Top 10 Alternative Search Engines of 2008
Editor's Note: This list was contributed by Charles Knight, editor of AltSearchEngines, a former RWW network blog.
In terms of user experience, the gap between the major search engines and their alternatives continues to widen -- a lot. Google has been compared to a luxury liner that turns around very, very slowly, whereas the startups are speedboats that can turn (or innovate) on a dime. I guarantee that if you try any of these top 10 alternative search engines of 2008, you won't come away saying, "Hey, that was just like Google."
2008 was the year when the ubiquitous white home page with the rectangular search box in the center finally "jumped the shark." This template belongs in the past, not the future, of search. That is not to say that users no longer have to communicate what they're searching for in some way, but the trend is certainly towards variety and away from "The Box." For example, with ChaCha (and Tazti.com), you simply speak your query; and Surf Canyon understands implicitly what you are looking for.
As evidence of just how much the landscape is changing, three of our top 10 products require one-time downloads: once thought to be the kiss of death when Google sits in wait. But AltSearchEngines thinks that 2009 will be the tipping point when the rewards outweigh the "risks," at least for power users. For everyone else: 2010. Faroo, KallOut, and Surf Canyon (and, again, Tazti) are all well worth leaving your comfort zone for.
How many of these 10 search tools had you used, seen, or even heard of before today? The latest data from Hitwise shows that the four major search engines get over 98% of all US search traffic; the rest, combined, get less than 2%. These wonderful inventions need and deserve more exposure, so do your part and take the time to try out each one! On that note, let's begin.
This is the ninth in ReadWriteWeb's series of top products of 2008:
- Top 10 Semantic Web Products of 2008
- Top 10 International Products of 2008
- Top 10 Consumer Web Apps of 2008
- Top 10 RSS and Syndication Products of 2008
- Top 10 Mobile Web Products of 2008
- Top 10 Enterprise Web Products of 2008
- Top 10 Real World Web Apps of 2008
- Top 10 Digital Lifestyle Products of 2008
Note: these 10 search engines are listed alphabetically.
1. ChaCha
ChaCha, as a search tool, is human-powered, general, and mobile. There is no website, no search box, and no page witih a list of ten links. To use ChaCha, simply call 1-800-2ChaCha (1-800-224-2242) in the US, or send a text to 242242. When you call, leave your query just as you would any other voice-mail message, and hang up. Within 2 to 5 minutes, a human guide will have researched and texted you the answer. I used ChaCha with only my cheap cell phone when I was lost in New York City at midnight. And that's an important point: you can call ChaCha at any time with any question for any reason on any phone -- as long as that phone can receive text messages. And, aside from your carrier's incoming text fees, ChaCha is free. We recently reported on ChaCha over at AltSearchEngines.
2. Cooliris
2008 was the year when search visualization met the iPhone. Cooliris has already won one ReadWriteWeb award, making it onto the list of the Top 10 Consumer Apps of 2008. RWW wrote in that post, "Visual browsing is still coming into its own, but Cooliris is leading the charge in a way that consumers will embrace." We at ASE have been following Cooliris since its PicLens days. Following right behind are SearchMe and Viewzi. Each of these three visual search engines displays your search results beautifully and fluidly on your iPhone, but with different styles, so you might as well download all three and experiment. There is a demo video on each site.
3. Faroo
Alternative search engines need at least one thing that differentiates them from the major search engines. Faroo, for its part, turns your conception of search around 180 degrees. Instead of one giant company (say, Google) storing billions of web pages on thousands of servers at a cost of millions of dollars, Faroo, now in public beta, relies on the P2P (peer-to-peer) network, which connects Faroo members with each other through their PCs. The result is an organic-looking web that can grow as the Internet grows, but without the need for massive server farms. So, check out Faroo by downloading it here.
