Ecosia for iPhone

Quick overview

Ecosia is a browser extension and search provider that directs its revenue toward reforestation and related environmental projects. The company reports that searches contribute to carbon removal — they estimate up to about 1 kilogram of CO2 can be offset per search — and claim income is used to finance tree planting and other sustainability initiatives around the world.

Purpose and ownership

Ecosia’s stated aim is to increase global green cover rather than maximize shareholder returns. It operates under a steward-owned model, which prevents owners or investors from extracting private profits from the service. The platform says millions of trees have already been established, and planting efforts also aim to support local communities economically. Once the browser extension or tools are in place, Ecosia estimates roughly one tree is funded for every 45 searches.

Browser support and setup

• Compatible with major browsers such as Chrome, Firefox and Safari.
• Free to install as an add-on; users can set it as their default search engine via the browser menu.
• Works alongside familiar browsing workflows so switching requires little adjustment.

Design, privacy and performance

• Small resource footprint (the extension uses roughly 85 KB), so it has minimal impact on browser speed.
• The search experience resembles other mainstream engines and is built on the Bing platform; results appear in dropdown lists with key categories like images, news, videos and maps.
• Search results can be filtered by date and other common criteria for more precise queries.
• Privacy protections include not selling personal data to third-party advertisers, not permanently storing past searches, and using end-to-end SSL encryption to secure queries.

Notable features and supported options

• Strong emphasis on user privacy and minimal data retention.
• Multi-language support (available in seven languages).
• Lightweight installation that preserves browser performance.
• Familiar result layout with standard search categories and filtering.
• Free to use and easy to make the default search engine.

Environmental impact and accountability

Ecosia publishes monthly financial reports to show how search-generated revenue is allocated. According to the organization, it has helped establish more than 70 million trees to date and funds projects beyond planting, including efforts to provide clean drinking water, protect wildlife habitats and strengthen local livelihoods. The company frames these outcomes as measurable effects of everyday searches.

Summary

Ecosia blends a conventional search interface with an explicit environmental mission, offering a low-friction way for users to redirect ad revenue toward reforestation and community projects while retaining familiar search functionality and added privacy protections.