When comparing StartPage vs Qwant, the Slant community recommends Qwant for most people. In the question“What are the best internet search engines?” Qwant is ranked 9th while StartPage is ranked 10th. The most important reason people chose Qwant is:
Stricter data privacy protections as compared to the US.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Privacy focused
Unlike Google, Startpage does not record user IP addresses and strips away any uniquely identifying user information before sending the search request to Google. For each search result, Startpage also provides users with the option of viewing them via Ixquick's proxy services known as Ixquick Proxy.
Pro Offers a free proxy with every search results
The optional proxy allows you to visit linked sites anonymously too. While in the protection of the StartPage proxy, the third-party sites and its advertisers cannot "see" you. Plus, the site cannot download malware onto your computer.
Pro Filter by time like Google
Pro Recommended for its no-logging privacy
Your IP address, search query, what site you came from and what site you click on in the results, none of this is logged. That is, by the search engine operators themselves. Even Edward Snowden recommended StartPage for its no-logging privacy.
Pro Based in Netherlands (Europe)
StartPage is based in The Netherlands, where privacy is protected by law, so it is not subject to the same mandates and laws which is one (BIG) less thing to worry about. They own and operate their own servers in colocated facilities both in the U.S. and internationally.
Pro Independent & private
StartPage is owned by Surfboard Holding B.V., a privately held, independent Dutch company, run by Robert Beens, whose only activities are operating StartPage, Ixquick and StartMail. No 3rd party investors or venture capital behind it as far as I could find. StartPage (and Ixquick) generates income solely from advertising (Google Ads).
Pro Certification
StartPage has been audited by a 3rd party; EuroPriSe. They look at the use of cookies (all kinds), logging, web hosting and content delivery networks, use of social plugins and much more. This certification is renewed every two years. Having a trusted and respected 3rd party verify your claims is a big plus.
See here.
Pro Referrers
A referrer is an HTTP header field that identifies the address of the webpage (i.e. the URI or IRI) that linked to the resource being requested. By checking the referrer, the new webpage can see where the request originated.” Basically it tells a website where you came from. Startpage does not give this out.
Pro Pulls results from two search engines
Startpage is a hybrid search engine combining results from Ixquick and Google.
Pro Based in Europe
Stricter data privacy protections as compared to the US.
Pro Respects privacy
Pro Offers full (links, news, etc.) and light interface
Pro Includes searching for: Images, News, Videos, Shopping, Social
Pro Modern and intuitive design
Pro Cookie-free
Pro Relevant results
Pro Includes a time filter (past 24H, past week, past month)
Pro Fast
Cons
Con Owned by advertising company
Owned by System1, which also owns Waterfox in addition to Startpage.
Con Uses only Google search results
Depends on Google for search results.
Con Slow
It is slow. It loads like 5 images in 5 seconds whereas Searx and DuckDuckGo load almost everything in 5 seconds (10MB/s internet).
Con Requiers JavaScript
Without enabled JavaScript you can't even type your search request.
Con Does not allow to limit search result to last year
Max. limit is past month.
