Startpage and DuckDuckGo solve the same problem from opposite ends. Startpage hands you Google's results without Google knowing it is you. DuckDuckGo builds its own page on top of Bing. Both keep you out of a profile. The flavor of results is what differs.

The scorecard

featurestartpageduckduckgobare
no behavioral profile
no search history
google-quality results
no ai answers by defaultoptional off
minimalist page
same privacy goal, different index. 'optional off' = ai on by default, removable in settings.

Startpage: Google without the watching

Startpage acts as a privacy layer in front of Google's index. You get the results you are used to from Google, but Startpage sits in between so Google does not see who is asking. If you like Google's results and only want to shed the tracking, this is the closest match.

DuckDuckGo: its own page on Bing

DuckDuckGo draws heavily on Bing's index and adds its own instant answers, modules and increasingly AI summaries. The results feel distinct from Google, and the brand is the most recognizable easy switch in private search. Both keep no profile of you.

the honest part
Neither is more private in any way that should change your decision. Pick based on whether you want Google-flavored results or a different page, not on a privacy gap that is not really there.

If both feel too busy

Both pages keep growing. If you would rather have less on screen, Bare strips it back to links and a single quick fact when it is confident, with no AI block. No account, no history, no profile, and your query reaches the index through our server instead of straight from your device.

Choose Startpage for Google's results without the tracking, DuckDuckGo for the familiar easy switch, and Bare when you want the barest page that still forgets you the moment you leave.