Neeva markets itself as “the only private, ad-free search engine” and also claims to be free from affiliate links. After signing up to Neeva (we talk about this a little more in the user experience section), you can either use the search engine on Neeva.com, or download an extension for your browser, as well as a mobile application if you have an iPhone. The extension says it gives you more online protection by blocking trackers.
Unlike most search engines, Neeva is not free. You will get a four month free trial, but after that it will cost $ 4.95 per month.
Characteristics
Since Neeva blocks ads and affiliate links, it is ideal for finding purchases without any clutter. Here’s what an ecommerce search results page looks like:
If you click an item in the Top rated products section, a pane opens on the right side with more details:
There’s a reason we’ve focused on “research” and not online shopping in general. Since Neeva blocks ads and affiliate links, the focus is more on reviews than actual purchase links. Sometimes you can click on a product, especially on Amazon, but it’s not as heavily sponsored as other browsers – which for some people will be a bonus. Compare Neeva’s results to Google’s below.
Privacy
Neeva is blocking ads and affiliate links which is clear when you search, especially if you are looking for products to buy.
In the Settings menu, there are a few options. You can configure two-step verification to add additional protection to password-protected online areas. You can also use a QR code if you want to connect to Neeva on another device, like your iPhone.
If you activate Memory mode, Neeva will remember some of your search activity to provide you with personalized suggestions and results. This is on by default, so if you want the most free experience possible, you’ll want to turn it off right from the start. If you have the Neeva extension, tracking cookies and tracking requests are blocked by default. Under the Memory Mode option is a link to Clear Memory, which will suppress your search behavior.
Even though Neeva promotes itself as a very secure browser, they know more about you than they appear. According to them privacy policy, a fair amount of data is collected on its users. And although Neeva does not share your information with third parties, your information is used in several ways.
User experience
To get started, you need to go to Neeva.com and enter your email address, then click on the button Free try! button.
You must then register and create a password, then click on Create a Neeva account.
This is a more complicated process than most search engines require. Often, you can simply use the search engine on the dedicated web page or download the software to your computer. It is rare to be required to register with a search engine.
Once you’ve set up your account, the layout of Neeva’s homepage is nice. It’s personalized for you, with your location, local weather, search ideas, and news headlines (and you can edit your favorite news sources).
You can also connect your apps, like Dropbox, your Google products, Slack, etc. Connecting an app to Neeva means that the content of those apps will be included in search results – so you can, for example, use the Neeva search engine to find something in your email.
The Spaces feature allows you to save and categorize search results. It’s kind of like an improved version of classic bookmarks. When performing a search, you can click the bookmark icon on a result to save it to one of your spaces.
Platforms
Neeva’s browser extension works with major browsers including Brave, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari. There is also an iOS app.
The competition
When you talk about a search engine that is not following you, DuckDuck Go must be mentioned. And if you want to stay as anonymous as possible online, DuckDuckGo will do a better job than Neeva. It’s not as appealing or customizable as Neeva, but it can be secondary to staying as private as possible.
You also cannot talk about safe search engines without providing Firefox in conversation. As a leader in its field, if you’re looking for security, it seems the natural choice ahead of Neeva – and it’s backed by the fact that you don’t have to pay for it.
Neeva promotes its ecommerce search results as the main feature, but because ads and affiliate links are blocked, it is difficult to get to the product you want to purchase. The Edge browser is the best I have found for online shopping – unless all you want to do is research, in which case Neeva can be more streamlined.
Final verdict
If you want a personalized search engine experience without a ton of tracking and data sharing, Neeva may be the right option. However, we believe that there are other search engines that offer similar or better benefits, and they are free to use. Even at just $ 5 per month, a total of $ 60 per year may seem too expensive to spend on a search engine, especially one that lacks the aesthetics, functionality, or security and privacy features. of its competitors. However, thanks to the four-month free trial, you have plenty of time to test it out for yourself to see if you want to stick with it.
Want a search engine that plants trees? We are not kidding. Discover Ecosia.
