# Customize Search Engine — Search Smarter, Explore Deeper

> Safari extension to customize default search engines and settings. (iPhone/iPad app by Cizzuk Shihu.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/customize-search-engine/id6445840140 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Cizzuk Shihu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1674098361)
- Category: Utilities
- Price: Free with in-app purchases (on sale, was $0.99)
- Rating: 4.50/5 from 60 App Store ratings · 56 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.0 · 20 MB
- Languages: Arabic, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Spanish and 2 more
- Released: 2023-02-24
- Data updated: 2026-08-19
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/customize-search-engine/id6445840140/reviews.md

## What is Customize Search Engine?

Safari Extension to customize your search engine.

This extension allows you to use your preferred search engines, such as non-default search engines or AI assistants.
You can also use it to change search engine settings, for example, by hiding AI Overviews or changing language settings.


### Features ###

--- Customize your Search Engine

Change Safari's default search engine.

--- CSE for Private Browse

Switch search engines in Private Browse.

--- Quick Search

Enter the keyword to switch search engines.

Example:
- Search "br something" to search in Brave Search
- Search "wiki Safari" to find Safari on Wikipedia
- Search "yt Me at the zoo" to find the oldest videos on YouTube
- Search "wbm example.com" to see past versions of the website

--- Emoji Search

If you enter only one emoji, you can search it on Emojipedia.org.

--- Switch Search Engines by Shortcuts and Focus

You can use a different custom search engine or disable CSE while at work, school, etc.

## Key features

- Customize default search engine
- Use custom search engines in Private Browse
- Quick search with keywords
- Emoji search on Emojipedia
- Switch search engines by shortcuts

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change App icon | $0.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (10 of 56)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/customize-search-engine/id6445840140/reviews.md

### 5/5 — It just works

*2026-07-02, version 4.19*

This needs to be a function in Safari outside the 5 default engine options. I can finally use Google without the AI overview again without having to do it manually. Thank you for your work :)

### 5/5 — App crash during export settings

*2026-06-24, version 4.19*

When I try export as json, the app crashes every time.

### 1/5 — Ummm! No way!

*2026-06-19, version 4.19*

Setup requires me to enable google.com / Deleted Immediately!

### 5/5 — Take notes, Apple

*2026-06-04, version 4.18*

Other than the slight delay it adds by blocking then redirecting the query, it does exactly what it needs to do, works perfectly, and should be a basic feature of Safari.

### 4/5 — Disable Google AI

*2026-05-31, version 4.18*

I can't find any clear directions on how to set up CSE to disable that ,deleted> AI in Google Search.

Can anyone help with this, point by point? TIA!

Looks awesome! Kudos to Kissuk! Wish there were clear instructions on this. I assume everyone is looking to disable AI.

### 1/5 — Couldn’t get it to work

*2026-05-24, version 4.17*

Great idea but I couldn’t get it work on my iPad Pro. I completed the set up twice, however I still kept getting google’s AI. It may be conflicting with another extension.

### 4/5 — Works fine on macOS but not iOS

*2026-05-21, version 4.17*

See title. Using the same settings for both, for udm14.

### 4/5 — Works as expected, but…

*2026-05-08, version 4.17*

It causes rapid redirecting with google, causing google to *always* declare I am a robot and have to go through a captcha. This is extremely annoying.

### 1/5 — Don’t use it

*2026-04-25, version 4.17*

I was liking it to begin with but then I realised that I might be leaking literally all my searches to Google? For instance I searched once with my normal search engine and suddenly found that Google had opened instead! I don’t think the issue is leaking to Apple like the developer says, it’s Google to worry about (Safari lets you turn off the Safari search suggestions anyway).

Additionally, I don’t like the block page I see when I search with the blocker on. It’s sometimes there for several seconds before redirecting. And other times it remains stuck and search doesn’t work (this is still an issue on the latest version). 

I would personally recommend simply using xSearch. It has all the features of CSE without these bugs and glitches.