4. KallOut
KallOut was one of our favorite discoveries this year, as we noted in the ASE review. Once again, it's time to put away that image of a rectangular search box! It's 2008! With KallOut, you don't have to stop what you're doing and mess around with a toolbar, tab, or window. You simply drag your cursor over content with your mouse, and KallOut performs the search for you right there -- literally, right there. Download KallOut here, and then practice a bit until you get the hang of it. No, it's not a harder way to search; it's a more efficient way to search. You'll see.
5. Kosmix
Kosmix is, in a way, an evolution of the old meta search engines. Kosmix answers your query with a long tabloid-like page of results in every possible category you might want. There are multiple news sources; images from various sites; audio from SeeqPod; opinions from Omgili; video from Truveo; info from Mahalo and Snappyfingers; plus content from all of the major sources, such as eBay, YouTube, and Wikipedia. Just about everything! For every search query, you essentially get an on-the-fly multimedia encyclopedia laid out on one page. Kosmix recently came into a little money, too. (Disclosure: Kosmix is an AltSearchEngine sponsor.)
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Cool list! There were several on there I have never seen. My favorite (the only one I use outside of Google) is Viewzi. For any type of search where the results are visual (video, photos etc.) it rocks.
Posted by: Marcus | December 19, 2008 2:21 PM
I will add the best kid-friendly search engine Quintura Kids
http://www.quinturakids.com
Posted by: Yakov | December 19, 2008 2:22 PM
I'm quite partial to Clusty.com which allows you to further narrow results by focusing on sub-categories and keywords. Not particularly innovative but the UI is as unobtrusive as Google and the results are pretty encompassing, even for niche searches. I've been using it for most of my searches since I discovered it.
Posted by: Jon Gosier | December 19, 2008 2:29 PM
Thank you Charles, ASE & RWW. We're honored to have been included on this list along with such compelling and innovative search companies!
Posted by: Mark Cramer | December 19, 2008 2:31 PM
For eBayers check out http://www.getitnext.com/ it makes it easy to find products and deals on eBay. much cleaner and easier to use than eBay itself.
Posted by: Stan | December 19, 2008 2:59 PM
Thanks again RWW. Great list. I particularly liked KallOut.
Posted by: Small Business Marketing | December 19, 2008 7:14 PM
Nice list of search engines,I have not really know about them as I used to search in Google for anything.Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: venkat | December 19, 2008 9:36 PM
looking for old friends, pipl.com is a great one for looking up, well, people.
Posted by: capt.bryan | December 19, 2008 10:19 PM
Hey Charles... Thanks for mentioning Tazti Speech Recognition in this great article.
Everyone is invited to check out our Youtube video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1tt_aeIAM8
Don't forget that tazti a free download at tazti.com
Posted by: Stuart G. | December 19, 2008 11:51 PM
Good article. I was expecting to see TinEye here though. Too mainstream?
Posted by: Silverlight developer | December 20, 2008 6:53 AM
Mednar is a good search engine designed for medical researchers to quickly access information from a multitude of credible sources.
Posted by: Chinmaya | December 20, 2008 7:29 AM
I agree on Mednar. Been using it a lot lately to figure out what is wrong with my back
Posted by: Google Tutor | December 20, 2008 8:09 AM
about mednar - similar but actually even more impressive is GoPubMed; have a look.
Posted by: Valentin | December 21, 2008 9:38 AM
How long until Google buys one of these guys? Pretty cool technology, but nobody know about them.
Posted by: Portland Real Estate Cafe | December 21, 2008 11:07 AM
Hi,
We released a new product to explore the Web in 1-Click.
Webzzle enables you to explore the knowledge Web in 1-Click and get Webzzle & Wikipedia quality results followed by Google enhanced results.
Get the Firefox plugin and let the magic begin...
Plugin : http://www.webzzle.com/intl/en/add_buttons.html
How it works : http://www.webzzle.com/intl/en/help.html
Posted by: Xavier | December 21, 2008 11:19 PM
Good stuff man. I am so happy that we just dont have to rely on big old Google everytime. That is too much power !
