apiCommonsPlansVersion: '0.1'
provider: duckduckgo
url: https://duckduckgo.com/
last_verified: '2026-05-23'
sources:
  - https://duckduckgo.com/api
  - https://duck.ai/
  - https://spreadprivacy.com/duckduckgos-new-pro-plan/
  - https://spreadprivacy.com/ai-subscription-expansion/
notes: >-
  DuckDuckGo's search engine, browser, !bangs, Email Protection, Tracker
  Radar dataset, and the public Instant Answer API are all free of charge.
  The paid surface is the Duck.ai chat tiers (Plus, Pro) and Privacy Pro
  (VPN + PIR + ITR). Specific dollar amounts and SKUs vary by region and
  evolve; this file records the plan shape rather than locked-in prices.
plans:
  - id: instant-answer-api-free
    name: Instant Answer API
    audience: developer
    pricing:
      currency: USD
      type: free
      cost: 0
    features:
      - free
      - no API key required
      - JSON / JSON-P / XML
      - attribution to DuckDuckGo required when results are displayed
    rate_limits:
      documented: false
      guidance: throttle conservatively, cache responses
  - id: duck-ai-free
    name: Duck.ai (Free)
    audience: end-user
    pricing:
      currency: USD
      type: free
      cost: 0
    features:
      - anonymous proxy to third-party LLMs
      - models include Claude 4.5 Haiku, GPT-4o mini, GPT-5 mini, gpt-oss-120b, Llama 4 Scout, Mistral Small 3 24B
      - chat history stored locally only
  - id: duck-ai-plus
    name: Duck.ai Plus
    audience: end-user
    pricing:
      currency: USD
      type: subscription
      published_amount: see https://duck.ai/
    features:
      - free-tier models
      - Claude Sonnet 4.5, GPT-4o, GPT-5.2, Llama 4 Maverick
      - higher usage limits than Free
  - id: duck-ai-pro
    name: Duck.ai Pro
    audience: end-user
    pricing:
      currency: USD
      type: subscription
      published_amount: see https://duck.ai/
    features:
      - all Plus models
      - Claude Opus 4.6
      - higher reasoning effort
      - 2x usage limits vs Plus
  - id: privacy-pro
    name: Privacy Pro
    audience: end-user
    pricing:
      currency: USD
      type: subscription
      published_amount: see https://duckduckgo.com/privacy-pro
    features:
      - DuckDuckGo VPN
      - Personal Information Removal
      - Identity Theft Restoration
      - 7-day free trial (per Aug 2025 announcement)
      - regional availability (primarily US at launch)
  - id: email-protection-free
    name: Email Protection
    audience: end-user
    pricing:
      currency: USD
      type: free
      cost: 0
    features:
      - "@duck.com forwarding addresses"
      - strips trackers from inbound email before delivery