DuckDuckGo installs jump 30% as users reject Google AI
duckduckgo reported a 30.5% peak increase in u.s. installs and 22.7% growth in visits to its ai-free search page following google's ai search rollout.
duckduckgo capitalized on user backlash regarding google's mandatory ai overviews, reporting a sustained six-day trend of increased installations immediately following google's i/o announcement. u.s. app installs grew 18.1% on average between may 20 and may 25, while ios adoption spiked by 33% on average, peaking at 69.9% growth. additionally, traffic to the company's dedicated 'no ai' search page surged by 22.7% as users sought environments that prioritize traditional links over generated answers. although duckduckgo offers its own private ai chat tools, the company distinguishes itself by allowing users to disable ai features entirely, a control mechanism google recently eliminated.