When Google launched Chrome in 2008 changed the web overnight. Since then, the web browser has become almost unstoppable: Chrome is one of Google’s browsers most powerful data collection tools and the the most dominant browser in the world. Right now, 63% of people use Chrome on their phone, and that number is rising to 67% on computer.

There are other options, though, and Chrome’s list of rival browsers just got a little longer. Today the privacy-conscious company DuckDuckGo launches its first desktop web browser, DuckDuckGo for Mac. The desktop app, which is released in beta, comes years after the company launched its Android and iOS browsers, and it continues its efforts to build a suite of privacy-focused web tools.

Since launching its anti-Google search engine in 2008, DuckDuckGo’s web browser has continued the company’s principle of not collecting your data, says Beah Burger-Lenehan, product manager for the Mac app. “We don’t track our users, that’s our privacy policy,” Burger-Lenehan says.

The browser uses DuckDuckGo’s private search engine as the default option, blocks ad trackers on every site you visit, and shows how many have been blocked. It also includes a built-in option to save passwords and incorporates the company’s recently launched Email Protection, which blocks hidden trackers in the emails you receive. “Everything we build, we want to make it so smooth, simple and easy to understand,” says Burger-Lenehan. “And just to default to the most private, uncompromising thing in this experience.”

In the new browser, this includes one of the Internet’s most annoying experiences: cookie consent pop-ups, which were brought about by the introduction of the GDPR, the landmark EU data privacy law. While browser extensions can help you avoid cookie pop-ups, DuckDuckGo’s browser automates the process. The first time you use the app, you’ll be asked if you want to let it manage any pop-ups that appear. If you give it permission to do so, it will use JavaScript to automatically set cookie preferences on every site you visit and choose options to “maximize privacy”. This means in practice that you do not see cookie pop-ups. “This feature works on about 50% of cookie pop-ups you might encounter,” Burger-Lenehan says, adding that the percentage should increase “significantly” as more people use the beta.

I’ve been trying the DuckDuckGo desktop app for several days and seem to get fewer cookie pop-ups than usual. Using the web is much more pleasant without them. The browser currently has a minimal interface, with few buttons or icons obstructing the view. Performance seems relatively fast. A fire emoji button – familiar to users of DuckDuckGo’s mobile apps – clears cookies and other data with just a few clicks.

Currently, browser deployment is limited. DuckDuckGo’s Mac app is released as a beta that people can access by signing up for a private waiting list, via the company’s mobile application. The beta launch means DuckDuckGo can make changes and fix bugs before its full release. At the moment, it seems that some common browser features are missing. There’s no bookmarks bar for easy access to saved sites or folders, but the company says it’s working on it. There’s also no way to get a detailed history list of all the sites you’ve visited. There are various ways to access your browsing history, including a privacy feed of previously visited websites and autocompletes when you start typing a previously visited site, but these don’t seem comprehensive.