Comparison of the New Encrypted Voice Chat DuckDuckGo With ChatGPT and Gemini.
While OpenAI pushes ads on its free users, DuckDuckGo’s Duck.ai portal takes a different approach. Duck.ai is an AI chatbot that prioritizes privacy and doesn’t use your data for training, yet still provides answers based on popular models, including those from OpenAI. Their data protection feature goes even further. DuckDuckGo removes all personal metadata (such as your location and IP address) before asking the AI model questions and doesn’t share any information about you or your device. Your questions, nor DuckDuckGo’s answers, are never used to train the AI.
Since its launch in 2024, the portal has only offered a chatbot interface, but now DuckDuckGo has added a voice mode . Instead of reading long and confusing responses, the AI responds with short, concise snippets that match your query. Duck.ai’s version competes with similar solutions from companies like OpenAI and Google, and it’s free—although DuckDuckGo subscribers are offered extended limits.
How Duck.ai Voice Chat Works
Duck.ai voice chat is an optional feature. What’s more, you can use it even without a DuckDuckGo account. To try it out, go to the Duck.ai portal, then select the voice chat option in the sidebar and enable it for your account.
Now, when you click the “New Voice Chat” button in the sidebar, the Duck.ai bot will appear. You can start speaking, and the bot will respond. Like ChatGPT or Gemini, this is a continuous voice chat, so you don’t need to perform any actions to ask follow-up questions. You can also interrupt the AI’s response to add clarification or ask additional questions.
While text prompts allow you to choose models (including OpenAI’s ChatGPT 5-mini), it’s not entirely clear what exactly powers the voice chat . DuckDuckGo claims to use an OpenAI model, but doesn’t specify which one.
When it comes to AI-powered voice chats, ChatGPT remains the leader.
Of course, the main question is how Duck.ai’s voice chat compares to Gemini and ChatGPT. While Duck.ai is on par with Gemini and ChatGPT in general terms, it falls short when it comes to breaking news. I asked all three services the same questions, and while some of the answers were similar, ChatGPT’s voice mode offers the best overall user experience.
I tested the voice chat features by asking three different types of questions. First, I asked about the upcoming Samsung S26 series; second, we talked about the Roman Empire; and finally, I asked for advice on how to get started with programming.
When it comes to questions about news, like the Samsung S26 release, DuckDuckGo’s limitations become immediately apparent. Sometimes it flatly refuses to answer, claiming its deadline for information is 2023. Other times, it gives vague answers about the upcoming event, suggesting checking news sites for the most up-to-date information. When asked for more details, such as when the event will take place or what rumors are circulating around it, it again falls back on its deadline excuse.
However, the ChatGPT app provided me with a detailed response, including all the latest rumors and articles for further information—basically, what you’d expect from an AI assistant. Gemini Live provided shorter, albeit accurate, answers than ChatGPT. I was able to get more detailed information from Gemini in plain text mode, which reads the results out loud if you ask questions using the “Microphone” button, but this defeats the purpose of voice messaging.
Duck.ai didn’t fare much better when I asked a question about the Roman Empire. I asked for a brief overview of the topic, then interrupted him to simply ask who the last emperor was. He answered correctly (Romulus Augustulus), and his overview was decent, but he lacked details about the transition period and precise dates.
Once again, ChatGPT gave me a much more detailed response (as shown in the screenshot below). Gemini Live’s response, however, was devoid of any real dates or meaning. The microphone mode provided more detail, but Google’s voice mode was quite limited.
Duck.ai performed better when I asked it about programming training. It used a very similar script to ChatGPT and Gemini, suggesting I learn Python and even providing the same learning resources (like freeCodeCamp and Harvard CS50 courses).
Gemini Live, however, proved to be an exception, asking clarifying questions about what I wanted to build or practice. He then modified his answers based on my project ideas (switching from Python to JavaScript as the first language I should learn for building web projects). ChatGPT provided a general overview, again focusing on Python, and elaborated on the barrier to mastering the language when I asked for more information.
Duck.ai’s voice chat feature is a mixed bag. It may be fast, doesn’t use personal information, and allows for conversation interruptions. However, its limited knowledge base and inability to provide detailed responses make it difficult to recommend. For the most convenient voice experience, ChatGPT remains the best option. While DuckDuckGo has the advantage in terms of privacy, you can always use ChatGPT while logged in or in temporary mode to limit the amount of data you share with OpenAI.