What is Ecosia?
Ecosia is a Berlin-based search engine with a mission: use the profits from search advertising to plant trees around the world. Since its founding in 2009, Ecosia has planted over 200 million trees across biodiversity hotspots in Africa, South America, Southeast Asia, and Europe. The search engine donates 80% of its surplus revenue to tree-planting organizations. Ecosia's servers run on 100% renewable energy, and the company publishes monthly financial reports showing exactly how much money goes to trees. Search results come from Bing or Google's indexes depending on your preferences and location, ensuring relevant results while you contribute to fighting climate change with every search.
Key Features
- ✓Plants trees with advertising revenue
- ✓Over 200 million trees planted
- ✓100% renewable energy powered servers
- ✓CO2 neutral (and then some – it's CO2 negative)
- ✓80% of profits go to reforestation
- ✓Monthly financial transparency reports
- ✓Search results from Bing/Google indexes
- ✓Browser extensions for easy switching
- ✓Mobile apps for iOS and Android
- ✓Privacy-respecting search (no selling data)
- ✓Personal tree counter in your account
- ✓Ecosia for Schools and Businesses programs
🔒 Privacy & Data Protection
Ecosia is a German company operating under strict EU data protection regulations. While they do show personalized ads to generate tree-planting revenue, Ecosia does not sell your data to third parties and anonymizes search data within a week. The company does not create personal profiles for advertising purposes. For users prioritizing environmental impact alongside privacy (rather than maximum anonymity), Ecosia provides a meaningful way to contribute to reforestation through everyday searching. As a B Corporation, Ecosia is legally committed to balancing profit with purpose.
Best For
💰 Pricing
Ecosia is completely free to use. The service is funded through search advertising – when you click on ads, Ecosia earns revenue that funds tree planting. You never pay anything, and you contribute to reforestation simply by searching. This makes Ecosia a zero-cost way to fight climate change through your everyday internet use.
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