DuckDuckGo Working on Privacy-Focused Desktop Browser for Mac

Popular privacy-first web browser DuckDuckGo is developing a dedicated desktop browser that will be available on the Mac, the company announced today in a year-end wrap-up article.

duckduckgobrowser
DuckDuckGo already offers a browser option that's available on mobile devices, and when it launches, the desktop browser will offer a similar experience.

The DuckDuckGo desktop browser will have "robust privacy protection" that works by default, without requiring users to adjust privacy settings or deal with different levels of privacy protection.

The app will "redefine user expectations of everyday online privacy, according to DuckDuckGo," and it will work across search, browsing, email, and more. The app is described as cleaner, more private, and faster than Chrome.

DuckDuckGo for desktop is being built around OS-provided rendering engines, which is similar to how the DuckDuckGo mobile apps work, and it will not use a Chromium fork like other browser offerings.

The desktop browser is in closed beta testing for the Mac right now, with a PC version also planned in the future. There's no word on a release date just yet, but DuckDuckGo is currently soliciting beta testers.

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.1 With Apple Intelligence: New Features, Release Date, and More

Thursday October 10, 2024 8:26 am PDT by
iOS 18.1 will be released to the public in the coming weeks, and the software update introduces the first Apple Intelligence features for the iPhone. Below, we outline when to expect iOS 18.1 to be released. iOS 18.1: Apple Intelligence Features Here are some of the key Apple Intelligence features in the iOS 18.1 beta so far: A few Siri enhancements, including improved understanding...
top stories 12oct2024

Top Stories: iOS 18.1 Release Date, New Macs Incoming, and More

Saturday October 12, 2024 6:00 am PDT by
Things are firming up for a big Halloween week for Apple, with the company's next operating system updates reportedly coming early in the week and hardware launches coming a few days later. Ahead of those hardware launches, we've recently seen what appears to be one of the most significant physical product leaks in years, while some of the new features in Apple's recent software updates have ...
ipad mini 7

Apple Unveils New iPad Mini With A17 Pro Chip and Apple Intelligence

Tuesday October 15, 2024 6:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced a significant upgrade to the iPad mini, now featuring an A17 Pro chip and support for the company's new Apple Intelligence system. The refreshed seventh-generation tablet maintains its compact 8.3-inch design while offering notable performance improvements and new capabilities. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The A17 Pro chip brings a 30%...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: Apple's Shocking M4 MacBook Pro Leak

Friday October 11, 2024 8:27 am PDT by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss the unprecedented leak of Apple's M4 MacBook Pro models and the company's rumored move to more staggered hardware and software releases. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Multiple leaks surrounding Apple's unannounced 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip recently surfaced online. The leaks began with unboxin...
Apple Intelligence Feature 2

Apple Seeds Seventh Developer Betas of iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 With Apple Intelligence [Update: Public Beta Available]

Monday October 14, 2024 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with the seventh betas of iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 to continue testing Apple Intelligence features. The seventh betas come a week after Apple seeded the sixth iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 betas. The updates can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. Note that Apple Intelligence features still an iPhone 15...
16 pro

iPhone 17 Pro Models Rumored to Introduce These 5 New Features

Friday October 11, 2024 8:55 am PDT by
While the iPhone 16 series was released just a few weeks ago, there are already many rumored features for the iPhone 17 models, and especially for the Pro models. Below, we recap five key new features rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max so far: 24MP front camera for all iPhone 17 models: All four iPhone 17 models will feature an upgraded 24-megapixel front-facing camera, according...
iPad mini review thumb

iPad Mini 7 Coming Next Month: What to Expect

Tuesday October 8, 2024 6:16 am PDT by
Rumors strongly suggest Apple will release the seventh-generation iPad mini in November, nearly three years after the last refresh. Here's a roundup of what we're expecting from the next version of Apple's small form factor tablet, based on the latest rumors and reports. Design and Display The new iPad mini is likely to retain its compact 8.3-inch display and overall design introduced with...

Top Rated Comments

TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
37 months ago
Thank god. We need this. Privacy- the top priority. Duck is a great browser when it comes to privacy.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
B4U Avatar
37 months ago
This is going to be big!
Can't wait to get it on the mac!
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
B4U Avatar
37 months ago

In the meantime, I'm loving their "email protection" feature. Got my @duck.com email address that forwards to my real email address. Good to see that they are removing the email trackers. I look forward to this browser. For compatibility, I hope that it's Chromium based.
"DuckDuckGo for desktop is being built around OS-provided rendering engines, which is similar to how the DuckDuckGo mobile apps work, and it will not use a Chromium fork like other browser offerings."

According to the article.
So, not Chromium based.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sudo-sandwich Avatar
37 months ago

Not to hijack the duckduckgo thread, but any recommendations on chrome extensions for privacy?
AdNauseam is the nuclear option. Simulates clicks on all ads to throw off their metrics. Google banned it from their store, but I think you can still install it, or it's also available for Firefox.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jamcgahey Avatar
37 months ago
I love Safari, but this is great! I love DuckDuckGo. Cheers to the hopeful downfall of Google Search/Chrome!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
37 months ago

Knowing nothing about it, why is Brave a scam?

Seconding this question?

How is brave a scam?

'Scam' is a big word, any evidence for your claim? source? otherwise fake news!
I think it may be this from last year

https://www.zdnet.com/article/privacy-browser-brave-busted-for-autocompleting-urls-to-versions-it-profits-from/

https://www.pcmag.com/news/brave-browser-caught-redirecting-users-through-affiliate-links
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)