The Best Search Engines of 2021

Google might be the biggest but there are other, arguably better, search engines

By
Paul Gil
Paul Gil
Writer
Paul Gil, a former Lifewire writer who is also known for his dynamic internet and database courses and has been active in technology fields for over two decades.
lifewire's editorial guidelines
Updated on December 11, 2020
Reviewed by
Christine Baker
Reviewed by Christine Baker
Christine Baker is a marketing consultant with experience working for a variety of clients. Her expertise includes social media, web development, and graphic design.
lifewire's editorial guidelines

Most people prefer to rely on just one or two search engines that deliver three key features:

  • Relevant results (results you are interested in)
  • Uncluttered, easy-to-read interface
  • Helpful options to broaden or tighten a search

The options this article highlights should help you find the best search engine for your needs.

An illustration of a woman searching for something on her computer
Lifewire / Theresa Chiechi

These are mainly web page search engines, but others exist, too, for specific searches. Other search engines exist just for people, images, and, of course, jobs.

01
of 08

Google Search

Google Search screen
What We Like

  • Favors fresh content.

  • Ranks blogs and services.

  • Accessible on any device.

What We Don't Like

  • Collects information on users.

  • Hidden content might damage ranking.

  • Search delivers too many results.

Google is the reigning leader of spartan searching and is the most used search engine in the world. Google is fast, relevant, and the most extensive single catalog of web pages available.

Try Google images, maps, and news features; they are outstanding services for locating photos, geographic directions, and headlines.

02
of 08

Duck Duck Go Search

DuckDuckGo search screen
What We Like

  • Does not track or store user information.

  • Fast searches.

  • Optional one-month search window.

What We Don't Like

  • Search results are not dated.

  • Limited image search results.

  • No personalized results.

At first, DuckDuckGo.com looks like Google. However, many subtleties make this search engine different.

DuckDuckGo offers some slick features, like zero-click information wherein all your answers appear on the first results page. DuckDuckgo offers disambiguation prompts that help to clarify what question you are asking. Most significantly, DuckDuckGo does not track information about you or share your search habits with others.

Give DuckDuckGo.com a try. You might really like this clean and simple search engine.

03
of 08

Bing Search

Bing Search
What We Like

  • Favors older, established web pages.

  • Ranks home pages, not blogs.

  • Crawls hidden and non-hidden content equally.

What We Don't Like

  • Ranks forums low in search results.

  • Instant search is slower than Google.

  • Some ad-heavy search result screens.

Bing is Microsoft's attempt at unseating Google, and it's arguably the second-most-popular search engine today.

In the leftmost column, Bing tries to support your research by offering suggestions; it also provides search options across the top of the screen. Things like wiki suggestions, visual search, and related searches might be beneficial to you. Bing is not dethroning Google soon, but it is worth trying. 

04
of 08

Dogpile Search

Dogpile Search screen
What We Like

  • Links to "favorite fetches" on whimsical home screen.

  • Pulls from multiple databases for broad results.

  • Fast search results.

What We Don't Like

  • Result screen entries aren't dated.

  • No home screen personalization.

  • Lots of sponsored results.

Years ago, Dogpile preceded Google as a fast and efficient choice for web searching. Things changed in the late 1990s, Dogpile faded into obscurity, and Google became the leading platform.

Today, however, Dogpile is coming back, with a growing index and a clean and quick presentation that is a testimony to its halcyon days. If you want to try a search tool with an engaging appearance and desirable crosslink results, definitely try Dogpile.

05
of 08

Google Scholar Search

Google Scholar screen
What We Like

  • Save articles to read later.

  • Citations in several styles.

  • Results include how many times an article has been cited and by whom.

What We Don't Like

  • Wide-ranging but not comprehensive.

  • No criteria for what makes a result "scholarly."

  • No way to limit results by discipline.

Google Scholar is a particular version of the main platform. This search engine will help you win debates.

Google Scholar focuses on scientific and hard-research academic material that has been subjected to scrutiny by scientists and scholars. Example content includes graduate theses, legal and court opinions, scholarly publications, medical research reports, physics research papers, and economics and world politics explanations.

If you're looking for critical information that can stand up in a heated debate with educated people, then Google Scholar is where you want to go to arm yourself with high-powered sources.

06
of 08

Webopedia Search

Webopedia Search screen
What We Like

  • Focuses on technical terms and applications.

  • Friendly to non-tech users.

  • A different Term of the Day every day.

What We Don't Like

  • Searches only Webopedia's 10,000+ word and phrase database.

  • Search results are not dated.

  • You have to open the article to find out more.

Webopedia is one of the most useful websites on the web. Webopedia is an encyclopedic resource dedicated to searching technology terminology and computer definitions.

Teach yourself what domain name system is, or what DDRAM means on your computer. Webopedia is a perfect resource for non-technical people to make more sense of the computers around them. 

07
of 08

Yahoo Search

Yahoo! Search screen
What We Like

  • Home screen includes news and trending topics.

  • One-stop shop for search, email, horoscope, and weather.

  • Options to search verticals rather than the web.

What We Don't Like

  • Ads aren't clearly labeled as ads.

  • Search results aren't dated.

  • Large ads on the home screen.

Yahoo is several things: a search engine, a news aggregator, a shopping center, an email service, a travel directory, a horoscope and games center, and more.

This web-portal breadth of choice makes this a beneficial site for internet beginners. Searching the web should also be about discovery and exploration, and Yahoo delivers.

08
of 08

The Internet Archive Search

The Internet Archive Search screen
What We Like

  • Search text, news, archived websites, and much more.

  • Advanced search also available.

  • "Wayback Machine" lets you search old websites.

What We Don't Like

  • Vast amount of archived content can be overwhelming.

  • Advanced search requires a learning curve.

  • Not practical for daily use.

The Internet Archive is a favorite destination for longtime Web lovers. The Archive has been taking snapshots of the entire World Wide Web for years now, helping users to virtually travel back in time to see what a web page looked like in 1999, or what the news was like around Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

It's essential to think of the Internet Archive as much more than a web page archiver; it's a versatile search engine that also finds movies and other videos, music, and documents.

You won't visit the Archive daily like you would Google or Yahoo or Bing, but when you do need historical context, use this search site.

Was this page helpful?