Ecosia

The organisation operates a consumer search front-end that routes queries to third-party search engines (notably Microsoft Bing and Google) and displays syndicated pay‑per‑click adverts. It earns a share of the advertising and affiliate revenue for clicks and transactions generated via its search traffic, with revenue described as a few cents per ad click. A large share of profits (publicly reported as around 80% of profits, or ~47% of income) is committed to funding external tree‑planting and climate projects, which is core to its value proposition for users.

In parallel, the company runs a B2B tree‑planting offering through which organisations buy trees at a transparent per‑tree price (e.g. €1 per tree). This includes monitoring, impact reporting and certification. Additional value is created through strategic investments in climate- or sustainability-focused ventures that complement its mission, though these appear ancillary to the main search and tree‑funded model. Consumer-facing apps, extensions and the desktop browser are distributed free to maximise search volume and therefore advertising and affiliate income, as well as to create demand for its tree‑planting activities.

Ecosia is a Germany-based web search provider and tree-planting organisation that syndicates search results and adverts from partners such as Microsoft Bing and Google. It distributes its search experience via a website, browser extensions, mobile apps and, since 2024, its own Chromium-based desktop browser.

The company earns advertising and affiliate revenue when users click on adverts shown alongside search results, and allocates most of its profits to tree‑planting and related climate projects. It also sells tree‑planting services directly to organisations through a business-facing product where trees are purchased per unit. Its end-users are general internet users, while its direct paying customers are organisations that buy trees and partners that pay affiliate commissions.