DuckDuckGo Sees 30% Surge in Installs Following Google Search Changes

Google Search’s recent update, which replaced traditional “blue links” with an AI assistant, has sparked widespread criticism. Users complain about overcomplicated simple queries, reduced result accuracy, and the inability to opt out of AI. In response, many are switching to DuckDuckGo—a search engine that positions itself as a privacy-focused alternative with user control at its core.

According to DuckDuckGo, U.S. app installs rose by an average of 18.1% week-over-week (May 20–25) compared to the prior period. The peak growth reached 30.5%, while iOS saw a 69.9% increase. The noai.duckduckgo.com page, which disables all AI features by default—including AI responses and image generation—gained particular traction, with traffic rising 22.7% on average and peaking at 27.7%.

DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg stated that Google is “forcing AI on users without an opt-out,” degrading search quality. Unlike Google, DuckDuckGo offers users a choice: use AI or not. The company also provides its own AI service, Duck.ai, which integrates models from Anthropic, Meta, Mistral, and OpenAI while ensuring privacy—user IP addresses are hidden, and chats are not used for model training.

Despite AI criticism, some DuckDuckGo features, such as Search Assist and AI Image Filter, remain in demand. This supports the company’s stance: users don’t want to abandon technology but seek control over its use. The trend of rising DuckDuckGo popularity persists even during holidays, when traffic typically declines.