What users hate. Clustered.

1- and 2-star reviews grouped into themes with verbatim examples. Each cluster is a wedge a competitor could exploit.

26 reviews·8 themes

False advertising on ad blocking
Users report that the app does not actually block ads despite claiming to do so, leading to frustration with privacy expectations.
4
reviews
- “Does not block ads — They claim ad blocking which is completely false.”
- “OK, But Doesn’t Block Ads — Startpage does OK with privacy but I can get the same or better privacy from Brave browser and Brave blocks intrusive and unwanted ads from bothering me.”
Unwanted generative AI integration
Multiple users express disappointment and moral concern over the addition of AI features (e.g., 'PrivateAI') in a browser marketed as AI-free and privacy-focused.
7
reviews
- “Please remove generative AI. — I originally switched to Startpage on my browser because I was searching for ANY search engine that was both private, and devoid of AI integration of any kind.”
- “AI is not private. — I have been using startpage on my desktop for the longest time specifically because it’s the one search engine I know that hasn’t fallen for the AI grift. What do I see when going onto their iOS app? A big sparkly icon with a “””””private”””
- “Still Using Generative AI…. Sighs — For an app that promotes itself as one that doesn’t use AI…. I was quite alarmed to see on the home page of the search engine to “Ask PrivateAI””
Persistent data and history retention
Users report that browsing history, cookies, and web data are not properly cleared even after using 'zap' or clearing private data, undermining privacy claims.
5
reviews
- “Keeps history — Keeps history even when page is burned. Must be manually cleared and there is no setting to change that.”
- “Clearing web data does not remove search histoy — Dissatisfied with the privacy level when using as a Safari "web app" from the home screen. Clearing web data in Safari does not remove the web data encountered when searching with Startpage (Amazon remembers everything I search, so clearing”
- “Good, but zapping/clearing data has a bug! — The app is still using 100+ MB under "Documents & Data" section under this app in my iPad Storage (and on iPhone Storage as well as well). I tried zapping, clearing private data from app settings and force killing the app with no luck to br”
Crashes and instability
Several users report frequent crashes, sometimes daily, even with minimal tabs open, raising concerns about app reliability and potential malware.
4
reviews
- “CRASHES may have malware — Everyday this app crashes. They tell me sorry. Need to fix this app so it never crashes. Malware maybe or a virus.”
- “Crashes — Uninstalled. Unfortunately it crashes constantly with only 3 tabs open.”
- “Everyday this app crashes.”
Poor performance and loading issues
Users report that images and pages fail to load, returning blank screens or broken content, rendering the app unusable.
3
reviews
- “Images and pages don't load — I get a standard about:blank return. This is unusable :(”
- “Images: will not save — I wanted to move to this as my default, but this bug left me no choice but to delete.”
Inadequate privacy protections
Users observe that location data is still being used despite privacy settings, IP addresses are exposed, and ads appear based on user behavior, contradicting privacy promises.
4
reviews
- “Not better than safari; easy test to prove it: — For both safari and startpage browsers, visit the "whatsmyip" website to see if your ip address is hidden. In safari it is hidden; but in startpage it is not. Therefore, the safari browser is more private.”
- “Privacy? Really? — I was happy to see that a browser was available. But the first site I went to using the browser and a start page search served me ads based on my location—even though location data was off. No thanks. I’ll stick with Firefox.”
- “Just Like Other Browsers — I made one search for a name used in a novel and got nothing but a list of businesses. Also, it gave nearby businesses, so, evidently, your location is used.”
UI/UX design flaws and lack of customization
Users criticize the unintuitive interface, tab management issues, inability to customize dark mode, and missing controls like cookie deletion.
5
reviews
- “Unintuitive UI — The UI is unnecessarily different from other browsers. For example, it constantly rearranges tabs based on which one you last opened, which makes it impossible to keep track of tabs. This alone makes it very frustrating to use.”
- “Night mode not supported — This browser does what it promises to do. However, night mode is a must for me. While a dark theme is supported, I need to surf the web without the bright white or blue webpage backgrounds. I need black webpage backgrounds with white text.”
- “Lack of controls — No ability to delete cookies or anything”
Search quality and algorithmic concerns
Users believe the search results are no better than other engines, often inferior (e.g., Bing), and lack originality or meaningful differentiation.
3
reviews
- “No different than other search engines — Same sites to get info. Probably use same algorithm. Nothing new year just rebranding differently.”
- “Allow users to choose between Google and Bing Search Results — I was really excited when Startpage relaunched their iOS app, as I had used their private search engine on the web for years. However, the new app has been a major disappointment. The key issues are: 1. Bing search results are inferior to”

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