DuckDuckGo Expands Subscription with AI Models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta

AndroBoy
Sep 6
2 min read

DuckDuckGo, the top privacy-focused search engine, has beefed up its premium subscription offering by merging some of the leading artificial intelligence models on the market today. The subscription, formerly named Privacy Pro, is now stronger than ever with the addition of AI utilities from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta.

With this update, subscribers can access AI models such as OpenAI’s GPT-4o and GPT-5, Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4, and Meta’s Llama Maverick through the dedicated Duck.ai platform. This marks a significant shift for DuckDuckGo, which has traditionally been focused solely on privacy, now offering premium users tools that combine AI productivity with online safety.

One of the largest positives of this update is that DuckDuckGo has left the subscription cost alone. Users will still be paying $9.99 per month or $99 per year for the service. Even as the company has rolled out powerful new AI capabilities, the platform has declined to raise prices, leaving the offer incredibly competitive among AI subscription plans.

Alongside the AI models, the subscription still includes the core Privacy Pro features such as:

Virtual Private Network (VPN) for anonymous browsing
Personal Information Removal to help users eliminate exposed data from online databases
Identity Theft Restoration services in case of security breaches

This bundle makes the subscription one of the most well-rounded privacy and AI packages on the market.

With the current pricing retained for the time being, DuckDuckGo has made suggestions that it might introduce more expensive subscription tiers in the near future. These future tiers will likely open up the use of even more sophisticated AI models and potentially introduce features beyond those available under the $9.99 plan.

For users who extensively use AI for employment, content production, or general productivity, this may translate to having access to state-of-the-art tools without compromising online privacy a synergy that few providers are offering today.

DuckDuckGo also emphasized that integration of AI is completely voluntary. Those who want to retain the classic, AI-free way of browsing can turn off Duck.ai features within their settings. On both desktop and mobile platforms, buttons and options for AI can be kept out of sight.

As a result, the service remains faithful to DuckDuckGo's central promise: user control and privacy first. What this implies is that consumers who desire the enhanced services of sophisticated AI can choose to opt in, but those that only require privacy and security without the interference of AI won't see their experience hindered.

DuckDuckGo's move to merge privacy features with AI technology is strategic. The search engine has always been a safer option than Google, and now that AI is thrown into the mix, it can attract more people who are looking for innovation and privacy.

By providing access to top-tier AI models while preserving rigorous privacy guidelines, DuckDuckGo is positioning itself as a standout in an increasingly crowded market where both AI and privacy are top-tier features in demand. With the company continuing to grow and change, it's obvious that DuckDuckGo is no longer simply a privacy-focused search engine it's emerging as a privacy and AI giant.