I read most of the article and I’m inclined to agree with what they say. The title does read as clickbait though but it’s just their statement so please read it for yourselves.

This has been my default for a couple years now. Qwant search is ok at best but I mainly use it because I wanted an EU alternative with some privacy. As for Vivaldi I think its great, and especially with an OISD list with the built in blocker.