It doesn’t sound as good as Google it!, right? Yes, it’s true; but it’s just a matter of sounds because searching into the web with Ecosia is actually much better than with the other search engines, and I explain you why.

The one major difference is that Ecosia uses the profit maken from our searches to plant trees, based on their specific tree planting projects.

How does Ecosia make money?

Just like any other search engine, Ecosia shows ads next to its search results, so called EcoAds. Every time you click on one of these ads, they are paid by their partner Microsoft Bing for having directed users to their advertisers. Ecosia then uses at least 80 percent of its profits from said search ad income to plant trees.

Note: EcoAds appear for all kinds of products and services — not just the sustainable ones. The designation EcoAd only means that a few cents per click are donated to Ecosia.

How much do they earn per click on an ad?

How much they earn per click on an ad strongly varies, depending on the competition on the key word and the value of what is being advertised. Some search terms like “credit”, “bank account” or “solar panel” come with more lucrative ads than for example “chocolate” or “sticky notes”. This is due to the fact that for example solar panels tend to be more expensive than chocolate and a bank account will be lucrative for the provider for a longer time, whereas not many people sign contracts for a ten-year supply of sticky notes.

A click on one of the more lucrative keyword ads may finance multiple trees at a time, others may finance a fraction. Taken into account that not every Ecosia user clicks on an ad every time they search, Ecosia states that they earn an average of 0.5 cents (Euro) per search.

How much money do they use to support tree planting programs?

This depends on – you probably guessed it – clicks on ads. During some months, especially in summer when people spend less time searching the web and rather go for a swim or doze in the sun, the net revenue may be a little lower, whereas in winter, especially close to Christmas when many people order presents, Ecosia revenue might peak.

As a proof of transparency, Ecosia publishes its monthly financial and business reports.

So, does one search finance one new tree?

Not quite, it takes a little more than that to finance one new tree. But here’s the calculation: Ecosia earns an average of 0.5 cents (EUR) per search. It costs Ecosia’s tree planting partners about 0.22 EUR to plant a tree. 22 cents divided by 0.5 cents makes about 45 searches until they can plant one new tree. Depending on clicks on ads and how much search ad revenue these generate for Ecosia, it may take a lot less searches though.

What is the search counter all about? And, do I contribute to the planting, even if I don't click on ads?

The counter in the top right corner of your Ecosia searching page counts your searches, all of which contribute to the tree planting. Here you can find out more about how the personal counter works. It’s worth to note that in case you are using an ad blocker or you never click on ads, you still contribute to the movement by increasing the number of Ecosia’s users. The more monthly active users Ecosia has, the more relevant it becomes to advertisers.
You can use Ecosia on your desktop, laptop or on your mobile.

In addition, it’s good to know that if you search with Ecosia you not only get quality results (search technology from Bing enhanced with Ecosia’s own algorithms), your privacy is also respected since Ecosia doesn’t sell your data to advertisers and have no third party trackers, unlike most other search engines. I am personally using Ecosia as my main search engine for about two months and, so far, I am very satisfied with its results. Originally, i used to compare what came out from Ecosia with the results from Google until i stopped doing it when i realized it was useless. Ecosia provides me with what I am looking for as easily as Google would do.
Last but not least, while searching with Ecosia we also help the environment and many communities all over the world contributing to the Ecosia tree planting programs, which means less CO₂ in the air, more sustainable jobs, educational opportunities, healthier people and environmental security for local communities. So, why not?

ATTENTION: This article is not sponsored. Responses to your comments are not monitored by Ecosia, they are monitored completely by the Habits Team and are taken into consideration for any modification necessary to this article.