Posted by: Scott F | December 22, 2008 12:18 AM
Thanks for the information on the search engines.
But, you are not ever mentioned the CUIL / ASK / WIKIA and other main search engines.
Are you thinking that are not in the Top 10?
Do you have any statistics for declaring these top 10?
If you have the statistics, by showing them to everybody it is very much helpful to business men.
Regards,
Karunakar.
Posted by: Phillies Shop | December 22, 2008 3:10 AM
Great,
Never aware about so many other search engines as mainly I think about only 3 big...
This page become good source to one who want a list of search engines other than G, M & Y!
Thanks for sharing such good information.
Thanks
Posted by: American Online Universities | December 22, 2008 7:36 AM
I also recommend
http://www.ziipa.com
Great list BTW!
Posted by: lee | December 22, 2008 9:10 AM
What about people search 123people?
finding everyone you want to know and them some....
http://123people.com
Posted by: Jennifly | December 22, 2008 10:57 AM
How could you not include findingDulcinea.com?? I found them through a Mashable article as one of the most underrated sites for 2008. You need to go check it out. Great information. They cut through all the waste on the Internet and I find what I need.
Posted by: Bridog24 | December 22, 2008 4:02 PM
Thanks for the great list.
Posted by: kerala | December 22, 2008 6:02 PM
Thanks Charles for once again featuring life outside of the big three. That life is vibrant and full of innovative technologies users should be excited to discover. I, especially, realize startups have an uphill battle to be heard by the masses. It is my wish for more independents to gather on common ground (your ASE venue, for example), and assemble a “collective voice” so their wonderful creations can be enjoyed by as many as possible. Collectively, they can help shine that “alternative light” (currently held up by your shoulders almost exclusively) on the Web’s exciting new search technologies each has in some way contributed to. To the top 10, congrats! And to the rest, they are winners too - for creating and advancing that which only innovative minds can bring to life - the way we do the next great technology thing!
Posted by: Wilhelmina | December 24, 2008 7:13 AM
I'll give a few a try ......Unfortunately I've only got so much time on my hands:-(
Posted by: Paul | December 24, 2008 12:16 PM
great!! I THINK YOU VERY HONOURS..THANK YOU VERY MUCH.i also have the good website suggestion.but this about ideas to design a new kitchen at your house althought the space is small
http://kitchen-backsplash-ideas2.blogspot.com/
Posted by: MOHD RAJAEI MOHAMAD ALI | December 25, 2008 4:46 AM
You would expect Cuil to be on this list wouldn't you? Well unfortunately their not doing so well. After all that publicity they had they ended up being a failure and then all of these search engines came from behind and tossed them out of the park.
Posted by: bradleybradwell | December 27, 2008 1:28 PM
great list, i ve been using kallout and its the ultimate in saving time and expliring more about everything.
Posted by: glauco | January 1, 2009 6:22 PM
Well evaluated list...nice to know about more search engines available other than G.M.Y....
Posted by: kate | January 2, 2009 10:00 PM
Thank, Your list is useful for me.
Posted by: geranun | January 3, 2009 4:39 AM
Great list of alternative search. It would seem that vertical search is now becoming the order of the day. How often would you "google" a friend when you could look them up in say, "facebook"?
My favourite visual search is Search Me. While this won't offer very good local search I think the model is one that could quite quickly catch on. While not 100% when it comes to results this is a fantastic idea.
Posted by: Robert | January 5, 2009 6:43 AM
Some of these look really nice but after playing around for a while the novelty weears thin and they annoy the hell out of me. I don't think any of these will be able to touch Google for a long while yet. I do think competion like this is good for all of us though and who knows who will dominate in ten years time.
Posted by: Owain | January 8, 2009 5:48 AM
I think http://www.refseek.com/ should be in this list
Posted by: Phillip Fierro | January 8, 2009 11:47 AM