Google’s agency grip on the search engine market is each a dream and a nightmare for entrepreneurs like me. With practically 92% of the worldwide search market share, it’s no shock that once we speak in regards to the high engines like google, Google dominates the dialog.
However that dominance additionally makes it extremely powerful to rank on search engine outcomes pages (SERPs).
I’ve spent years optimizing for Google, solely to see algorithm updates shake up rankings in a single day. The excellent news? There are nonetheless loads of alternatives for savvy entrepreneurs who know the place to look. Hundreds of thousands of individuals depend on different engines like google. With AI-powered engines like google shaking up the panorama, now we have extra methods than ever to succeed in new audiences.
On this article, I’ll cowl the highest engines like google which might be gunning for Google’s market share, which AI-powered choices I like to recommend, and extra.
Prime Search Engines
Be aware: I averaged every search engine’s market share over 12 months with knowledge from Statcounter GlobalStats, until in any other case famous.
1. Google
Let’s begin with the heavy hitter. Google dominates within the U.S., dealing with 60% of all search queries — however that also presents an enormous alternative for entrepreneurs to succeed in the opposite 40%.
It’s the logical place to begin for advertising and marketing, operating paid advertising and marketing campaigns, and growing natural visitors methods. I nonetheless keep in mind the primary time I ventured into their course library and Google Analytics.
It doesn’t matter what OpenAI does, the Google ecosystem will at all times be the centerpiece of all my workflows.
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However take into account that Google’s algorithm works to meet customers’ wants straight on Google in order that they don‘t have to click on any hyperlinks. Options like this, plus Google’s reputation, would possibly make it exhausting so that you can seize as a lot web site visitors as you need.
You possibly can, nonetheless, come shut when you test all of the packing containers and keep in tune with the updates. One of the simplest ways to take action is to take a look at HubSpot’s Full search engine marketing Starter Pack. You’ll get a rundown of the whole lot you have to navigate the turbulent world of engines like google. I like coming again to it each few months to brush up, it’s a large time saver.
Talking of turbulence, Google not too long ago rolled out AI Overviews. These data packing containers proper underneath the search bar use Gemini, the corporate’s proprietary AI, to summarize your search outcomes. Let’s simply say they’re not at all times probably the most correct. (Cue the “placing glue on pizza” controversy.)
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Why I prefer it: Let’s be actual for a second. I do know, you realize, and everybody is aware of the scale of Google’s market share and the treasure trove of knowledge they’ve. Everybody’s utilizing it so specializing in Google search engine marketing is an unavoidable should. Will you reside with out specializing in Bing? Completely. With out Google, although? Not an opportunity.
Regardless of Google’s dominance, there’s loads of different engines like google — and doubtlessly a big viewers for entrepreneurs and SEOs trying to increase their viewers.
I rounded up 17 different engines like google, together with a number of powered by AI.
Different Search Engines
2. Microsoft Bing
Microsoft Bing trails at a distant second with an total common of three.23% of the market share worldwide and simply 0.55% on cell. This engine additionally powers Yahoo!, the third-biggest search engine within the U.S.
Bing’s search pages look much like Google’s. There are the identical classes and the same white background, with blue hyperlinks and inexperienced URLs.
Bing moreover gives Microsoft Rewards, a program that provides you factors once you search or store on the engine. You possibly can redeem these factors for reward playing cards, nonprofit donations, and extra.
I like this explicit tidbit, as I’m at all times in search of one thing new to play on my Xbox. However apart from that, it’s fairly common. What I respect although is how well-integrated Copilot is.
Bing additionally not too long ago added an AI part, referred to as Copilot, which summarizes search outcomes for you. Nevertheless — and this can be a fairly essential “nonetheless” for entrepreneurs and SEOs who depend on natural visitors — the direct hyperlinks are more durable for customers to seek out. Plus, the primary hyperlink it supplied was to a special touchdown web page than the one linked above.
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Copilot tries to be encouraging in regards to the chance of the current Eurovision winner touring my metropolis. Its human-like tone stands out from different AI-powered searches.
Finest for: In the event you’re infatuated with AI search options and solely want summaries, this can be a nice possibility. Copilot is to date forward of Gemini, that it’s not even humorous. Thoughts you, Google additionally had its privacy-related controversies, whereas Microsoft has a a lot clearer monitor file in that regard.
3. Yahoo
Its news-heavy web page isn’t the sleekest search engine interface, however Yahoo remains to be one of many extra widespread alternate options to Google. Actually, Yahoo holds over 1.16% of the worldwide market share.
