Startpage Privacy Protection

Name: Startpage Privacy Protection
Rating: 4.4769 (65 reviews)
Author: Startpage

By installing the free Startpage Privacy Protection extension you will be able to stop trackers and cookies and set Startpage as your default search engine.

Download

Install Compare

Startpage Privacy Protection is a free Chrome extension that empowers you to browse the web securely and privately. By setting Startpage as your default search engine, it ensures your searches are never saved, sold, or used for profiling. The extension automatically blocks trackers and cookies, preventing advertisers and third parties from monitoring your online activity.

Beyond search privacy, Startpage Privacy Protection evaluates each website's privacy with a unique scoring system, overrides social media tracking with click-to-activate features, sends a global privacy control signal, and prevents browser fingerprinting. Its user-friendly interface gives you control to toggle tracking settings easily, making it simple to protect your digital footprint every time you surf the web. Quick exit functionality through pressing the esc key four times adds an extra layer of security for sensitive browsing.

Add-on Privacy & Security Productivity AI

By:

Daily users:

Rating:

Version:

1.1.7 Last updated: 2023-03-08

Version code:

5532494

Creation date:

2021-04-20

Risk:

Permissions:

webRequest
webRequestBlocking
https://www.startpage.com/*
tabs
http://*/*
https://*/*
webNavigation
search
storage
cookies

Size:

4.04MB

Email:

su*****@startpage.com

URLs:

Website ,Privacy policy

Full description:

Source:

Firefox Add-ons Store

Data ingested on:

2025-07-20

Setup email notification for Startpage Privacy Protection

Ranking

# 354 ▼ 1

Other rankings

#35 in Search Tools

#88 in Privacy & Security ▼ 2

#3 in start page keyword 43

#4 in live start page keyword 21

#5 in privacy keyword 46

Upgrade to see more rankings

Other platforms

Startpage Privacy Protection (v1.1.5)

98,599 4.40

(45)

User reviews

Users appreciate Startpage Privacy Protection for providing a clean, privacy-focused search experience with less bias and fewer ads, helping reduce tracking and resource usage. However, multiple users report issues with the extension blocking captchas, causing slower page loads, and having an intrusive 'Escape Route' feature. Some are concerned about limited updates and internal analytics potentially compromising privacy. Overall, it is seen as effective but with notable usability and transparency drawbacks.

Pros

Provides privacy-focused search experience with less advertising and tracking compared to major search engines.
Offers less biased and more unique search results, enhancing search quality.
User interface is simple, clean, and easy to use without distractions.
Helps reduce computer resource usage by limiting unwanted ads and trackers.
Works as intended for general use without major functional issues reported by many users.

Cons

Blocks some captcha services (e.g., Arkose Labs), breaking functionality on certain websites.
Causes delays in page loading times, leading to user frustration.
Escape Route feature (activated by pressing Esc multiple times) is annoying and not clearly useful to some users.
Extension may inject internal analytics content, raising concerns about tracking within the add-on.
Lack of updates and documentation leaves some users uneasy about ongoing support and transparency.

Recent reviews

by Bu*****, 2025-05-18

by An*****, 2025-04-16

by Fi*****, 2025-03-25

View all user reviews ›

Extension safety

Risk impact

Risk impact measures the level of extra permissions an extension has access to. A low risk impact extension cannot do much harms, whereas a high risk impact extension can do a lot of damage like stealing your password, bypassing your security settings, and accessing your personal data. High risk impact extensions are not necessarily malicious. However, if they do turn malicious, they can be very harmful.

Startpage Privacy Protection requires a lot of sensitive permissions. Exercise caution before installing.

Risk impact analysis details

Critical Grants access to browser tabs, which can be used to track user browsing habits and history, presenting a privacy concern.
Critical ****** ****** ** *** ********* ****** * *********** ******** **** ** ** *** ******* *** ****** **** **** *** ******* *****
Critical ******* ****** ** *** ********* ******** ********************
High ****** *** ********* ** ******* *** ******* ******* ** ****** *** *** ******** ******
High ****** ********* ** * ****** ******** ******** ********** * ******* ******* *****
High *** ****** ****** ********** ***** ***** ******** ******** ** ********* ****** ****** ******** *****
High ******* ******* **** *** ****** ***** *** ***** ** ******* **** ********* ********* ** * *********** *****
High *** ****** ******* ********* ***** ** ******** *** ********** **** ********

Risk likelihood

Risk likelihood measures the probability that a Firefox add-on may turn malicious. This is determined by the publisher and the Firefox add-on reputation on Firefox Add-ons Store, the amount of time the Firefox add-on has been around, and other signals about the Firefox add-on. Our algorithms are not perfect, and are subject to change as we discover new ways to detect malicious extensions. We recommend that you always exercise caution when installing a Firefox add-on.

Startpage Privacy Protection has earned a fairly good reputation and likely can be trusted.

Risk likelihood analysis details

Medium This extension has medium user count. Unpopular extensions may not be stable or safe.
Low **** ********* *** ******* **** **** * ****** **** ***** ******** *** **** ****** ** ** ****** *** *****
Low **** ********* *** ***** **** **** * ****** **** ***** ********** *** **** ****** ** ** ****** *** *****
Good **** ********* *** **** **** *******

Upgrade to see full risk analysis details

Instantly check and monitor your browser extensions' risks and permissions with Extension Guard.