI Overview feature. It messes up sometimes (very rarely) but so do websites. And between ads, cookie popups, newsletter popups, notification permission popups, websites with a high Time to First Byte, and all the useless filler around the content, websites are a nightmare to browse. I would say that for almost all of my searches the AI Overview feature…
If the AI overview produces plausible sound answers, how do you know that it messes up very rarely? If I search topics I am knowledge about, the overviews are almost always at least slightly wrong. Not all websites are correct sources of information, but I am generally aware of which websites are trustworthy and can cross check.
When it comes to programming, it’s very easy to tell whether it’s right or wrong. Just run the code.
The small/fast model used for the overview isn’t smart, but it’s still pretty great at helping me find the function I need and syntax. Best of all, clearly and plainly, unlike many documentation pages.
Re: Search engines alternatives now that Google isn't Google anymore
#356Earlier quoted context omitted.
Needing to be authenticated too run a search feels very wrong, in soooo many ways.
They do have something called Privacy Pass that lets you search using an untraceable cryptographic token instead: https://blog.kagi.com/kagi-privacy-pass
I’ve seen this, but can’t understand it.
- they issue you a code when you are logged in
- they track that code for multiple use
- all they can do is claim that the code was securely generated and it isn’t just an API KEY to your account… but they’re already telling you it is database tracked
How can you have any even the 1/2 best proof it isn’t just an API KEY that directly links to your account? I see no trust path other than “us, bro”.
Re: Search engines alternatives now that Google isn't Google anymore
#357Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've been a Kagi subscriber for several years now. If you're questioning the AI features, know that I am only barely aware they exist. I have never, not even once, accidentally or otherwise, engaged the AI features without going out of my way to do so. I've never seen what their AI is like. I have no idea what it's for or why I'd want it. It's beautiful. Kagi has AI I suppose, but it's over there and not in my face.…
Kagi uses Yandex which is Russian.
I use a great number of russian sites, mostly when I want to download textbooks, audiobooks, etc.
Re: Search engines alternatives now that Google isn't Google anymore
#358Earlier quoted context omitted.
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yandex provides objectively better results for many things than google/ddg/bing
Western companies also bought strategically important Nazi Germany industrial products in the 1930s because they were considered superior. Commercial convenience and technical quality are not moral or geopolitical absolution. Would you buy cheap quality gold if the Nazis were selling it knowing what it supports?
Re: Search engines alternatives now that Google isn't Google anymore
#359Earlier quoted context omitted.
I paid for Kagi for a bit, but got a weird vibe when I realized they were working pretty hard to paper over the fact that they pay a third party to scrape Google search results for them. The public-facing side of that coin is Kagi's position that Google should make their index available to competitors (see https://blog.kagi.com/waiting-dawn-search ). All that's to say: when I paid for Kagi, I thought I was investing…
Qwant and Ecosia try to build their own index: https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/06/qwant-and-ecosia-debut-sta...
I use and enjoy Ecosia, it works pretty well for most use cases. Unfortunately it has the same limitation as Duck and basically all of the other non-enormous-players in the search engine market: Location aware search is garbage.
Re: Search engines alternatives now that Google isn't Google anymore
#360I have been running a search engine for online courses for the last 15 years: https://www.classcentral.com/
The current catalog covers 100+ providers, 1000+ universities, and 250,000+ courses.
Originally a weekend side project that I first shared with the world here on HN itself on Nov 29, 2011 [1]. Currently bootstrapped and profitable.