ZDNET Writer Replaces Google With 2 Search Tools for Better Results and Privacy
Updated
Updated · ZDNet · Jun 24
ZDNET Writer Replaces Google With 2 Search Tools for Better Results and Privacy
3 articles · Updated · ZDNet · Jun 24
Summary
DuckDuckGo became the writer’s default search engine, while Perplexity was kept as a separate AI query tool after Google’s AI-heavy results were judged less useful.
2 services worked better because each handled a distinct task: DuckDuckGo delivered conventional web results and privacy controls, while Perplexity answered AI-style questions without posing as a full search engine.
Opera and other modern browsers let users switch between them with custom shortcuts—such as “plex” for Perplexity—so the setup avoids visiting each site separately.
The broader takeaway is to split web search from AI assistance rather than rely on Google as a single all-purpose tool.