Metasearch engine "Metager" ceases operations
In a significant turn of events, MetaGer, a privacy-centric search engine, will cease operations in its current form due to Yahoo's unilateral termination of their contract on September 9, 2024. This move has far-reaching consequences, as MetaGer can no longer employ staff or continue its ad-financed service.
The void left by MetaGer has sparked a surge in interest for alternative privacy-focused search engines. In 2025, four leading contenders are making waves: Brave Search, You.com, Startpage, and DuckDuckGo.
Brave Search, integrated with the Brave Browser, is renowned for its strong privacy protections, blocking trackers and ads, and using an independent search index. It offers AI features that complement privacy without compromising data security, making it ideal for privacy-conscious users seeking an ad-free, independent experience.
You.com, another contender, combines advanced AI and natural language processing for personalised search results, all while maintaining a strong commitment to user privacy. It offers a clean, ad-free interface and customisable user experience, and supports integration with third-party services and AI-powered task management, enhancing usability while keeping data secure.
Startpage, known for its respect for user privacy, provides Google search results anonymously without tracking users.
DuckDuckGo, a well-established name in the privacy-focused search engine scene, does not track user searches or build profiles, and offers unbiased search results without personalised advertising.
While none of these alternatives fully replace the dominant players like Google in terms of balancing privacy, search quality, and usability, they each offer unique balances of privacy, AI integration, and search quality.
Mojeek, a truly independent search engine with its own index, does not track users or build profiles but may lack the breadth and refinement of Google's search results.
The termination of MetaGer and the lack of privacy-focused alternatives has raised concerns about the impact on human rights, as searching the web is a daily highly personal experience that exposes medical, banking, religious, political, and other personal information.
Brave Search is one of the few contenders developing its own independent index and offering strong privacy protections with no user profiling, sometimes supplementing results with Bing but remaining one of the best options for those seeking privacy combined with reasonable search quality.
As we navigate this new era for privacy-focused search engines, it's clear that user privacy and data security are at the forefront of innovation and development.
Technology has propelled the rise of alternative privacy-focused search engines in the wake of MetaGer's closure. Brave Search, You.com, Startpage, and DuckDuckGo, among others, are making significant strides, offering privacy-conscious users strong protection, AI integration, and ad-free experiences.
