Google started its life as a search engine, before venturing onwards to create the Chrome web browser. DuckDuckGo is trying to follow that same step.
DuckDuckGo is the privacy-centric search engine, founded by Gabriel Weinberg. After seeing successful growth, the search engine is launching its own web browser on desktop.
But unlike Chrome, which has become one of Google's most powerful data collection tools, the browser from DuckDuckGo is privacy-first.
The browser for desktop debuts on macOS in an invite-only basis.
The app comes years after the company launched its Android and iOS browsers, in a move that follows its push to create a suite of privacy-first web tools.
As explained Beah Burger-Lenehan from the DuckDuckGo team said in a blog post:
For example, our mobile apps make privacy the default, with no complicated settings, no need to understand the ins and outs of the technology, just built-in privacy protections that work [...] "
Another way of saying this, DuckDuckGo browser is unlike other privacy-concerned browsers like Brave or Vivaldi or Firefox.
When competitors provide extensive customization and many things to fiddle with, DuckDuckGo is pretty straightforward.
"For too long, people have been made to believe that privacy online means significant tradeoffs, but that doesn't need to be the case,” said Duckduckgo founder and CEO Gabriel Weinberg.
"Like our popular mobile app, DuckDuckGo for Mac is an all-in-one privacy solution for everyday browsing with no complicated settings, just a clean, seamless private experience, plus some other cool features we think people will love."
The browser in question uses the same rendering engine as Safari.
This alone should make the beta version of the browser fast. But DuckDuckGo doesn't stop there, as it also made some tweaks to improve its performance.
According to DuckDuckGo, the browser promises an "all-in-one privacy solution for everyday browsing with no complicated settings," a support for cookie pop-up protection, DuckDuckGo's dedicated "Fire Button" to instantly clear all browsing data in a rush, and Smart Encryption, which makes sure HTTPS is used.
More importantly, the browser has a dedicated blocker that reduces third-party scripts that might access users' data.
The browser also processes in-app data, like history, bookmarks, and passwords, locally. What this means, the browser isn't sending any unnecessary data to keep privacy intact.
As a result of this, the beta browser uses 60% less data than Chrome.
Other more minor features of the browser, include a privacy feed, that lets users see which website is trying to track them, and also let users clear any stored statistics from websites they've visited, password management, tab management, bookmarks, and more.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with extension support. This happens because the browser uses Using WKWebView, which prevents it from having third-party extensions. What this means, users have to leverage the built-in features that protect from ads and manage passwords.
“We’re working on how to provide additional extension functionality without compromising those critical elements, but in the meantime, we’re confident our built-in features can meet your needs,” Burger-Lenehan says.
In conclusion, this browser from DuckDuckGo is designed from the ground up to maintain privacy, the company said, meaning it will not collect information about users and will not install cookies or tracking codes on devices.
The company first announced plans for a desktop browser in December 2021.
"Like our mobile app, DuckDuckGo for Mac is an everyday browsing app with privacy as the default [...]," DuckDuckGo's post added.