Comparison

DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai vs Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN

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

Head to head
About

DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai

This privacy-focused browser and search engine blocks trackers, ads, and cookie pop-ups. It offers private AI chat and optional email protection. Take control of your personal information with a tool designed for data protection, not collection.

Highlights
  • Private search engine
  • Tracker blocking
  • Ad blocking (YouTube, web)
  • Private AI chat
  • Optional email protection
  • HTTPS enforcement
  • Fingerprinting protection
Features
Read full description

At DuckDuckGo, we believe the best way to protect your personal information from hackers, scammers, and privacy-invasive companies is to stop it from being collected at all. That's why millions of people choose DuckDuckGo over Chrome and other browsers to search and browse online. Our built-in search engine is like Google but never tracks your searches. Our browser blocks YouTube ads, invasive web ads, and cookie pop-ups, reducing distractions and helping to stop other companies from collecting your data. While our optional integrated AI features, Search Assist and Duck.ai, are private and never use your data to train AI. Oh, and our browser is free. We make money from privacy-respecting search ads, not by exploiting your data. Take back control of your personal information with the browser designed for data protection, not data collection. FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS Protect Your Searches by Default: DuckDuckGo Search comes built-in, so you can easily search online without being tracked.  Shield Your Browsing History: Our 3rd-Party Tracker Loading Protection blocks most trackers before they load, greatly exceeding what most popular browsers offer by default.  Chat Privately With AI: Duck.ai lets you have private conversations with 3rd-party AI models, anonymized by us and never used to train AI. Secure Your Email (Optional): Use Email Protection to block most email trackers and hide your existing email address with @duck.com addresses.   Block Ads: Our browser blocks YouTube Ads, and stops invasive trackers from loading on sites, effectively eliminating targeted ads. Automatically Enforce Encryption: Shield your data from network and Wi-Fi snoopers by forcing many sites to use an HTTPS connection.  Escape Fingerprinting: Make it harder for companies to create a unique identifier for you by blocking attempts to combine info about your browser and device.  Sync and Back Up Securely (Optional): Sync encrypted bookmarks and passwords across your devices. Clear your tabs and browsing data in a flash with the Fire Button. Banish cookie pop-ups and automatically set your preferences to minimize cookies and maximize privacy. And many more protections not available on most browsers, even in private browsing mode, including protection from link tracking, Global Privacy Control (GPC), and more. DUCKDUCKGO SUBSCRIPTION Subscribers get • Our VPN: Secure your connection on up to 5 devices.     • Access to advanced AI Models in Duck.ai: Chat privately with AI models built for complex tasks. • Personal Information Removal: Find and remove personal info from sites that store and sell it.   • Identity Theft Restoration: If your identity is stolen, we’ll help restore it.   DuckDuckGo Subscription Pricing & Terms   Payment will be charged automatically to your Apple Account until you cancel, which you can do in app settings. You have the option to provide an email address to activate your subscription on other devices, and we will only use that email address to verify your subscription. For terms of service and privacy policy, visit https://duckduckgo.com/pro/privacy-terms Read more about our free Tracking Protections at https://help.duckduckgo.com/privacy/web-tracking-protections Privacy Policy: https://duckduckgo.com/privacy/  Terms of Service: https://duckduckgo.com/terms Note about 3rd-Party Tracker Protection and Search Ads: while there are some limitations following search ad clicks, viewing ads on DuckDuckGo search is anonymous. Learn more here https://help.duckduckgo.com/privacy/web-tracking-protections Privacy. Simplified. ™

About

Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN

A fast, private web browser offering ad blocking, data saving, and a free unlimited VPN. Download videos, browse incognito, and customize your experience with various modes and search engines.

Highlights
  • Fast browsing and downloads
  • Ad blocker
  • Data saver
  • Incognito browsing
  • Free unlimited VPN
  • Reader mode
  • Night/Bright mode
Features
Read full description

