These ducks look powerful. Search engine and web browser developer DuckDuckGo said this week it’s getting an increase in new customers, and the increase just happened to coincide with Google’s I/O developer conference.
DuckDuckGo told CNET that, in the US, it saw 21% more installs of its browser from May 20 to May 26 — including a 37% increase on Tuesday — compared to May 13 to May 19. Browser installs on iOS were up 33%, including 69% on Memorial Day.
Why did you jump? Google is holding its I/O conference from May 19 to May 20 as well announced a number of AI programs. One of those systems was an AI-driven search interface that could deliver extended answers to long questions. People can also drop videos, photos and files into the search box for “more” searches.
Despite the inclusion, DuckDuckGo told CNET that there was a 500% increase in mentions of its company across social media, including TikTok, Instagram, Reddit and X, among others.
DuckDuckGo founder and CEO Gabriel Weinberg said in a statement that Google is “force-feeding AI and there is no way out” and pointed to a report showing that Google search is getting worse.
“We want to be a place that puts users in control and lets them decide how much or how little AI they want,” Weinberg said.
A Google representative did not respond to a request for comment.
Read more: Google I/O Left Me Confused: Who’s Benefiting From All This AI?
Google doesn’t have an official, stated way to disable AI-assisted search results, but CNET’s Nelson Aguilar has a “simple workaround” to restore Google’s old search results, which he explains here.
DuckDuckGo offers flexibility in how much AI customers will earn. The browser has a Search Assist function that uses AI to help answer search queries, and users can designate in its settings how often they want it to appear, including never.
DuckDuckGo customers can let AI help with searches.
You can also go without AI with noai.duckduckgo.com search, which has no AI-assisted answers or AI-generated images. The page saw a 23% increase in searches between May 20 and May 25 compared to the period between May 13 and May 18, the company said.
“People just want a choice,” said Kamyl Bazbaz, chief communications and policy officer at DuckDuckGo.
DuckDuckGo features a chatbot, Duck.ai, that lets people choose between models from OpenAI, Anthropic and others. The browser also has an Ask AI button to the right of the search bar, which you can use to get AI-generated answers. Weinberg said it doesn’t collect search or chat history and that “nothing is used for AI training.”
User privacy is how DuckDuckGo introduced itself when it launched in 2008. The Pennsylvania company does not track customer data, record search histories or log-in IP addresses, allowing customers to avoid being targeted by ads based on their browsing patterns.
Cloud network and cybersecurity company Cloudflare said DuckDuckGo is the No. 2 mobile search engine and No. 3 overall in the US by December 2025.
