What is the best search engine tool right now?

Bing leads this list by user signals — it is best for users who want microsoft's copilot ai assistant integrated directly into search results, or who are already inside the windows/edge ecosystem. Brave Search is the strongest runner-up.

Which search engines are free?

8 of the 9 tools here have a usable free tier or are fully free: Bing, Brave Search, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, Google Search and 3 more.

Are there open-source search engines?

Yes — SearXNG is open source.

9 Best Search Engines in 2026

Search engine software indexes the web and ranks results for a query, used by anyone looking up information, with options that vary on privacy and funding.

Top search engines

Tool	Best for	License	Price	Reviews
Bing	users who want Microsoft's Copilot AI assistant integrated directly into search results, or who are already inside the Windows/Edge ecosystem	Free	Free
Brave Search	developers building AI or LLM applications who want search results from an independent index, priced per request, instead of reselling Google or Bing data	Freemium	Free tier · paid from $4/mo
DuckDuckGo	privacy-conscious users who want tracker blocking and non-personalized search by default without paying, plus an optional bundle of VPN and identity protection for those who want it	Freemium	Free tier · paid from $9.99/mo	4.5/5 on Capterra (10 reviews)
Ecosia	privacy-conscious users who want a default search engine that funds reforestation instead of paying for search	Free	Free
Google Search	anyone doing general web search who wants the broadest, most current index along with integrated Maps, Shopping, and AI Overviews, without paying anything	Free	Free
Kagi	privacy-conscious individuals willing to pay for search who want ad-free, unpersonalized results and are frustrated with ad-heavy or SEO-spam-filled results from free search engines	Paid	From $5/mo	5/5 on Product Hunt (3 reviews)
Mojeek	privacy-conscious individuals who want a search engine with its own independent index instead of a Google- or Bing-reranking layer	Free	Free
SearXNG	privacy-conscious users and self-hosters who want a metasearch engine that aggregates multiple search services without tracking, and full control over which engines are queried	Open source	Free
Startpage	privacy-conscious users who want Google-quality search results without personalized ad tracking or search history logging	—	Free

3 of 3 sponsor slots open

Reach people actively switching tools — your card on every page, from $10/day.

Book a sponsor slot

Find alternatives to a specific tool

Alternatives to Bing5 Alternatives to Brave Search5 Alternatives to DuckDuckGo6 Alternatives to Ecosia6 Alternatives to Google Search6 Alternatives to Kagi6 Alternatives to Mojeek6 Alternatives to SearXNG6 Alternatives to Startpage5

Frequently asked questions

What is the best search engine tool right now?: Bing leads this list by user signals — it is best for users who want microsoft's copilot ai assistant integrated directly into search results, or who are already inside the windows/edge ecosystem. Brave Search is the strongest runner-up.
Which search engines are free?: 8 of the 9 tools here have a usable free tier or are fully free: Bing, Brave Search, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, Google Search and 3 more.
Are there open-source search engines?: Yes — SearXNG is open source.