It is becoming near impossible to find relevant information from search engines. Duckduckgo, SearXNG, Bing, Google, and so many more mainstream engines have a significantly high noise to signal ratio, and it is getting worse.

Here are a collection of the best search engines I know, please add more to the list.

If no more high quality search engines exist, would it be possible to host your own?

EDIT: Some new discoveries. The addon uBlacklist and filters can block super SEO sites from appearing in search.

  • m_randall@sh.itjust.works
    2218·
    8 months ago

    Come on over to Kagi! You do have to pay but I use a search engine dozens of times per day so I’m not too bothered by it.

    • cll7793@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      93·
      8 months ago

      I’ve heard a lot of great things about Kagi, though the search limit and subscription is a little off-putting. A self-hosted Kagi would be amazing though!

      • Classy Hatter@sopuli.xyz
        112·
        8 months ago

        Kagi has a free trial, 100 searches for free, so you can try it out and see if you like it or not.

      • 1984@lemmy.today
        2113·
        8 months ago

        Why would they do all that work to create a better search engine than Google and give it away for free? What is going to pay their bills?

        Google pays their bills by selling your data and spying on your searches, not to mention they are morally corrupt. Kagi pays their bills with your monthly sub. Seems a lot better.

        • nilloc@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
          41·
          8 months ago

          Plus self hosting an index big enough and fast enough for a useful search engine is ridiculous.

      • m_randall@sh.itjust.works
        63·
        8 months ago

        They now have unlimited searches for $10/mo. That’s what got me to try it out.

        You are correct though. I really do not like having all of my search history tied to my credit card (and then me). What helps me justify that is that instead of me being the product like google, by paying I’ve become the customer. Hopefully that incentivizes keeping them on the up and up.

        I did come across searnxg in this thread. It looks like that can be self hosted so I’m gonna give that a try as well.

          • Z4rK@lemmy.worldEnglish
            3·
            8 months ago

            Yeah, you may be fine with the $5 plan, but that’s the lowest tier available.

            Afaik they are not really running a profit yet, just expanding, so that’s an eye opener to how expensive it is to run a search business and how much value Google and others estimate they get from your personal information.

            For now though their user base seems fairly much leaning towards business users that can defend this expense as part of becoming more effective professionally. Hopefully over time they’ll grow large enough to provide cheaper plans for regular persons while staying privacy focused and ad free.

      • 1984@lemmy.today
        83·
        8 months ago

        If you are going to look for perfect companies, you will look forever, and probably use Google while you are looking.

        It’s not worth it. Just use something better than Google even if it’s flawed, because everything had flaws.

        • Deceptichum@kbin.social
          67·
          8 months ago

          Just use searxng.

          Don’t give money to homophobes, we have an open source and better alternative already.

          • GregorGizeh@lemmy.zip
            83·
            8 months ago

            Kagi isn’t homophobic. Apparently the “controversy” is that it employs brave search as well; which is indeed made by a company with a homophobic ceo.

            Though by that logic virtually everyone in the world is. Because at some point in time, in some place, someone built a piece of modern civilization upon knowledge or resources belonging to a homophobic person, I’m fairly sure.

            • Deceptichum@kbin.social
              85·
              8 months ago

              No, that’s a seperate controversy. The Kagis owners views became talked about a lot more during that event though.

              So many people here are quick to defend and normalise homophobia, yet refuses to just use an open source free alternative that’s without this baggage.

          • 1984@lemmy.today
            511·
            8 months ago

            I think it’s perfectly understandable that some people are homophobes, so it doesn’t worry me. You still have people being afraid of black people in this age even.

            You can dislike that of course, but that’s the real world. You can walk up to any older person and they are likely to be a lot less open to gay marriage than a younger person also.

            You interpret that as them being hostile. I think it’s more about being afraid of something that doesn’t feel natural to them.

            • ReCursing@kbin.social
              93·
              8 months ago

              I think it’s perfectly understandable that some people are homophobes

              No it’s not. It’s not a justifiable position. It’s not unexpected sadly, but it is not understandable because it’s not a position based on anything other than ingrained hatred and fear