It is difficult to imagine life without search engines. How would we find anything? Even though we can survive without search engines, it is impossible to live without trees. When the last tree disappears from the earth, then so will the last human.
Ironically, we seem to be more conscious about our dependence on search engines. Ecosia is a search engine that was designed to change that.
Ecosia is a search engine based in Berlin, and they use their profits to plant trees. Simply put, if you search the web using their software, you contribute to more trees on earth.
It sounds wonderful, and for those who are consistently seeking ways to reduce their carbon footprints, or at least, are mindful of the ecosystem, it sounds like the perfect option.
If you must use a search engine, and we can hardly avoid using one, then why not do some good at the same time?
Yet, it’s not the first time we’ve had different people come up with a search engine. Let’s be honest, we would happily embrace any viable alternative to the Google search engine.
How do we know if Ecosia is here to stay? Also, does it deliver the same results as other search engines? We’ll find the answers to these questions and more in this review.
Find out if Ecosia is worth your time
The first question that comes to mind is whether the search engine is here to stay. Considering that it was launched in 2009, it is reasonable to conclude that it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Available on Android, iOS and as a Chrome extension, Ecosia has over 10 million downloads on the Play Store alone. So it is clear that there are people who like and use the search engine.
But, does it generate enough relevant results to justify its use? Well, let’s just say that it would be a feat for any search engine to outdo Google for the simple reason that the tech giant has resources and decades focused on search.
That said, Google can be frustrating with the number of paid ads they seem to push when you search for anything reasonable. Although Ecosia does generate paid results, it is nowhere as annoying as Google search engine result pages.
Does Ecosia plant trees?
Honestly, we have no way to verify that. However, it does say on their website that they have planted over 1 million trees in different countries. Also, nobody has come up yet to contradict that. So, we’ll go with their official information for now.
How to get the Ecosia app
The interesting thing about Ecosia is that you can get it as a Chrome extension. That makes it handy. While it won’t replace Google for now, it means you can use it alongside the other search engines, especially when you want more organic search results.
On your smart devices, simply visit the Google Play Store for Android devices and the Apple App Store for iOS devices. Download the Ecosia app from any of the app stores, or scroll to the end of this article to get Ecosia directly.
How Ecosia compares to other search engines
So, we’ve already established that the Google Search engine is, well, Google. It’s pretty hard to beat that, particularly with the nifty little additions that Google has. Stuff like those short snippets you get when you search a word on Google. Sometimes, you don’t even need to click through to the page to get the information you need. Ecosia does not have that feature.
However, with Ecosia, you can use shortcuts to search Google, YouTube, and Facebook. A simple hashtag will streamline your search experience.
We like the idea of a sustainable search engine, and we would like to see Ecosia give Google a run for its money.
