DuckDuckGo For Mac

DuckDuckGo for desktop is finally out!

The browser is currently available on Mac, with Windows and Linux versions on the way. But how does it stack up against other browsers? This review will compare it against major browsers like brave and Safari and give an overview of its features.

Overview

Unlike many major browsers, the DuckDuckGo browser is not a fork of Chromium. Instead, it uses MacOS's built-in rendering engine, the same one used by Safari. However, its interface looks more like a stripped-down Chromium browser: tab bar on top, then back and reload buttons next to the address bar underneath with settings next to that. Unlike other browsers, DuckDuckGo does not have support for extensions, which is a downside. The interface is very minimalist, especially for bookmarks. While other browsers allow bookmarks to be placed in folders, DuckDuckGo just puts them all in a block on the new tab page. It also fails to render many site icons. For example, I have Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms all bookmarked and they all showed up with the Docs icon. The browser does not feature a bookmark bar. As for the address bar, the default search engine is DuckDuckGo, and there doesn't appear to be a way to change that. The address bar resembles that of Safari, with only the domain (eg. sites.google.com) showing in the center of the address bar. The full URL is only displayed when the address bar is clicked on.

DuckDuckGo markets the app as a fast, streamlined browser that respects user privacy. This description is mostly accurate. While the loading times are not faster compared to other browsers like Brave and Vivaldi, the browser does have relatively good tracking protection, comparable to that of Vivaldi. However, DuckDuckGo has chosen form over function. The streamlined interface comes at the cost of not having many of the features that other browsers offer, like tab grouping and extensions, although it looks a lot better than Vivaldi's cluttered tab bar.

The browser's lack of features is also evident in the settings panel. Of the six panels, only three actually control features. The other three are setting DuckDuckGo as your default browser, controlling where web downloads save on your computer, and identifying your browser version. This also means that the browser is not very customizable.

DuckDuckGo for Mac uses the same tracker-blocking technology as their mobile apps, which offers pretty good protection against trackers. It also forces websites to use HTTPS encryption when possible. The main downside is that it can't block first-party trackers (eg. Google Analytics on YouTube). The browser also uses GPC, which asks sites not to track you. GPC is not yet legally binding, so many sites ignore it, but laws have been proposed that would force sites to comply.

Overall, DuckDuckGo for Mac is fine for most browsing needs. It is not as good as Safari or Chromium forks like Brave, but it gets the job done for anyone who doesn't need extra features like extensions and tab groups. My favorite feature is the 'fire' button, which erases all of your data with a cool fire animation.

Browser Grade

Now I will give the browser a grade based on its privacy, features, and interface.

Privacy: A-

Browsers are graded by how good their tracker blockers are, support for FLoC, malware/nefarious script blocking, and collection of user data.

DuckDuckGo for Mac has a very strong privacy policy: they will not collect your data for any reason. They block many trackers, with performance comparable to that of Vivaldi. They also encrypt web traffic when a site has an HTTPS version available. DuckDuckGo for Mac does not support FLoC.

DuckDuckGo for Mac has a very clean, easy to use interface. The browser is rather minimalistic, so there are no confusing buttons or unnecessary elements. The bookmark interface does not work as well as many Chromium browsers, though.

Interface: A-

Browsers are graded on the quality of their interface. Interfaces should be easy to use and should look good.

Features: C

Browsers are graded on the presence of several useful features (tab bar, tab groups, bookmarks), as well as customizability and extra features that the browser has.

DuckDuckGo for Mac lacks many useful features. Id does not have tab groups, a bookmark bar, or the ability to change search engines. It has a cool fire button to wipe browsing data, which is a plus.

Overall Grade: B

How to Install

To install DuckDuckGo on your Mac, download the DuckDuckGo mobile app on your phone. In the settings panel, go to 'More from DuckDuckGo' and click on 'DuckDuckGo for Mac'. Press the button to join the waitlist. When it is your turn, you will get a notification with a link and an invite code. Open the link on your Mac, then download the file. Once you have installed the browser, it will ask you for an invite code. Type your code into the browser and press Enter. When the browser leaves beta, it will be available on the Mac App Store.

Google Sites

Report abuse