The Web. A global metropolis in the clouds. We walk its streets daily—for work, socializing, and entertainment. Whether stepping out IRL or into the URLs, some concerns remain the same. For many, privacy quickly becomes a priority.
With news networks ablaze about online monitoring, you may be wondering how to take steps toward ensuring your own freedom.
Take a walk with us at HostingTribunal as we go through some DuckDuckGo facts. I’ll show you why it may be your golden goose when it comes to surfing the net with peace of mind.
DuckDuckGo Fascinating Facts
- DuckDuckGo reports 3 billion monthly searches on its About page.
- It reports 9 million monthly downloads across mobile and desktop.
- The same page listed 335 team members when we checked it.
- Statcounter measured DuckDuckGo at 0.74% of worldwide search-engine share in September 2026.
- In the US that figure was 1.75%, placing it fourth behind Google, Bing and Yahoo.
- DuckDuckGo now sells a paid Privacy Pro subscription, launched April 11, 2024.
A note on sourcing: the company figures above come from DuckDuckGo’s live About page, accessed October 2, 2026. That page does not state which month they describe, so they are current company-reported figures rather than totals for a defined period.
What Is DuckDuckGo Exactly?
Founded by Gabriel Weinberg in 2008, it’s one of the few unfiltered search engines that champions privacy. It doesn’t track users as many competing services do.
While the service does support adverts, it gives you the option to disable them too. No need to worry about spilling your coffee when an animated ad shouts out to you at 200% volume.
DuckDuckGo Statistics in 2026
What’s the latest with the service? It’s only getting stronger, breaking personal records right out of the gate in 2022.
1. In 2020, DuckDuckGo processed 23.6 billion search queries.
(Source: DuckDuckGo, accessed October 2, 2026)
The company’s About page reports 3 billion monthly searches. That is the metric DuckDuckGo publishes today, and it is monthly: the page does not give a daily figure, and the old public traffic page that used to carry daily counts now redirects to the homepage.
Resist the arithmetic. Dividing by thirty to get a daily average, or multiplying by twelve for an annual total, invents precision the company has not published, and search volume is not evenly distributed across days or months.
2. DuckDuckGo reports 3 billion monthly searches.
(Source: Search Engine Journal)
In the Info Age, it’s no surprise that the service has reached such a great height. Near weekly, new revelations about online surveillance appear. Whether it’s a government overextending its reach or businesses selling your data to the highest bidder, more than one DuckDuckGo review highlights that its emphasis on privacy offers an immediate solution.
3. DuckDuckGo reports 9 million monthly downloads.
(Source: DuckDuckGo, accessed October 2, 2026)
The About page reports 9 million monthly downloads across mobile and desktop, alongside an average store rating of 4.8 across Apple and Google Play.
This is not a like-for-like successor to the 400,000 mobile downloads recorded for February 2021. That earlier figure covered mobile only, on one platform family, for one named month. The current number spans more products and both desktop and mobile, so the gap between them is partly a change in what is being counted.
4. DuckDuckGo remains independently owned while partnered with other major info services.
(Source: PitchBook)
If you were to Google the service, you’d notice one common question: “Is DuckDuckGo owned by Google?”. Everything seems to loop back around to it, so you’d be forgiven for thinking Google owns everything on the Web. But if that was the case, wouldn’t that put a damper on its claim to zero tracking?
Yes! This is why the service, boasting 129 worldwide employees, remains independent and in the control of its parent company—DuckDuckGo, Inc. It is partnered with Bing and Yahoo to bring you content, but under one condition—when you’re surfing with DuckDuckGo, its partners won’t track you either.
DuckDuckGo Facts About Its Market Share
With any service, a key consideration is the economics behind it. How big is its reach, where’s the money coming from, and how much revenue does it generate?
5. DuckDuckGo holds 1.75% of US search-engine referrals.
(Source: Statcounter)
Statcounter measured DuckDuckGo at 1.75% in the United States and 0.74% worldwide in September 2026, across all platforms. In the US that puts it fourth, behind Google at 85.19%, Bing at 9.89% and Yahoo at 2.64%.
Read the methodology before reading the number. Statcounter measures search referrals to the sites in its network, not every query and not unique users. A search that ends without a click to a tracked site is invisible to it, which matters more for a privacy-focused engine than for most. Statcounter also revises recent months during a 45-day QA window, so the September figures may move. Our browser usage statistics cover the wider browser market DuckDuckGo competes in.
6. DuckDuckGo now sells a paid subscription alongside ad-supported search.
(Source: DuckDuckGo)
This page used to say 100% of DuckDuckGo’s revenue came from advertising and affiliate marketing. That is no longer true in principle, whatever the split turns out to be: the company launched its paid Privacy Pro subscription on April 11, 2024, and added advanced AI-model access on August 27, 2025.
DuckDuckGo has not published a revenue breakdown across search advertising, affiliate income and subscriptions, so this page does not give one. The point is simply that it is no longer an advertising-only business, and that it is now a browser and privacy suite rather than only a search engine. For the privacy concerns driving people toward it, see our internet privacy statistics.
