i believe they plan to remove that requirement? at least i know they are trying to use a native wasm<->dom api instead of wasm<->js<->dom, which is slow
startpage is alright if u want a quick alternative.
but definitely look into searx. it can be annoying to choose an instance (unless you self host!), but it can be a lot more customizable and decentralized
have you seen a grizzly bear? those things are huge, and strong. a black bear or something maybe, but no way can people believe their stronger than a grizzly