### 5/5 — Works great!

*2026-04-08, version 4.17*

I can finally use startpage as my main search engine in safari on my phone, Mac & iPad! I hate google so much

## Frequently asked questions about Customize Search Engine

### What does the Customize Search Engine app do?

This Safari extension allows you to change your default search engine and customize search settings. You can set your preferred search engines, including AI assistants, and modify options like hiding AI Overviews or changing language preferences.

### Can I use different search engines for private browsing?

Yes, the extension provides a feature called 'CSE for Private Browse' which allows you to switch search engines specifically when you are in Safari's Private Browse mode. This gives you flexibility for privacy-focused searches.

### How do I switch search engines quickly?

The app offers a 'Quick Search' feature. By entering a specific keyword followed by your search query, you can instantly search using a different engine. For example, typing 'yt' before your search term will use YouTube.

### Is this app compatible with all Safari versions?

The provided description does not specify compatibility with all Safari versions. However, as a Safari Extension, it is designed to work within the Safari browser environment on compatible Apple devices.

### What are some examples of using the quick search feature?

You can use keywords to search on specific platforms. For instance, 'br something' searches Brave, 'wiki Safari' searches Wikipedia for Safari, and 'yt Me at the zoo' finds old videos on YouTube. You can also use 'wbm example.com' to view past website versions.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.19 — 2026-06-09

- Fixed an issue where the tutorial buttons would display incorrectly in some environments
- Made some other adjustments

### 4.18 — 2026-05-27

- Made changes to Search Engine Presets
  - Added an "Without AI" list to the presets
    - Added "DuckDuckGo No AI"
    - Moved "Google &udm=14" to this list
  - Added "Duck.ai"
  - Changed the search URL for "ChatGPT"
  - Renamed "Yahoo!検索 AIアシスタント" to "Agent i" and updated its URL
  - Removed "百度AI搜索"
- Added shortcuts for backup and restore with JSON
- Added a shortcut to modify "Safari Settings"
- Made some other adjustments

### 4.17 — 2026-02-16

- Changed the CSE Content Blocker icon
- Added descriptions for CSE Content Blocker
- Added a link to the page with privacy details
- Made some other adjustments

### 4.16 — 2026-02-07

- Fixed an issue where CSE could not perform redirects correctly while using the CSE Content Blocker
- Moved the button for adding new Quick Search Engines to the top of the screen
- Made some other adjustments

### 4.15 — 2026-02-06

- Implemented a countermeasure for an issue where CSE may not function correctly when the Private Search Engine is on
- Updated the dark mode icon
- Update the Pride icon
- Made some other adjustments

## Apps similar to Customize Search Engine

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [RedirectWeb: Smart URL Router](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/redirectweb-smart-url-router/id1571283503) | 4.7 (70) | Free | Utilities |
| [Kagi for Safari](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kagi-for-safari/id1622835804) | 3.7 (182) | Free | Utilities |
| [BrowseHub: Private Browser](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/browsehub-private-browser/id6504721654) | 1.0 (1) | Free | Utilities |
| [udm14 for Safari](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/udm14-for-safari/id6520379591) | 3.9 (27) | Free | Utilities |
| [Braver Search](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/braver-search/id6740840706) | 4.5 (24) | Free | Utilities |
| [uBlacklist for Safari](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ublacklist-for-safari/id1547912640) | 4.1 (47) | Free | Utilities |

## More apps by Cizzuk Shihu

- [FALLLL](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fallll/id1526930790)
- [Sh1rga](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sh1rga/id1622376481)
- [WebA11Y](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/weba11y/id6445839110)
- [CBNote](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cbnote/id6756120567)
- [Side Search](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/side-search/id6756973793)

All apps by Cizzuk Shihu: https://appshunter.io/developer/1674098361

## Related topics

[customize search engine](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/customize-search-engine) · [xsearch](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/xsearch) · [udm14](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/udm14) · [search engine reverse](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/search-engine-reverse) · [freespoke search engine](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/freespoke-search-engine) · [truthfinder search](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/truthfinder-search) · [cse](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/cse) · [search filter web extension](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/search-filter-web-extension) · [search engine kids](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/search-engine-kids) · [search engine no ai](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/search-engine-no-ai)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-19.*