I might be wrong, but they meta-search across multiple providers, including their own. The real benefit is that YOU can choose which search subjects to prioritize when trying to find something specific.
For normal search stuff, this feels like “old Google” (no ai spam). For detailed searching, its better than any other engine I’ve used.
If you’re thinking of something like $1-2/month, also consider doing a 30 dollar 1 time thing (it saves on transaction fees) and you basically just paid for 2-3 years of donations.