May 27, 2026
Search party: now leaving Google
DuckDuckGo search saw 28% more visits after Google said people love AI mode
Google says people love AI, but fed-up searchers are sneaking off to DuckDuckGo
TLDR: DuckDuckGo got a noticeable traffic and download bump after Google bragged that users love its AI-powered search. In the comments, people split hard between calling AI search useful and saying they’re tired of having it shoved in their face, which matters because even small user rebellions can signal bigger trust problems.
Google proudly declared that people love its new AI-heavy search experience, and the internet promptly replied with a giant, dramatic "well, actually". Right as Google was celebrating, DuckDuckGo saw a surge in visits to its no-AI search page, with traffic jumping by roughly 28% at its peak and app downloads climbing too—especially on iPhones. That doesn’t mean Google is suddenly in danger of losing its throne; it still dominates search by a mile. But the comments make this feel less like a stats story and more like a full-on user rebellion with popcorn.
The strongest opinions were spicy. One commenter said Google’s AI mode feels more restrictive, claiming it refuses to discuss some perfectly ordinary topics, pushing them back to DuckDuckGo for answers. Another painted the backlash as so intense that even previously non-tech friends are now rage-texting about alternatives to Google Search and Maps, which is honestly the most dramatic endorsement possible. But the thread was not a total anti-Google pile-on: one user flatly shrugged, "AI mode isn’t that terrible," while another confessed they actually switched back to Google because the AI summaries are fast and convenient. The hottest takeaway? The comments turned into a messy family dinner argument over whether AI is a helpful shortcut or an annoying hall monitor. And the closest thing to a peace treaty came from one cool-headed reply: both can be true—some people love it, some people absolutely do not.
Key Points
- •DuckDuckGo’s AI-free search page noai.duckduckgo.com saw average week-on-week visit growth of 22.7% from May 20 to May 25, peaking at 27.7% on May 24.
- •The DuckDuckGo mobile app recorded average US install growth of 18.1% over the previous week, while iOS installs rose 33% on average and peaked at 69.9%.
- •The article links DuckDuckGo’s gains to reactions around Google Search’s AI features, including comments by Google CEO Sundar Pichai that people love AI Mode.
- •DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg said Google is forcing AI into Search without an opt-out and positioned DuckDuckGo as offering user choice and privacy.
- •Despite DuckDuckGo’s growth, the article says Google still held about 85% of the US search market, while DuckDuckGo had about 2%, and Google reported 19% Q1 2026 search revenue growth tied to AI experiences.