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Yahoo is powered by Microsoft Bing, so search outcomes are comparable. Its search outcomes web page has a minimalist, text-heavy interface. Nevertheless, it is nonetheless an essential search engine in its personal proper, with over 300 million month-to-month customers.
Finest for: In the event you’re focusing on the Japanese market, Yahoo is simply as essential as Google, if no more. Of these over 40 in Japan, 66% use Yahoo as their foremost browser. It’s one more instance of how Japanese customers show loyalty to manufacturers who ship constantly.
4. Yandex
In some native markets, smaller engines like google go head-to-head with Google — and win.
Russian search engine Yandex has roughly 1.62% of the worldwide market share, however in its house nation, that skyrockets to almost 71%. (Google holds the quantity two spot.) In the event you do enterprise globally and need to attain Russian prospects, there are some things to bear in mind.
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Yandex has many high quality indicators, or badges, that it could show alongside search outcomes. One of the vital outstanding is the location high quality index (SQI), which signifies how helpful your web site is to customers.
After I used it first, I discovered it exhausting to navigate. Additionally they have a set of different companies, none of that are significantly related within the Anglosphere.
Like Google, Yandex considers whether or not a person’s question has native intent, and it’ll show regional-dependent outcomes. To account for this, you’ll want to enter Yandex’s webmaster instruments and set a web site area.
It’s not marketed wherever on its search engine, however Yandex’s company web site notes that AI applied sciences are delivered to all its merchandise, together with search.
Professional tip: I didn’t consider it myself, however Yandex has by far the most effective picture search perform. It’s considerably extra correct and might even deal with paraphrasing and prolonged descriptions.
5. DuckDuckGo
In the event you’re uneasy about focused adverts or don’t need your search knowledge saved, you would possibly need to attempt DuckDuckGo, which touts itself as “the search engine that doesn’t monitor you.”
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It additionally doesn’t gather or retailer any data, so you possibly can seek for sneakers with out being bombarded by subsequent Macy’s adverts. It’s price noting there are nonetheless adverts on DuckDuckGo — simply not customized ones.
DuckDuckGo has a clear interface that makes it straightforward to navigate. With greater than 100 million every day searches in 2024, it is slowly gaining steam within the search market, particularly as customers turn into extra involved about privateness.
6. Baidu
Baidu is China’s largest search engine, capturing 52.15% of China’s search market.
The search engine is in Mandarin (so in case your Duolingo sport isn’t robust you’ll have points as an English-speaker). In any other case, Baidu seems to be much like Google, with a white background, blue hyperlinks, and inexperienced URLs. Like Google, Baidu goals to include extra wealthy options within the SERPs.
In the event you’re trying to enchantment to the Asian market, Baidu is an efficient possibility to think about.
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Nevertheless, the search engine censors sure photos and blocks pro-democracy web sites. In the event you’re evaluating search outcomes, you’ll discover a extra complete outcomes record on Google.
Professional tip: In the event you communicate Mandarin, are conducting cultural analysis, or are trying from one other information perspective, Baidu gained’t disappoint. However when you’re from the West, the censorship and lack of “outspokenness” will likely be a bit obvious at first. It’s not my favourite, nevertheless it did serve its function on my journeys to Beijing and Shenzhen.
7. Ask.com
Ask.com, previously often known as Ask Jeeves, is a search engine that was designed — pre-AI-powered search — to reply questions.
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Ask.com’s interface is much like Yahoo’s, with information underneath the search physique. Nevertheless, not like Yahoo, which is powered by Bing, Ask.com is a standalone search engine. Let’s simply say utilizing Bing or Google would’ve been a much better thought.
One other factor that irked me was the truth that articles from their information part generally dominate the SERPs.
Professional tip: I’ll be easy with you — when you’re in search of the very best outcomes on a subject, Ask.com isn’t probably the most helpful. However what I discovered by chance is that you could get lots of outcomes that will in any other case be on the fifteenth web page of Google’s SERPs.
8. Naver
Naver is South Korea’s second hottest search engine, claiming 53.04% of the nation’s search engine market. Naver’s interface is completely in Korean, with no English model. Greater than a easy search engine, Naver customers can entry information content material, search ideas, and extra.
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Though it’s in Korean, I used Google Translate to view the touchdown web page in English. It’s very minimalist and has an Apple-like really feel. Notably, Naver is a localized search engine, that means that it doesn’t crawl and catalog the complete web.
