In this Dogpile search engine review, we will reveal all we know so you can make an informed decision.
Aaron Flin created Dogpile in November 1996. He drew his inspiration from the dissatisfaction encountered when using other search engines.
Dogpile is a metasearch engine that displays results from multiple search engines. It gives you search results from Yahoo, Bing, Yandex, and other popular search engines.
Without much ado, let’s delve into the review of the Dogpile search engine.
What Is Dogpile?
The name “Dogpile” should get anyone’s attention. Plus, it’s a breeze to remember since it combines the name of a famous animal most of us have as pets at home.
Dogpile is a metasearch engine for information on the web that pulls its results from diverse search engines.
In plain terms, Dogpile gets its search results from different search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, Yandex, and other popular ones. That’s why its search results are usually more robust, making it easier for users to find websites and information that would have been impossible with a single search engine.
Is Dogpile Available In Every Country?
No, Dogpile isn’t available in most countries. Unfortunately, the metasearch engine didn’t mention the countries where its services are available. You’ll get the message “We apologize, but our services are currently unavailable in your country” when you try accessing Dogpile from a country they don’t support.
Learning about Dogpile’s unavailability in some countries can be disheartening for people wishing to try the platform. But then, Aaron Flin may have his reasons for excluding some countries from using his metasearch engine.
If you want to know if Dogpile is available in your country, visit the official site: https://www.dogpile.com/.
If the page above displays on your browser, the metasearch engine doesn’t operate in your country. Consider trying other search engines.
The History of Dogpile
Aaron Flin created the metasearch engine “Dogpile” out of frustration. Flin was dissatisfied with the results from the indexes he was using. He thought the results didn’t display more information.
Dogpile is a metasearch engine that combines results from different search engines. It eliminates duplicate results, ensuring only the best results are displayed to the user.
Dogpile’s journey started in November 1996, but it wasn’t the most popular metasearch engine then. MetaCrawler was the popular option until Aaron Flin made some improvements on Dogpile.
The introduction of Usenet and FTP made Dogpile more advanced. In August 1999, Aaron Flin decided to sell Dogpile to Go2net. Excitingly, Go2net also acquired MetaCrawler. So, they were in control of Dogpile and MetaCrawler.
InfoSpace saw an opportunity in Go2net’s acquisition of MetaCrawler and Dogpile and acted on it. It purchased Go2net for a whopping $4 billion.
So, Dogpile has experienced a lot of twists and turns since its inception. Partnering with Petfinder to help people find and help varied pets was another high point in the metasearch engine’s existence.
Infospaces later sold Go2net to OpenMail, now System1, for $45 million.
A Handy Tip: According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, dogpile means a mass of people who decide to pile on one another during a fight or celebration.
Is Dogpile A Search Engine?
First and foremost, Dogpile isn’t a search engine. It’s a metasearch engine. It relies on other search engines to get search results and doesn’t index web pages like Google.
Being a metasearch engine makes Dogpile’s search results more robust, as it combines results from other search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, and others.
The metasearch engine lets other search engines work and take credit from the work they didn’t do. Dogpile doesn’t index web pages. So, it’s obvious the search engines it pulls its results from may be feeling cheated.
Dogpile doesn’t give credit to the search engines it gets its results from. So, imagine if those search engines were to react to their antics. They may block Dogpile from accessing some search results or delay displaying some results.
Dogpile Vs. Google Comparison
Here is a comparison between the Google search engine and the Dogpile metasearch engine. This comparison exposes you to the differences between both platforms.
| Dogpile | ||
| 1. | Google collects user data. | Dogpile also collects user data. |
| 2. | Search results are based on keywords the user enters in the search box. Others include the person’s location and website authority. | It offers a comprehensive search experience and claims to display the best search results. |
| 3. | Search results are entirely from Google. | Pulls results from Google, Bing, Yahoo and others |
| 4. | Uses an advanced algorithm to rank indexed websites | Doesn’t index websites or use advanced algorithms to rank websites |
| 5. | Website owners have to deploy comprehensive SEO strategies to improve traffic and ranking. | Since the results are from other websites, website owners don’t need comprehensive SEO to rank high. |
| 6. | Has a massive audience and huge revenue-generating opportunity via adverts | It has a massively low revenue-generating chance because of the small user base |
| 7. | Holds a massive share of the search engine market (over 91.61%) | Has a massively lower share of the search engine market (less than 0.03%) |
| 8. | A search engine | Not a search engine |
| 9. | Use advanced algorithms and PageRank to rank websites | It depends on the algorithm of search engines it pulls its results from. |
Is Dogpile Better Than Google?
The answer to this question is in the comparison we just discussed. But since this is a fresh topic, let’s treat it that way.
Firstly, let’s consider the market share. Google’s market share is 91.61% as of the time of writing. On the other hand, Dogpile’s market share is 0.03%.
