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Ecosia

by Ecosia · 🇩🇪 Germany

Ecosia is a search engine run from Berlin under a steward-ownership structure: its shares cannot be sold at a profit and no profits can be taken out of the company. It shows ads because they generate the income it uses to fund tree-planting and climate projects, and it publishes donation receipts and business reports monthly. Search results and the ads beside them are supplied by Microsoft Bing and Google; EUSP, the European index Ecosia is building with Qwant in Paris, currently serves results in France only. Ecosia has been a certified B Corporation since 2014.

Visit Ecosia →Free

A European alternative to Google Search, Bing.

How the EU-ness score breaks down

Each criterion is worth a fixed number of points, multiplied by how good the evidence is and how recently it was checked. Read the full rubric.

  • Where it is built

    Unverified0 / 20 pts

    Developed in Germany

    Recorded but not yet checked against a source, so it earns no points.

  • Data hosting

    Unverified0 / 20 pts

    Data hosted in Germany

    Recorded but not yet checked against a source, so it earns no points.

  • Company headquarters

    Verified15 / 15 pts

    Headquartered in Germany

    • ecosia.org · producer · checked 2026-07-29

      “13347 Berlin, Germany”

  • Ownership & control

    Disputed0 / 20 pts

    EU foundation, cooperative or non-profit

    • companies.ecosia.org · producer · checked 2026-07-29

      “It has a distinctive structure in that the majority of its shares are owned by an external non-profit organization called the Purpose Foundation.”

    • purpose-economy.org · third party · checked 2026-07-29

      “No one in or outside the company holds economic rights to Ecosia.”

  • Legal jurisdiction

    Verified6 / 15 pts

    Partial exposure to non-EU jurisdiction

    • ecosia.org · producer · checked 2026-07-29

      “Your IP address and search terms are automatically shared with our search partners, Microsoft Bing or Google, when you search.”

    • ecosia.org · producer · checked 2026-07-29

      “If data is transferred to the USA as part of the use of our services, this is done on the basis of the standard contractual clauses of the EU Commission.”

  • Underlying infrastructure

    Verified0 / 10 pts

    Microsoft Bing and Google for results and ads; EUSP index in France only — non-European provider

    • support.ecosia.org · producer · checked 2026-07-29

      “Search results and related ads on Ecosia come from our partners Microsoft Bing, Google and EUSP (European Search Perspective).”

    • support.ecosia.org · producer · checked 2026-07-29

      “While Bing results are available to all users, Google results are only available in specific regions and browsers, EUSP is currently only available in France.”

    • support.ecosia.org · producer · checked 2026-07-29

      “EUSP (European Search Perspective) is a search index built by Ecosia and Qwant, based in Paris.”

Documented quality

Not a review score. These are things a maker either publishes and commits to, or does not — warranty length, spare parts, certifications, support windows.

  • Open source

    Not documented0 / 20 pts

    Can the code be inspected and self-hosted?

  • Data portability

    Not documented0 / 15 pts

    Can you export your data in an open format and leave?

  • Independent certification

    Verified8 / 30 pts

    Certified B Corporation

    • bcorporation.net · certifier · checked 2026-07-29

      “Certified Since April 2014”

    • support.ecosia.org · producer · checked 2026-07-29

      “In April 2014 Ecosia becomes Germany’s first certified Benefit Corporation (B. Corp) as recognized by B Lab, the Skoll Award- winning certification body.”

  • Support & maintenance

    Not documented0 / 15 pts

    How long are updates and security fixes guaranteed?

Certifications

  • Certified B Corporation

    Issued by B Lab

Where it comes from

Designed inUnverified
Germany
Developed inUnverified
Germany
Data hosted inUnverified
Germany

Who is behind it

Berlin search engine that spends its advertising profits on tree planting. The company is held under a steward-ownership structure that prevents its shares being sold at a profit or profits being taken out, though sources differ on how much of it the Purpose Foundation actually holds.

Legal entity
Ecosia GmbH
Founded
2009
Headquarters
GermanyVerified

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