Phoenix Browser by Timon Software is a fast, free, full-featured web browser that provides maximum privacy and security. Fast Browsing and Downloads: Access websites, download multiple files (videos, audio, documents and more) with the speed of light. Download online videos easily from lots of websites. Ad Block: Block annoying adverts and popups, save time and increase loading speed. Ad Block blocks various forms of annoying ads, pop-ups and banners to make your browsing comfortable. It not only speeds up the page loading speed but also reduces Internet data usage. Data Saver: Stream movies, download files, browse more with less data on any website. Phoenix Browser could compress data, speed up navigation and help you save a lot of cellular data traffic. Incognito Browsing Incognito tab makes your browsing experience perfectly private without leaving any history, cookies, cache, etc. Search Engines Switch search engines according to your preference. We support Google, Yahoo, Ask, Yandex, AOL, DuckDuckGo and Bing. Multi-Tab Manager Easy switching of pages from multiple websites. Using multi-tab manager will make your browsing experience smoother. Reader Mode No Image Mode disables image and video loading to save data on a poor network connection. Night/Bright Mode Night Mode protects your eyes when browsing in darkness. Bright mode prevents the screen from going dark. Find in Page/Translate Search to find whatever you need in website pages, and translation function is supported. Free Unlimited VPN: taking your Internet freedom and security to the next level We are a group of enthusiasts whose main concern is the current lack of Internet privacy. Most private web browsers out there are very simple and do not offer extra features like regular browsers do. But private browsing should not be boring. That’s why we have created Phoenix Browser. Our mission is to keep you safe, entertained, and make your web browsing as private as you want it to be. Privacy Policy: https://skysaver.net/privacy.html Terms of Service: https://skysaver.net/term.html Support Need support? Need to leave a feedback? Suggestions? Reach us by sending an email to: contact@skysaver.net!

Screenshots

DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai4 screens
Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai at none against Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN's shown. DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai also leads on ratings volume (2.4M vs 2K) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN's advantage is review sentiment (90% vs 65%) and iOS requirement (13 vs 15.0). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai has 2.4M ratings behind it against 2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai's written reviews are positive against 90% of Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai ships an update weekly, Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai versus Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDuckDuckGo, optional Duck.aiPhoenix Browser + Proxy VPN
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (2.4M ratings) — better4.7 (2K ratings)
Positive reviews64.7% of reviews90.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.4M — better2K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#19 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013 — better
Further details — not scored
Size256 MB73 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperDuckDuckGo, Inc.TIMON SOFTWARE CO., LTD

Customer experience

DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai

All ratings2,420,634 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral1.7%
Negative1.1%
Written reviews3,585 reviews
Positive64.7%
Neutral8.1%
Negative27.2%

Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN

All ratings2,033 ratings
Positive91.0%
Neutral2.9%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews584 reviews
Positive90.4%
Neutral2.6%
Negative7.0%

User reviews

DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai

From 2.4M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and efficient
  • 🔒 Excellent privacy protection
  • 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
  • 🔥 Effective ad and tracker blocking

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and glitches
  • 🔍 Slower page load times compared to other browsers
  • 🔍 Inconsistent search quality compared to Google

Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN

From 2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and smooth performance
  • 🔒 Secure and private browsing
  • 👍 Clean and user-friendly interface
  • 🎨 Customizable settings
  • 💻 Compatibility with older devices

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🚫 Limitations on free VPN usage
  • 📥 Lack of video download functionality

Bugs and requests

DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Inability to set DuckDuckGo as default browser on iOS
  • Refresh button hidden in menu instead of standalone

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add support for voice search
  • Improve tab management and history navigation
  • Introduce customizable font and theme options

Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Display issues on certain websites
  • Inconsistent VPN connectivity

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add option to set as default browser
  • Improve tab management and session handling
  • Implement a built-in video downloader
  • Introduce a dark mode option

In-app purchases

7 purchases

DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai

Subscriptions7
  • DuckDuckGo (Plus, Monthly)7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • DuckDuckGo monthly$9.991 Month
  • DuckDuckGo (Pro, Monthly)$19.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • DuckDuckGo (Pro, Monthly)7 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • DuckDuckGo (Plus, Yearly)7 Days trial$99.991 Year
  • DuckDuckGo annual$99.991 Year
  • DuckDuckGo (Pro, Yearly)7 Days trial$199.991 Year
4 purchases

Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN

Subscriptions4
  • 1 Month Premium$5.991 Month
  • 3 Month Premium$12.993 Months
  • 6 Months Premium$19.996 Months
Show 1 more
  • 1 Year Premium$29.991 Year

Questions

Is DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai free?
DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN free?
Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai or Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN?
DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai is rated higher. DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.4M ratings, while Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN averages 4.7 from 2K ratings.
Do DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai or Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN have ads?
Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN shows ads; DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai does not.
Which is updated more often, DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai or Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN?
DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai ships an update weekly, and Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN every 3 weeks. Most recently, DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai was updated on November 11, 2026 and Phoenix Browser + Proxy VPN on November 7, 2026.

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