What are browsers and search engines?

A browser is an app that allows you to access websites on the internet. Examples are Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox and more. When you open a browser you are usually presented with a search box, which is provided by a search engine, like Google, Bing, Yahoo and more.

You will find that your device comes with a browser and a search engine installed; but it is entirely up to you which app or search engine you want to use – you do not have to use the one that is already installed.

The differences in browsers are mainly looks and privacy, the main difference in search engines is privacy, advertising and the order in which the results are shown.

Some examples:

If you are using Chrome with Google search you will primarily see AI summaries to your queries, a lot of ‘promoted’ websites and eventually at the bottom the actual search results. You also provide Google with details about your searches and data that fuels further advertising (although there are a few settings to limit this somewhat).

If you are using Firefox with DuckDuckGo (another search engine), you can turn off AI results and you will get results only, no ads and no (or only limited) tracking.

There are a multitude of other options, both for browsers and search engines, with varying degrees of tracking and specialisations; for example there are search engines specifically for scientific research, for medical queries, for commerce and more. Which one you use just depends on what is most important to you.

To change the search engine your browser uses, you have to go into the settings of your browser and look for ‘search’ . There you should be able to change your default search engine or add others.

To change your browser:

• search in your current browser for the name of the app you want to use (e.g. Firefox, Brave,…).
• then follow the instructions to install the new browser app.
• you might have to change the default browser in your device’s settings to the new app and from then on most links should open in your chosen app (although you might find some links will still open in the manufacturer’s preferred app).

These are just a few limited examples. If you would like to know more, there are hundreds of websites out there discussing the pros and cons of different browsers and search engines.