7. DuckDuckGo stock isn’t currently available to the public.
(Source: PitchBook)
For the time being, the company is private and, as such, its stocks are not listed for public trading. With that in mind, forums are abuzz with speculations about if and when it may go public. So keep an eye out—buying DuckDuckGo stock is a safe bet!
Usage Stats about DuckDuckGo: Who and Why?
Many have wondered if DuckDuckGo is a good alternative to services like Google. But the more important questions are how many are jumping in and what motivates them to do so?
8. In 2018, US firms spent approximately $19.2 billion on personal data.
(Source: IAB)
For marketing purposes, companies are relying on user data more and more each year. Personal data collection has turned into a multibillion-dollar industry. People are uncomfortable with how invasive these practices are and the uses their information is put to.
This is why more folks are choosing DuckDuckGo’s unbiased search engine. It won’t collect your data and you can rest assured the ads you see are not specifically targeted to you. You’ll find what you need without being bombarded by services paying for the top spots in search results.
9. Only 48% of consumers surveyed believe that companies can use their data ethically.
(Source: RSA)
Along with an increase in awareness of data collection, questions of ethics arise. The fact that less than half of those surveyed trust companies to handle their data ethically speaks volumes about the practices. This is another reason why privacy-oriented people believe DuckDuckGo is a safe alternative to competing search engines.
DuckDuckGo vs Google
People rarely say phrases like “look it up.” Instead, they simply say “Google it.” This speaks to the sheer dominance of Google in the search engine game—it is the gold standard for internet searching. It’s only natural to ask—is DuckDuckGo better than Google? Let’s take a look at the facts.
10. The data Google has about you equals roughly 1.5 million word documents.
(Source: Forbes)
People often compare Google to the Orwellian “Big Brother.” As time passes, it seems to ring truer. Google keeps records of all your searches and every video you’ve watched on YouTube. While that seems obvious, it also keeps location data about your movements even if you don’t open the GPS app.
It builds a complete profile of your personality through your online activity—age, gender, workplace, location, purchases—everything there is to know about you. With a DuckDuckGo search, you’ll find the information you need without being monitored.
11. There were 1001 data breaches in the US in 2020.
(Source: Statista)
Is DuckDuckGo really safe? If you’re asking that question, you’re probably concerned about small-scale e-crimes like phishing or big data breaches. The more information a service gathers about you, the more you’re at risk in the event of a targeted profile hack or data breach. As DuckDuckGo doesn’t track you or store any of your data, you are safer with it than with its alternatives.
That said, no service is 100% safe. While your identity remains anonymous, you still have to be mindful of what you do online. Phishing scams and the like operate by fooling you into cooperating with them.
12. 50% of Google searches end without a click.
(Source: Wired)
Unlike DuckDuckGo, the search engine Google pushes “preferred” findings (paid-for and based on its ranking) to the top. What’s more, it sifts answers into infoboxes so you don’t have to go deeper to find your answer. This is good for Google but bad for the websites missing out on traffic and consumers being force-fed results.
As a comparison, DuckDuckGo’s unbiased search engine presents results without prioritizing its own services and it doesn’t accept payments for top spots. Its method is more equitable for businesses and consumers alike.
What’s Trending With DuckDuckGo?
Interest in DuckDuckGo has steadily risen over the first 13 years of its existence. In 2020, when the CEOs of Facebook, Twitter, & Google appeared before the US Congress, curiosity about the service spiked. If you look up the website on Google Analytics, you’ll notice some interesting DuckDuckGo facts.
13. In late 2020, US searches for “DuckDuckGo” surpassed searches for “privacy.”
(Source: Google Trends)
In the third quarter of 2020, curiosity about the service increased—so much so that “DuckDuckGo” surpassed “privacy“ searches. This coincided with Congressional hearings on Section 230, placing tech giants under the spotlight. The hearings focused on a number of issues such as censorship and antitrust behavior.
14. Searches for DuckDuckGo reached their peak in January 2021.
(Source: Google Trends)
DuckDuckGo stats also show that searches for this search engine in the US peaked in January 2021—increasing three times compared to December 2020. This boost coincided with the conclusion of the controversial US election.
At this point, both sides were suspicious about the surrounding events and online censorship. In fact, searches for “censorship” also peaked—becoming 3-4 times higher than at any point in the preceding five years.
15. DuckDuckGo is stepping up to fight for your privacy.
(Source: Spread Privacy)
DuckDuckGo not only provides privacy, but it also stays involved in its promotion. Take a look at DuckDuckGo’s website, Spread Privacy, to stay up to date with its endeavors. It takes Google to task by fact-checking the giant’s claims and exploring privacy and data collection issues.
Wrap Up
While DuckDuckGo is still smaller than Google, it’s important to remember that most of its current user base are tech-minded and privacy-conscious early adopters. More support from users will further enrich the service. The general public must be brought to a greater awareness of its value. Spreading DuckDuckGo facts like these is an excellent way to egg on further adoption.