In the event you’re focusing on the South Korean market along with your content material, ensure your search engine marketing matches the factors of South Korea’s second-most widespread search engine.
Professional tip: Based on my Korean acquaintances and my very own, albeit Google Translate-d, efforts, Naver is way much less inclined to have clickbait rank too excessive. For the sake of journalistic ethics and high quality of search outcomes, this can be a great point.
9. Ecosia
Ecosia is “the search engine that crops timber.” For each search a person makes with Ecosia (both the webpage or its free browser extension), Ecosia will allocate a part of its earnings to plant timber in susceptible areas.
To this point, Ecosia has planted practically 210 million timber and devoted one other 85 million euros (about $92 million) to local weather motion.
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Be aware to entrepreneurs: Ecosia’s sponsored spots push your content material practically beneath the fold. I like utilizing it each on occasion, simply because I’m attempting to enhance my gardening. It feels actually good to contribute to trigger.
Ecosia is hottest in its house nation of Germany, the place it has 0.87% of the market. Like Yahoo, Ecosia runs on Microsoft Bing.
Professional tip: Are you a PPC professional who lives in or targets Germany? If that’s the case, that’s the one attainable purpose you would possibly need to use Ecosia.
10. AOL
AOL, previously often known as America On-line, is each a web-based media firm and a search engine. The interface encompasses a search bar and nationwide information articles, together with native information and climate.
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AOL’s search outcomes web page suffers from the identical points as Ecosia and its algorithm feels a bit outdated. However, it’s surprisingly helpful for primary data. I appreciated the “Associated searches” characteristic particularly.
Most of AOL’s visitors is generated from america, nevertheless it’s on the decline at solely 0.09% of the market.
Finest for: Truthfully? The nostalgia issue. Regardless that you gained’t get to listen to the legendary “You’ve obtained mail,” there are nonetheless fragments of that old-school AOL really feel.
11. Web Archive
Web Archive is a special form of search engine. As its title implies, Web Archive is a free archive of books, motion pictures, software program, music, web sites, and many others. It’s really one among my favourite websites, and generally the one option to attain sure websites, articles, and all types of knowledge.
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As an alternative of trying to rank on this search engine, customers can join a free account and add their content material to the archives.
Most of Web Archive’s viewers is positioned in america. Nevertheless, the search engine is gaining reputation in different nations, reminiscent of Nice Britain and India.
Finest for: Analysis, analysis, and analysis. With the assistance of snapshots at completely different factors previously, you possibly can see how websites appeared previously and what content material was eliminated. It’s even nice for obscure, regional web sites, by some means. I’m typically stunned how few individuals find out about it.
12. Yep
The favored search engine marketing software Ahrefs launched Yep, an AI-powered search engine, in 2022. I appreciated the chat characteristic. Even the abstract on the correct sidebar is correct on the cash more often than not. I additionally love that it quotes sources, so you realize the place data comes from.
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Yep’s enterprise mannequin distinguishes it from the remainder. It shares 90% of its advert income with content material creators in an effort to encourage extra individuals to share their data and high-quality content material.
Finest for: Aside from Google, that is most likely the most effective search engine for PPC. Whereas not too many individuals use it, its interface is similar to Google.
Plus, the revenue-sharing mannequin is attractive, to say the least. Based on the engine’s web site, Yep has a “90/10 income share enterprise mannequin the place we pay 90% of promoting income straight to those makers.”
13. Courageous Search
Of the half a dozen or so AI-powered engines like google I examined for this text, Courageous was one among my favorites. In our personal analysis, it was the AI search engine of selection, most popular by 8% of respondents.
Courageous’s default settings don’t embrace AI search, however when you toggle on “search with AI,” it delivers AI summaries above conventional search outcomes.
It has a clear interface and among the most enhanced privateness options of any search engine on this record. It blocks adverts and cross-site cookie monitoring, and it doesn’t gather any data about its customers.
HubSpot’s analysis means that will likely be key to capturing common AI search customers — privateness and safety have been among the many high considerations. 1 / 4 of respondents mentioned they’re solely doubtless to make use of AI engines like google if their considerations are addressed.
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Courageous’s search outcomes have been impressively thorough. After I requested for assist writing a listicle about engines like google, it started with the historical past of engines like google — nevertheless it nonetheless gave me related details about present engines like google.
14. Andi
Andi has a vertically break up interface, with the everyday AI search engine chat field on the left, and sources on the correct. That’s helpful for entrepreneurs and customers, each of whom need excessive placement of probably the most related outcomes.
