I don't think I agree with that but I think ads and slop you get from the "free" alternatives are more damaging in subtle ways that people don't appreciate. I also pay to remove ads from just about everything I use and am shocked at just how much better that makes my life.

Every single time I accidentally use Google I am shocked at how terrible it is. People just haven’t seen the alternatives. I finally setup a family subscription to get my wife and kids in it and they don’t want to go back to Google now.

How do you deal with searches for local businesses? I've found these to be a big blind spot vs DDG / Google.

Am I searching for a local business? I go to Google.

Am I searching for the range of input voltages an Arduino can safely handle? Kagi.