Six search engines worth trying now that Google isn’t really Google anymore

Key Takeaways

→ Google I/O 2026 announced the biggest upgrade to the search box in 25 years, putting AI mode and follow-up chat front and center

→ Kagi is ad-free and overview-free from $5 a month, or $10 for unlimited searches, with lenses and an optional Quick Answer

→ DuckDuckGo and Startpage keep familiar Google-style results without handing over search and browsing history

→ &udm=14 automatically appends the URL parameter that strips AI Overviews from Google results

→ Brave adds optional third-party Goggles filters; Ecosia donates about 80% of ad income to tree-planting

Google is about to look really different, and if you are not a fan of AI Overviews, you will not like what is coming. At Google I/O 2026, the company announced it is overhauling Search around a conversational, AI-driven approach — surfacing a chat box that makes Google look more like ChatGPT than the search engine ingrained in our lives for decades.

What Google Announced

“This is the biggest upgrade to our iconic search box since its debut over 25 years ago,” said Elizabeth Reid, leader of Search. Users are now offered AI mode from the start, and even if they skip it, results may include AI Overviews with a chat box for follow-ups. After the rocky AI Overview rollout of 2024, many users are looking for the exit.

Kagi

Kagi proves a search engine can survive without ads. For $5 per month — or $10 for unlimited searches — you get an ad-free engine with no AI overviews, customizable filters called lenses, and an optional AI-powered Quick Answer that includes source links. You decide whether the AI shows up at all.

DuckDuckGo and Startpage

DuckDuckGo offers a free engine that sells ads based only on your current query, not your search, browsing, or purchase history — and it can be set to opt out of AI features entirely. Startpage acts as a proxy: it strips your IP address, sends the query to Google, and returns the results. Google without Google knowing who you are.

The Simplest Fixes

&udm=14 automatically appends the URL parameter that returns Google results with no AI Overview, and its code is open-sourced on GitHub. Brave adds Goggles, community-curated filters for results — “No Pinterest” is self-explanatory — and lets you toggle AI features on and off.

Ecosia

Ecosia offers a Chromium-based browser plus search, and donates about 80% of its ad income to tree-planting initiatives, publishing monthly financial reports for transparency, and supporting Chrome extensions since both browsers share the same open-source base.

What This Means

The choice is no longer which big brand to default to — it is choosing your interface to the web. With Google betting everything on being AI search “through and through,” the escape hatches that keep the old web pinned to your query may be the bigger story.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best alternatives to Google Search?

Six solid options are Kagi, DuckDuckGo, Startpage, &udm=14, Brave and Ecosia. Kagi offers ad-free, AI-overview-free search from $5 a month; the rest are free and range from privacy-first proxies to customizable community filters.

Why is Google changing its search engine in 2026?

Google is overhauling Search to be conversational and AI-driven, with AI mode offered from the start and chat follow-ups on AI Overviews. The company calls it the biggest upgrade to the search box since its debut over 25 years ago.

What does &udm=14 do?

&udm=14 is a search engine and URL parameter that automatically adds the &udm=14 flag to Google searches, returning standard Google results without AI Overviews. The code is open-sourced on GitHub so anyone can run their own version.

How much does Kagi cost?

Kagi costs $5 per month for ad-free searches, or $10 per month for unlimited searches, with no AI overviews unless you opt into its Quick Answer feature.