Seeing acquainted, credible sources could alleviate shopper anxiousness round AI. What I instantly thought when utilizing Andi was how good it’s as a normal intro to AI. Even ChatGPT is extra summary, when you concentrate on it.
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Likewise, I used to be fairly impressed by the accuracy of each the analysis outcomes and extra queries you get as ideas.
15. Perplexity AI
Perplexity has gotten lots of buzz previously 12 months. It has the same design to different AI engines like google, with supply hyperlinks above an extended reply in simply skimmable bullet factors. It additionally options citations that reveal the supply once you hover over them — important to make sure that you’re not falling prey to misinformation.
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HubSpot’s analysis confirmed that Perplexity tied with You.com because the second-most widespread AI search engine, most popular by 5% of all respondents.
16. Phind.com
Phind.com payments itself as “a solution engine” designed particularly for builders. It nonetheless does a tremendous job dealing with the extra mundane queries, however when you need assistance getting “from thought to working product,” this search engine was constructed for you.
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17. You.com
You.com has 4 assistants to select from to help a wide range of extra difficult queries: Sensible, Genius, Artistic, and Analysis. I like this strategy and had lots of enjoyable taking part in round with it. Particularly, I needed to see if it might advocate some status dramas for me.
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It ready an simply skimmable report that started, “In case you are a fan of status dramas, you’re doubtless in search of TV exhibits that supply high-quality storytelling, complicated characters, and sometimes, a cinematic really feel.”
The outcomes included the standard suspects (The Wire, Sopranos), but additionally a number of newer recs (The Crown, Succession).
It additionally has 15 AI fashions to select from. In the event you’re an AI fanatic, that is the one to make use of. You possibly can choose from completely different variations of GPT, Gemini, Claude, and others.
Professional tip: Attempt to be extra particular than I used to be. Among the extra imprecise prompts I used weren’t fairly profitable. It takes a little bit of getting used to, since we’re used to utilizing easy queries when utilizing Google and conventional engines like google.
18. Komo
I requested Komo to inform me about HubSpot’s web site grader, and it rapidly summarized it, calling it “a robust and complete software” (cease it, we’re blushing). Jokes apart, Komo is amongst my favourite engines like google for analysis.
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Like different AI engines like google, it has bibliography-style citations that make it straightforward to type reality from fiction. I’ve additionally tried DeepResearch by OpenAI and I’ve to say Komo is a tad bit higher relating to normal queries and web page evaluation. Don’t consider it as an finish all-be all. It’s extra of a shortcut, when wanted.
Professional tip: Use it for normal analysis and course the place to go subsequent. In the event you don’t need to waste ChatGPT or Claude prompts, let Komo deal with many of the heavy lifting. The UI is amongst my favorites on this record, too.
Rising Search Engine Traits
Social Media Search
TikTok and YouTube aren’t engines like google per se, however take into consideration how typically you utilize their search capabilities.
Current HubSpot analysis confirmed that 42% — not fairly half — of respondents flip to social media to seek for data. That’s greater than another search engine besides Google.
Meta, which owns Fb, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has already integrated its proprietary AI search into all three platforms.
Google Updates
Google is at all times working to prioritize good content material, with enhancements just like the 2024 Core Replace, which penalizes lower-quality, unoriginal, typically AI-generated content material. HubSpot’s Supervisor of EN Weblog Technique Amanda Sellers says it has large implications for the business.
“First, Google is sending a powerful sign that content material written by people is preferable to content material by computer systems. Ironic, given just about all the SERPs are algorithmized,” Sellers says
Sellers additionally factors out that this replace ought to encourage SEOs to take a extra complete strategy to web site efficiency.
“This replace prioritizes user-first content material over keyword-first content material,” Sellers explains. “With this in thoughts, SEOs needs to be their web site as an entire and ensuring they’re creating useful, dependable content material for his or her customers — not for engines like google.”
Assume Past Google
Exploring different engines like google has fully modified how I take into consideration search engine marketing and content material technique. There’s an entire world past Google, and savvy entrepreneurs can discover actual alternatives by diversifying their strategy.
I’ve personally discovered AI-powered engines like google fascinating, and I’ll be keeping track of how platforms like Perplexity, Courageous, and You.com evolve. In the meantime, engines like google like Yandex, Baidu, and Naver remind me how essential it’s to tailor methods for various markets.
Whether or not it’s via AI-driven search, privacy-focused platforms, or area of interest engines, understanding how individuals search in 2025 (and past) would be the actual differentiator for entrepreneurs like us.
This text was initially revealed in September 2018 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.