Report updated Mar 30, 2026
Ecosia: Search to plant trees
v11.7.2Environmentally conscious individuals who want to make a positive climate impact through their daily digital habits.
What Is Ecosia: Search to plant trees?
Launched Jul 26, 2013
Updated Mar 2026
What users think iIndependent intel reports to help builders create better apps or enhance existing ones. Still in beta, accuracy and relevancy get better every day. For informational purposes only.
What does it look like?
What are the key features?
Uses advertising revenue from search queries to fund global tree-planting projects.
Encrypts searches and limits data collection to only what is necessary for delivering results.
Operates on renewable energy, producing twice the electricity required to power searches.
Publishes monthly financial reports detailing income and climate action spending.
Standard mobile web browsing capabilities with integrated search functionality.
Utilizes smaller, energy-efficient AI models to provide accurate answers.
What do users think? iIndependent intel reports to help builders create better apps or enhance existing ones. Still in beta, accuracy and relevancy get better every day. For informational purposes only.
“Recent user voice shows a excited sentiment. Users appreciate environmental mission and google alternative, but report ai integration concerns and account & sign-in issues.”
What Users Love
I love the fact they contribute to the environment, and use renewable energy.
It makes me feel really happy that there are other people out there fighting against ai bs and trying to do good things for our planet!
Def better than Google.
I absolutely cannot see myself using any other browser.
Pain Points
Why does a company that so highly prioritizes ecological renewal and protection, use any of this AI bs at all?
AI uses lots of water.
I’ll sign in and it’ll load but will show up as still guest account.
Everytime I close the app... it signs me out and asks about cookies every time.
High confidence · 99 reviews available
How is it ranked?
| Chart | Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Free | #98 | ▼79 |
What are the pros and cons?
Pros
- Strong brand equity built on a clear, verifiable 'Search to Plant' mission.
- High user trust due to transparent financial reporting and steward-ownership.
- Robust privacy-first architecture that appeals to the anti-big-tech demographic.
Cons
- Persistent technical bugs regarding account persistence and sign-in flows.
- Poor implementation of AI features, leading to user perception of 'greenwashing'.
- Declining sentiment trend and recent drop in category rankings.
What is the market outlook?
Growth Opportunities
- Capitalize on the growing 'ethical tech' movement by doubling down on transparent AI policies.
- Expand community features to allow users to track their personal 'tree count' or impact metrics more granularly.
- Improve UX for the AI-toggle to give users more control, mitigating the 'AI bs' complaints.
Market Threats
- Mainstream search engines (Google/Bing) integrating similar 'green' features or privacy modes.
- Increasing scrutiny on the environmental cost of AI models potentially damaging the brand's core value proposition.
- User churn due to technical instability in the browser experience.
What are the key takeaways?
Ecosia: Search to plant trees is a exciting utilities app that is completely free. With a 4.2/5 rating from 195.2K reviews, it excites its users from users. Users particularly appreciate environmental mission, though ai integration concerns remains a common concern.
Best for: Environmentally conscious individuals who want to make a positive climate impact through their daily digital habits.
How much does it cost?
Model: free
The app is free to use and monetizes through search advertisements, with 100% of profits dedicated to climate action rather than traditional subscription or premium tiers.
iOS Version
11.7.2
Android Version
145.0.7632.45.25
Release Date
Jul 26, 2013
iOS Price
Free
Android Price
Free
Developer
Ecosia GmbH