What is Duck.ai?
Duck.ai is DuckDuckGo's private AI chat that gives anonymous access to models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Mistral without training on your chats. It is built into DuckDuckGo search and browsers and also works on its own at duck.ai. The free version needs no account and includes models such as Claude Haiku 4.5, GPT-5.4 mini and nano, Mistral Small and open-source models hosted by Tinfoil.
The difference from ChatGPT or Claude is the privacy layer. DuckDuckGo proxies requests so model providers do not see your IP address, says it does not store prompts or use them for training, and keeps recent chats only on your device. Chats can be pinned or wiped with the Fire Button. People use it for quick questions, drafting, summarizing and coding help when they do not want an account tied to their prompts.
Main Features
- Lets you chat with several AI models without creating an account.
- Removes your IP address before requests reach model providers.
- Stores recent chats locally on your device instead of on servers.
- Deletes chats with the Fire Button when you clear browsing data.
- Pins up to five chats for quick access.
- Supports voice chat and image generation.
- Unlocks larger models such as Claude Sonnet and Opus with a paid subscription.
How to Get Started with Duck.ai
- Go to duck.ai or open the AI chat tab in DuckDuckGo search.
- Accept the terms and choose a model from the model picker.
- Type or speak your question and start chatting.
- Subscribe to DuckDuckGo Plus or Pro if you want access to larger models.
Duck.ai Pricing
Duck.ai is free with a set of smaller models and daily usage limits, and no sign-up is needed. DuckDuckGo Plus costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year and adds advanced models plus a VPN and identity tools. Pro costs $19.99 per month or $199.99 per year and adds the largest models and double the Plus usage limits.
Who Should Use It?
- Privacy-minded users who do not want chats tied to an account.
- DuckDuckGo search and browser users.
- Students and workers who want quick answers from several models.
- People comparing GPT, Claude and Mistral side by side.
- Anyone who wants AI chat bundled with a VPN subscription.
Duck.ai Alternatives
- Lumo: Proton's encrypted assistant for privacy users
- T3 Chat: more models and branching chats for a low monthly fee
- Perplexity: better for cited web research answers
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Duck.ai free?
Yes, Duck.ai is free to use with several models and no account. A DuckDuckGo Plus or Pro subscription unlocks larger models and higher limits.
Is Duck.ai private?
Yes, Duck.ai is designed to be private. DuckDuckGo hides your IP address from model providers, says chats are not used for training, and stores recent chats only on your device.
Which models does Duck.ai use?
The free tier includes models from Anthropic, OpenAI and Mistral plus open-source models. Paid plans add larger models such as Claude Sonnet, Claude Opus and newer GPT models.
Duck.ai vs ChatGPT: which is better?
Duck.ai is better if privacy and no account matter most, while ChatGPT has more features such as memory, file uploads and custom GPTs. Many people use Duck.ai for quick private questions and ChatGPT for longer projects.