Tell us how you find answers online in our search engine poll

Between news feeds and social media feeds, how much time do you really need to spend going out and looking for content? It can sometimes feel like all the best stuff is already being piped our way, served up for easy consumption with minimal effort involved. And if you just need a quick answer about something, Google Assistant or Gemini can often help out without you needing to scour through numerous sources. But then there are those times when nothing beats a good old-fashioned web search.

For a whole, whole lot of us, that means turning to Google — so much so that the company’s name itself has effectively become synonymous with “searching.” But how much of Google’s success with search is genuine, and how much is colored by accusations of abusing its position as a monopoly to promote its own search product at the expense of competitors?

It may feel almost counterintuitive to someone who’s been searching with Google for as long as they can remember, but you’ve got other options out there. Some, like Microsoft Bing, are from companies big enough to be used to doing things their own way, market dominance be damned. Others target specific niches they feel Google is failing to address, like DuckDuckGo and its emphasis on privacy above all, or Ecosia and its commitment to being green. Others still take a more regional approach, like Russia’s Yandex or China’s Baidu.

When it comes to you needing to find something online, where are you going to turn? We want to know:

Now, we’re no fools. We’ve seen the same usage statistics those judges calling Google a monopoly have seen, and we already know that Google drives 90% or more of search traffic around the world. But our readers are extra curious about smartphones and the companies behind the services they access, and we wonder if this little self-selected group might have tastes that push a little outside the norm. Google’s still going to win — don’t get us wrong — but we’re already placing bets about where the more interesting second, third, and even fourth-place results will land.

Why do you prefer the search engine you do? Do you have a favorite we missed entirely? Let us know in the comments.