DuckDuckGo is making "AI-free search" an easier-to-use option. The company has released a new extension for Chrome and Firefox that, when enabled, allows users to set noai.duckduckgo.com as their default search entry point.
Google's traffic increased after the redesign
The company states that this page will not display AI-generated answers or chat-style prompts, and there will be fewer AI-generated images in the search results. For existing users of the DuckDuckGo browser, the relevant AI search settings will be retained and will remain effective even after clearing browsing history.
DuckDuckGo placed this update against the backdrop of Google Search's significant shift towards AI. At its May developer conference, Google announced it would further integrate AI-generated overviews into the Search Experience Center, and subsequent user questions in the search box would be directed to the AI Mode chat interface.
Page views without AI continue to rise
This means that the traditional search results page, which is mainly composed of link lists, has been further moved to the back. DuckDuckGo believes that it is after this change that more users are starting to look for alternative search tools that do not include AI answers by default.
Data disclosed by the company shows that visits to its AI-free search page increased by nearly 30% week-over-week. During the same period, app installs in the US market increased by 18.1% week-over-week, with iOS installs in the US reaching a peak week-over-week increase of 69.9%.
DuckDuckGo also stated that on May 28, 2026, traffic to its AI-free search pages reached a new high since Google announced its search redesign, with visits that day reaching approximately three times the previous level. The company stated that this growth was not a short-term fluctuation, and recent visits are still averaging about 84% higher than the baseline.
It will be expanded to more browsers in the future.
In addition to the newly launched Chrome and Firefox extensions, DuckDuckGo also plans to update the existing Privacy Essentials extension, adding AI search settings controls to the Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera versions.
This move indicates that the search market is rapidly becoming increasingly fragmented, with the debate over whether AI search should be the default option. For some users, the competition among search tools is no longer just about privacy protection, but also about whether they retain a user experience closer to traditional web retrieval.