The market share shows you how superior Google is. But besides generating higher revenue, Google pays millions of website owners via the Google Adsense program.
Google usually collects user data by default and tracks users, too. However, it offers you the option to manage your privacy. You can stop Google from collecting your data by customizing the permission from the settings.
Unfortunately, Dogpile doesn’t offer such a customization option. But who knows, they might make the necessary changes in the future.
Google is also the owner of YouTube. So, now, they offer more options in search results, such as videos, images, etc.
Dogpile Search Engine Review: Is It Worth It?
The ideal way to determine whether Dogpile is worth it is by looking at each feature of the metasearch engine, from privacy and competition to user experience.
Dogpile Privacy Review
Is Dogpile a privacy-focused search engine? The answer is no! It shouldn’t be on your list if you’re seeking anonymous browsing.
Let’s compare Dogpile to Google. Both search engines collect and store users’ data, using it to serve targeted ads. But then, Google’s privacy policy is clear and easy to understand.
In other words, Google made clear how it collects and uses your data. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case with Dogpile. You’ll have to read its privacy policy carefully to know the kind of data the platform collects. Even when you read about the data Dogpile collects, how it uses it is unclear.
System 1 is famous for collecting diverse user data. The company gathers user information, including significant personal and computer-based information such as your name, address, IP address, street address, browser type, etc.
Since System 1 owns Dogpile. Thus, both companies share the same privacy policy. Furthermore, the data System1 collects from users aren’t just provided manually. The company collects them automatically when you surf the web via Dogpile.
A Handy Tip: Dogpile now has a browser extension that excludes personal identification information. Additionally, there is no search extension analytics. Dogpile claims it offers users a private browsing experience on their search engine.
Dogpile Tracking Review
System1, Dogpile’s owner tracks users, using beacons and cookies. But why does the company track users? It’s for the same reason other search engines track their users. It collects vital user information via tracking, including traffic data, location, and referral.
The fact that System1 and Dogpile tracks and collects users’ information doesn’t mean they can use it how they like. They still adhere to the legal requirements for data collection and distribution.
Dogpile Interface Review
Dogpile website’s loading speed is out of this world. It’s super fast. Additionally, it boasts an intuitive interface.
The start page features discreet colors that are easy on users’ tired eyes. Another highlighted feature of this search engine is the numerous departments displayed on the start page.
Online shopping via Dogpile is a breeze. Its start page features popular online stores like Amazon, Abt Electronics, and Spiegel. So, you don’t have to search for the retail websites individually.
Dogpile Competition Review
If you’re tired of ad-heavy search engines like Google, Dogpile is not a wise choice. It is also ad-heavy, like Google.
Another question people should be asking is, what search engines are Dogpile’s competitors? Google is in another league and can’t be Dogpile’s competitor.
Its closest competitor is DuckDuckGo, a privacy-focused search engine. Unlike Dogpile, DuckDuckGo doesn’t track users. It also doesn’t store users’ data.
Dogpile collects diverse information about users, which many might not fancy. People are running away from Google search engines because of privacy concerns. Unfortunately, Dogpile isn’t looking like a search engine that will make do not track and other privacy features compulsory.
Dogpile User Experience Review
Every internet user understands the massive financial commitment firms running search engines make to keep the platform running. Being a business run independently, companies will seek ways to generate more revenue. Dogpile is an ad-heavy search engine. It survives via the revenue it generates from ads.
A Handy Tip: The first few results at the top of the Dogpile metasearch engine are ads. You’ll only find a handful of ads on Google at the top of the search result pages.
You can designate your search on Dogpile by text, video, image, and shopping. They are features you’ll find on advanced search engines. So, Dogpile deserves an accolade for this.
Is Dogpile Safe? A Review
Dogpile’s privacy policy isn’t clear enough, which is a concern users may have. The metasearch engine didn’t clearly state how it collects and uses data, which is a big red flag.
Dogpile has been around for decades, and it doesn’t look like it is going away anytime soon. System 1, the company that owns Dogpile, is legitimate, so let’s give the metasearch engine the benefit of the doubt.
A Handy Tip: Dogpile is optimized for mobile, meaning you can use it for Android, iPhone, iPad, smartphones, and even desktops.
Conclusion
Dogpile is a decent metasearch engine, but certainly not among the best. With an unclear privacy policy, many users may feel using the search engine is risky.
Users have no compelling reason to make Dogpile their go-to search engine. Instead, there are numerous reasons users should ditch the platform.
There’s nothing unique about what the metasearch engine does. Its interface is not as modern and attractive as its competitors, such as Yahoo and DuckDuckGo.
Dogpile isn’t a privacy-focused search engine despite offering a Chrome extension that promises a private browsing experience on the platform. This metasearch engine enjoys tracking its users.
How will it deliver targeted ads and generate revenue if it doesn’t track users? That is the point. Dogpile is even more ad-heavy than Google, as several of its top search results are paid ads.
