Ecosia — Free, privacy-respecting search engine and Chromium browser from Berlin that funds tree planting and climate projects with ad revenue.
By Noahlast updated
Ecosia screenshots & video
Ecosia in 20 seconds
Best for: users who want a free default search engine that funds reforestation with ad revenue
Pricing: Free, with no paid tier; funded by a Bing/Microsoft Advertising revenue-sharing partnership.
- Ecosia is free with no paid tier.
- Ecosia was founded in Berlin in 2009.
- Ecosia funds tree planting through a Bing/Microsoft Advertising revenue-sharing partnership.
- Ecosia reports funding over 230 million trees planted as of 2025.
Limitations: Search results are delivered via a Bing partnership rather than an independent index.; No per-query breakdown of tree-planting funding.; Standalone Ecosia browser (2024) has a smaller feature set than established browsers.
Top alternatives: Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Brave Search — full list
What is Ecosia?
Ecosia is a search engine that donates the bulk of its advertising profit to tree-planting and climate projects instead of paying it out to shareholders. Search results and ads are delivered through a revenue-sharing partnership with Bing and Microsoft Advertising, and Ecosia reports its financial results publicly rather than treating them as a trade secret. Founded in Berlin in 2009, Ecosia restructured in 2018 so that its founders surrendered profit-taking rights to the nonprofit Purpose Foundation, meaning the company cannot be sold for shareholder profit even though it remains a for-profit GmbH. Beyond the core search engine, Ecosia ships browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge, a standalone Chromium-based desktop browser launched in April 2024, and mobile apps for iOS and Android. The product is entirely free with no subscription tier; Ecosia's business model depends on high-intent search-ad clicks rather than user payments or data resale.
Ecosia is a free search engine, founded in Berlin in 2009, that runs search ads through a revenue-sharing partnership with Bing and Microsoft Advertising and puts the profits toward reforestation and climate projects rather than shareholder returns; the company reported about EUR43.2 million in 2025 revenue. Ecosia is available as a website, browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge, a proprietary Chromium-based desktop browser launched in 2024, and iOS and Android apps. Since converting in 2018 to a structure that hands profit-taking rights to the nonprofit Purpose Foundation, Ecosia says it has funded over 230 million trees planted as of 2025. There is no paid tier; the entire product is free to use.
Standout feature: Search-ad profits fund tree planting and climate projects directly, with Ecosia reporting over 230 million trees funded as of 2025 and publishing its financial results.
Biggest weakness: Search results are delivered through a Bing/Microsoft Advertising partnership rather than an independent index, so result quality and coverage track Bing's rather than a purpose-built search index, and Ecosia does not publish a per-query breakdown of how much of any given search funds tree planting.
Pros
- Entirely free with no subscription tier or paywalled features.
- Ad revenue funds tree planting and climate projects rather than shareholder payouts.
- Available as a website, browser extensions, a standalone Chromium browser, and iOS/Android apps.
- Publishes its financial results and tree-planting counts publicly rather than keeping them private.
Cons
- Search results are sourced through a revenue-sharing partnership with Bing rather than an independent index.
- No enterprise or advanced privacy tier; the product is a single free offering for all users.
- The standalone Ecosia browser is a newer 2024 product with a smaller feature set than established browsers like Chrome or Firefox.
- As a for-profit GmbH, Ecosia's tree-planting funding depends on continued ad revenue, which fluctuates with search ad market conditions.
Ecosia pricing
Free
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ecosia | Free | Free search engine, browser extension, desktop browser, and mobile apps; funded through a Bing/Microsoft Advertising revenue-sharing agreement, not user payments. |
What reviewers say
No third-party review scores on file yet.