Comparison

Swisscows Private Search vs Customize Search Engine

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Swisscows Private Search

This app provides a private and secure search engine that does not save user data or create personal profiles. It offers an anonymous browsing experience with its own servers located in a secure data center. Enjoy an innovative, intelligent search with a semantic map for faster results.

Highlights
  • Data-safe search engine
  • No user data saving
  • 100% anonymous searches
  • Own secure servers
  • Semantic map for interactive search
  • Intelligent search results
Features
Read full description

We are Swisscows and we do not save your data! We respect your privacy and see it as our calling to protect your privacy. Swisscows is a data-safe search engine. We take the privacy of our users very seriously. More and more people are angry about how online companies handle user data. As Swisscows team, we have made it our business to offer Internet users a protected space. To ensure the protection of personal data and privacy on the Internet, we have developed the data-secure search engine Swisscows. By using Swisscows, you reduce the amount of data collected about you many times over. We do not create personal profiles, but anonymize all search queries after 7 days. • It is in our DNA to protect every user! • We do not save your data! • At Swisscows you are 100% anonymous! • We have our own servers and do not work with a cloud or with third-party providers! • Our data center is located in the Swiss Alps and this is the safest bunker in all of Europe! More privacy for all internet users! No monitoring, no data storage! Swisscows does not save any personal information and does not forward any personal information! Absolutely none! We make sure that your private life remains your private life. Swisscows is the efficient alternative for everyone who values data integrity and the protection of privacy. In contrast to other search engines, Swisscows users leave no traces. We do without countless analyzes of our visitors. Your topics, IP addresses and personal information will not be stored or used for additional business purposes. Our search engine is not only safe, but innovative. Our semantic map offers you an interactive search experience! This will give you the results you want much faster. We have been researching information analysis and search for over 20 years. Swisscows offers you a completely new kind of intelligent search. Learn more: You can find more information about Swisscows, our team and our vision at: https://swisscows.com/en/about You can find us here: Our blog: https://awiebe.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swisscows Twitter: https://twitter.com/swisscows_ch LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/organization-guest/company/swisscows -- Privacy Policy: https://swisscows.com/privacy Terms of use: https://swisscows.com/gtc

About

Customize Search Engine

This Safari extension lets you customize your default search engine and settings. Easily switch between preferred search engines, including AI assistants, and modify options like hiding AI Overviews or changing language. It offers quick search shortcuts and emoji search functionality.

Highlights
  • Customize default search engine
  • Use custom search engines in Private Browse
  • Quick search with keywords
  • Emoji search on Emojipedia
  • Switch search engines by shortcuts
Features
Read full description

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.

Screenshots

Swisscows Private Search4 screens
Customize Search Engine3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Customize Search Engine at free against Swisscows Private Search's free with in-app purchases. Customize Search Engine also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 5 weeks) and review sentiment (77% vs 59%). Swisscows Private Search's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (844 vs 68). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Swisscows Private Search sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Customize Search Engine sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Swisscows Private Search holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Swisscows Private Search has 844 ratings behind it against 68, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 59% of Swisscows Private Search's written reviews are positive against 77% of Customize Search Engine's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Swisscows Private Search ships an update every 5 weeks, Customize Search Engine every 10 days. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Swisscows Private Search versus Customize Search Engine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSwisscows Private SearchCustomize Search Engine
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (844 ratings) — better4.4 (68 ratings)
Positive reviews59.5% of reviews77.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings844 — better68
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS15.1 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB37 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperSwisscows AGCizzuk Shihu

Customer experience

Swisscows Private Search

All ratings818 ratings
Positive93.6%
Neutral2.2%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews79 reviews
Positive59.5%
Neutral3.8%
Negative36.7%

Customize Search Engine

All ratings66 ratings
Positive84.8%
Neutral1.5%
Negative13.6%
Written reviews61 reviews
Positive77.0%
Neutral4.9%
Negative18.0%

User reviews

Swisscows Private Search

From 844 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and reliable
  • 🔒 Respects user privacy
  • 👍 Family-friendly content
  • 👍 Simple and straightforward
  • 🤩 Great alternative to big tech search engines

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 🔍 Limited search functionality compared to other engines
  • 🔌 Ads and videos can be disruptive
  • 🚫 Censorship concerns for some users

Customize Search Engine

From 68 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Blocks Google AI overviews
  • 👍 Enables custom search engines
  • 👍 Works on iPhone, Mac, iPad
  • 👍 Seamless integration with Safari
  • 👍 Free and no ads

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent performance
  • 🐛 Setup can be difficult
  • 🐛 Causes rapid redirects/CAPTCHAs
  • 🐛 Redirect screen displayed
  • 🐛 App crashes on export

Bugs and requests

Swisscows Private Search

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Screen going blank after searches
  • Inability to open certain websites
  • Inconsistent search results
  • Cryptic error messages

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add bookmarking functionality
  • Improve multi-tab and multi-window support
  • Expand search capabilities and indexing
  • Provide more customization options

Customize Search Engine

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • App crashes during export settings
  • Inconsistent search results
  • Safari freezes when using Brave Search
  • Unremovable 'Open in the Google app' banner
  • Rapid redirecting causing CAPTCHA issues
Show 3 more
  • Block page sometimes stuck or slow
  • Doesn't work on iOS
  • Doesn't work at all

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add Ecosia as an option
  • Support full-width space in quick search
  • Sync settings between devices
  • Improve redirect screen simplicity

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Swisscows Private Search

Subscriptions2
  • Swisscows Premium Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Swisscows Premium Annual$39.991 Year
1 purchases

Customize Search Engine

One-time1
  • Change App icon$0.99

Questions

Is Swisscows Private Search free?
Swisscows Private Search is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Customize Search Engine free?
Customize Search Engine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Swisscows Private Search or Customize Search Engine?
Swisscows Private Search is rated higher. Swisscows Private Search averages 4.7 out of 5 from 844 ratings, while Customize Search Engine averages 4.4 from 68 ratings.
Do Swisscows Private Search or Customize Search Engine have ads?
Neither Swisscows Private Search nor Customize Search Engine shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Swisscows Private Search or Customize Search Engine?
Swisscows Private Search ships an update every 5 weeks, and Customize Search Engine every 10 days. Most recently, Swisscows Private Search was updated on October 30, 2026 and Customize Search Engine on October 30, 2026.

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