Group Test

Search and enjoy: 7 search toolbars reviewed

Ben Patterson CNET

Published: 07 Jan 2005

If you're still going to the Google or Yahoo home page to do Web searches, you're missing half the fun -- and you're unnecessarily exerting your fingers. Toolbar plug-ins for Microsoft's Internet Explorer -- and now Firefox -- make it easy and fast to look up Web references without having to type in another URL.

The latest search toolbars also run specific, targeted searches for news, weather and stock quotes. They highlight search terms on a Web page so that you can find them quickly. They also block annoying pop-up windows that keep littering your desktop, and some track your Web history, index and search your email, translate Web pages and keep track of your bookmarks -- even when you're working on a different PC.

We tested seven toolbars from the biggest search engines on the Web: A9, AltaVista, Ask Jeeves, Google, HotBot, MSN and Yahoo. We tried out their features, evaluated their design and even tested their search hits and relevancy. Finally, we picked a winner: Yahoo. Compare each search bar's features below, then see our full search performance comparison.

Search toolbars compared
	A9 Toolbar	AltaVista Toolbar	Ask Jeeves Toolbar	Google Toolbar	HotBot Deskbar	MSN Toolbar	Yahoo Toolbar

Editors' Rating	7.3	7.0	6.3	8.3	7.0	6.7	8.3

Works with
Internet Explorer	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Firefox	x			x
Specific searches
Web	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Search current site	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Web history	x				x
Files					x
Email					x
News		x	x	x	3	x	x
Weather			x		3
Stock market			x	x	3	x	x
Images	x	x	x	x	3		x
Dictionary			x	x	x	x	x
White/Yellow Pages					3	x	x
Shopping	x		x	x	x	x	x
Scroll-through results	x		1
Highlight search results	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Pop-up blocker
Pop-up blocker	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Disable		x	x	x		x	x
Allow for a domain			x	x	x	x	x
View a blocked pop-up				2			x
Other features
Post to a blog				x
Anti-spyware utility							x
Translate a page		x		x			x
View bookmarks from any PC	x						x
RSS feeds					x
Page info	x			x

1. Can scroll through results on the Ask Jeeves frame above a Web page search result
2. Must Ctrl+click a link to see a blocked pop-up
3. Can set up custom searches for these categories

1 2

Yahoo Toolbar

Editors Choice Complete with scores of options, a wide variety of specific types of searches, one-touch access to Yahoo bookmarks and services, a killer spyware utility and a pop-up blocker that goes the extra mile, Yahoo Toolbar deserves a place on your Web browser. [07 Jan 2005]

Product	Date	Editors' Rating	Readers' Rating
A9 Toolbar	[07 Jan 2005]	7.3
AltaVista Toolbar	[07 Jan 2005]	6.7
Ask Jeeves Toolbar	[07 Jan 2005]	6.3	10.0
Google Toolbar	[07 Jan 2005]	8.3	10.0
HotBot Deskbar	[07 Jan 2005]	7.0
MSN Toolbar	[07 Jan 2005]	6.0
Product	Date	Editors' Rating	Readers' Rating