I replaced Google Search with DuckDuckGo and Perplexity - my results were noticeably better

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Using circumstantial tools for circumstantial tasks is simply smarter.
Separate your searches and your AI queries for amended results.
DuckDuckGo and Perplexity are my services of choice.

Had you asked maine years agone what my hunt motor combo would be, I mightiness person looked astatine you with a skeptical oculus and asked, "What bash you mean?" It was ever assumed that Google was the go-to for uncovering things connected the web. Right?

With the advent of AI, that's each changed. Now, Google has fundamentally go a cesspool of AI-generated answers. That's not to accidental it's AI's fault. AI has its place, and that's not going to change.

Also: Why the astir backstage mode to browse the web isn't incognito mode (but this instead)

But erstwhile I spell to a hunt engine, I privation existent hunt results, escaped from AI's influence. And, if I privation AI answers, I'm going to usage an AI instrumentality that doesn't effort to beryllium a hunt engine. I privation abstracted tools for those tasks due to the fact that I find the results are exponentially better. You don't privation to spell to a combo dentist-candy store for a basal canal.

Back successful 2025, I made Perplexity my default hunt engine, and it went beauteous well. However, aft a while, I realized I was missing retired connected existent hunt results. However, I wasn't astir to spell backmost to Google. Oh no. I needed overmuch much privateness than that hunt motor offered.

Fortunately, there's DuckDuckGo, which I find to beryllium 1 of the astir backstage hunt engines available. DuckDuckGo is not conscionable astir privacy; it besides lets you power disconnected AI results successful your searches.

I cognize what you're thinking: Having to power betwixt 2 hunt engines sounds similar a existent symptom successful the rear. In fact, it's beauteous easy.

Let maine amusement you my method, truthful you tin find if it's thing you'd similar to try.

Creating customized hunt engines

Most modern web browsers let you to make customized hunt engines from existing sites. Not lone that, but they besides let you to make shortcuts for them. (You could usage duck for DuckDuckGo and plex for Perplexity, for example.) So, alternatively of having to spell to each site, you'd lone request to benignant the shortcut, deed Tab, and past benignant your hunt query.

Also: Opera conscionable gave maine 5 compelling reasons to ditch Chrome and Safari for good

Or, you acceptable DuckDuckGo arsenic your default (which is what I do), and past make a customized hunt motor for Perplexity.

Since my default browser is Opera, I'm going to amusement you however to bash it successful Opera. The bully quality is that astir browsers connection this feature, and it's typically implemented the aforesaid way.

In Opera, spell to Settings > Search motor > Manage hunt engines and tract searches. On that page, scroll down to Site hunt and click Add. In the resulting pop-up, participate the following:

Name - Perplexity
Shortcut - plex
URL - https://www.perplexity.ai/?q=%s

Click Add, and you're done.

Once you've done that, marque definite to power your default hunt motor from Google to DuckDuckGo, which is done nether the main Search engines conception of Settings.

Using the search-AI combo

You astir apt cognize however to usage a emblematic hunt successful your browser. Open a caller tab, benignant your hunt query successful the code bar, and deed Enter. The results volition present beryllium delivered via DuckDuckGo.

Also: What is Perplexity Deep Research, and however bash you usage it?

When you privation to usage Perplexity for your search, benignant the shortcut (plex), past (in Opera) travel it with your hunt drawstring and deed Enter. In immoderate browsers (such arsenic Firefox), you benignant the shortcut, deed Enter, and past benignant your query.

This whitethorn not dependable similar an earth-shattering change, but erstwhile you commencement utilizing these 2 antithetic services for circumstantial queries, you'll find it to beryllium exponentially amended than simply going to Google due to the fact that it's what you've ever done. With DuckDuckGo, you get overmuch much privacy, and with Perplexity, you get an AI instrumentality that doesn't effort to double-dip arsenic a hunt engine. Specific tools for circumstantial tasks: It's the mode to go!

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