Comparing privacy across browsers and extensions
Many browsers and browser extensions talk about how they protect your privacy, but these claims don’t always match the out-of-the-box privacy protections you actually get.
We made this chart to help you compare the privacy you’re getting now and how protected you can be. We’ve outlined which protections browsers and extensions offer by default without requiring you to change any settings, so you can decide which browser or extension is best for you.
Significant protection Limited protection Paid protection No protection | DuckDuckGo Browser |
|---|---|
Web Tracking Protection | |
Blocks 3rd-party trackers Stops 3rd-party trackers from loading in the first place. Learn More | |
Prevents fingerprint tracking Helps stop tracking companies from obtaining info about your browser and device. Learn More | |
Blocks link tracking Removes tracking parameters in links. Learn More | |
Protects against DNS CNAME cloaking Helps block 3rd-party trackers that try to disguise themselves within a website using DNS. Learn More | |
Protects against referrer tracking Helps block companies from identifying the last website you visited. Learn More | |
Cookie Protection | |
Blocks 3rd-party tracker cookies Helps block 3rd-party cookies that track you from site to site. Learn More | |
Restricts 1st-party cookies Automatically expires 1st-party cookies so sites themselves can’t track you indefinitely when logged out. Learn More | |
Private Search | |
Searches are private by default Search engine default settings are set up to never track you. Learn More | |
Anonymizes local search results Shows local search results, like restaurants nearby, without accessing your exact location. Learn More | |
Generates AI answers anonymously Optional feature built into default search engine that can anonymously generate answers to search queries based on relevant web content. Learn More | |
Provides private access to AI chatbots Optional feature built into default search engine that lets you have private conversations with popular 3rd-party AI chat models. Your chats are not used to train chat models. Learn More | |
Ad & Pop-Up Blocking | |
Blocks tracking ads Blocks invasive trackers before they load, effectively eliminating ads that rely on creepy tracking. Learn More | |
Blocks non-tracking ads Attempts to block all online advertising, including non-intrusive ads. | |
Blocks cookie pop-ups Detects cookie consent pop-ups and attempts to auto-select the most private cookie options available, then closes the pop-ups. Learn More | |
Plays YouTube videos without targeted ads Protects you from targeted ads and cookies and incorporates YouTube’s strictest privacy settings for embedded video. Learn More | |
App Tracking Protection | |
Blocks app trackers on Android devices When enabled, helps block 3rd-party trackers in apps on your Android device. Learn More | |
Email Tracking Protection | |
Blocks email trackers Email forwarding service that removes most email trackers before they reach your inbox. Sign-up required. Learn More | |
Generates private email addresses Lets you create multiple unique private email addresses so you can hide your personal email. Sign-up required. Learn More | |
Google Tracking Protection | |
Blocks Google’s AMP Tracking Replaces Google AMP links with the original publisher’s site. Learn More | |
Blocks Google’s sign-in pop-ups Blocks Google sign-in pop-ups on sites Google doesn’t own. Learn More | |
Facebook Tracking Protection | |
Blocks embedded Facebook content tracking you Disables tracking for Facebook content like Facebook comment widgets on non-Facebook sites, unless you choose to unblock it. Learn More | |
Privacy Control | |
Burns the data you don’t want with one button Swiftly deletes your browsing history, cookies, and cache, without the need to dig through menu options, and lets you exclude sites to save data you want to keep. Learn More | |
Global Privacy Control Expresses opt-out rights on your behalf by telling sites not to sell or share your personal info. Learn More | |
Removes personal details from sites that sell them Finds and removes personal details, like your name, email, and home address, from data broker sites that store and sell them. Learn More | |
Helps restore your identity If your identity is stolen, a dedicated advisor will help restore your accounts, recover financial losses, and fix credit report mistakes. Learn More | |
Network Protection | |
Protects your connection with a VPN Encrypts your Internet connection across browsers and apps on your entire device and hides your location and IP address. Learn More | |
Auto-upgrades typed URLs to HTTPS Where possible, when you manually enter a web address, connections to that website will be automatically upgraded to HTTPS. Learn More | |
Auto-upgrades links to HTTPS Where possible, when you select a link, connections to the linked website will be automatically upgraded to HTTPS. Learn More | |
Encrypts DNS queries via HTTPS Helps ensure the request to load a website is encrypted. Learn More | |
Note: Browser and extension comparisons were made with default settings. Protections vary per platform. Click the “Learn More” links in each row to see where each protection is available in DuckDuckGo.
The above includes the most impactful privacy features. Comparisons were made with default settings and across the following release versions: Chrome (129), Edge (129), Safari (18), Firefox (131), Brave (1.67.123), DuckDuckGo Private Browser (1.108.0), Ghostery (10.4.8), AdBlock Plus (4.7.1.1), Privacy Badger (2024.7.17), uBlock Origin (1.60.0), and DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials (2024.7.24).
This page is updated on a quarterly basis to reflect new releases. Last updated: Oct 10, 2024
For questions, comments, or concerns, please reach out to press@duckduckgo.com.