Startpage review

Startpage says it launched the world's first private search engine in the Netherlands in 2006, and its main pitch is simple: no personal data is stored, and results are not profiled to you. Its distinguishing feature is Anonymous View. Click "Visit in Anonymous View" under any result and the page opens through Startpage over HTTPS, so the site you visit does not see your IP address, cookies or a device fingerprint. Startpage describes it as acting like a VPN, without an account or fees. That covers a gap most private engines leave open, since they protect the search but not the click. Startpage also offers a mobile browser and a browser extension. The limits are practical: its FAQ notes you may see more cookie or location notices in Anonymous View. Startpage is free, and its FAQ explains how it makes money without selling your data.

Who it is for

people who want to open search results without exposing their IP address

Price

Free, including Anonymous View.

Anonymous View acts like a VPN, without an account or fees.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 14, 2026.

Key features

• No personal data is stored from your searches
• Un-profiled search results
• Anonymous View opens any result through a secure HTTPS proxy
• Anonymous View blocks cookies, trackers and fingerprinting and hides your IP address from the visited site
• Mobile browser and browser extension

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Anonymous View needs no account and costs nothing
• Strength: Based in the Netherlands, where it launched in 2006
• Strength: Works like a normal search box with no setup
• Weakness: Some sites show more cookie or location notices in Anonymous View, per Startpage's FAQ
• Weakness: No paid ad-free tier
• Weakness: Ad-supported

Key facts

• Price: Free
• Founded: 2006, Netherlands
• Proxy viewing: Anonymous View
• Apps: Mobile browser, browser extension

Where it ranks

Startpage is No. 3 in our Best Private Search Engines verdict.