DuckDuckGo installs are getting a boost as some users react to Google’s heavier AI Search direction, according to original reporting from TechCrunch.
DuckDuckGo said U.S. app installs rose 18.1 percent week over week on average from May 20 to May 25. The company also said growth peaked at 30.5 percent on May 25.
The no-AI pitch is getting louder
Part of the appeal is control. DuckDuckGo offers a no-AI search page that turns off AI-assisted answers and AI-generated images by default.
That does not mean DuckDuckGo is anti-AI. The company also runs Duck.ai, a private AI chat product that routes requests without exposing the user’s IP address to model providers.
Why Google is the pressure point
Google has pushed AI Overviews and AI Mode deeper into Search. However, not everyone wants answers generated ahead of traditional links, especially when a simple query needs a simple result.
That frustration gives rivals an opening. We have seen the same tension in other Google AI stories, including Google AI Ultra and newer Gemini product pushes.
For readers, the takeaway is not that one search engine solves everything. Instead, it is that search is becoming a choice about control, privacy, and how much AI sits between you and the open web.
That choice will only get sharper. As Google makes AI a larger part of search, privacy-first rivals can sell a simpler promise: let people decide.
DuckDuckGo still remains much smaller than Google. Even so, a sudden download spike shows that frustration can move people when the product pitch is clear.
The bigger question is whether those downloads turn into habits. Switching search engines is easy for a day. Staying switched takes trust and better everyday results.
For now, DuckDuckGo has a message that is easy to understand. If you want search with less forced AI, it wants to be the first alternative you try.
