DuckDuckGo has long been a great option for those who want to search the web without using Google, by far the dominant force in search out there over the last couple of decades. It's even had a mobile browser for some time, for the privacy-conscious.

Now, though, it's realising an ambition to branch out in the world of desktop browsers with a real competitor for the likes of Google Chrome and Firefox. It's releasing its new browser, at first on Mac with a Windows version to follow.

It shared a look at the browser at the end of 2021, so this isn't a surprise, but it's good news for those who want to be confident that their data isn't being too wilfully harvested as they browse the web.

The browser will priorities HTTPS versions of websites where it can for enhanced security, and has tools to help you block trackers, and the ability to completely wipe your browser's data clean with a single button.

It'll also store your history, bookmarks and passwords entirely locally so that nothing could potentially be accessed online. One feature we like the sound of will automatically try to reject cookie consent pop-ups with as few cookies allowed as possible, so that you don't have to constantly deal with them - it should work on around half of all websites at first, apparently.

If there's one bit of bad news here it's that you can't just go and download the browser to try it out. For now, it's available by invite only, although you can sign up for the waiting list through the DuckDuckGo mobile app by going to settings and tapping on the DuckDuckGo for Desktop option on the lastest version.