Replaces Google Search
European alternatives to Google Search
Search engines operated from Europe
Browse the category: Search engines · Web browsers
Google Search is the search engine of Alphabet and the starting point for most web traffic. It ranks pages from its own index, answers many questions directly on the results page, and supports search across images, news, maps, shopping and video. The service is free to use and funded by advertising placed alongside and above the organic results.
Search queries are a running record of what you are curious about, worried about or planning to buy. Mojeek runs an independent index. Qwant and Ecosia co-develop the European Staan index, while their current disclosures say third-party indexes still supplement results. SearXNG can be self-hosted, but it is a metasearch proxy rather than an independent index.
European options
| service | Country | Hosting | Open source | Free plan | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Qwant |
 France |
EU hosted | — | ✓ | EU controlled |
 Ecosia |
 Germany |
— | ✓ | EU controlled | |
 metaGer |
Germany |
EU hosted | — | — | EU controlled |
| SearXNG |  Open source |
Self-hosted | ✓ | ✓ |
Qwant
Privacy focused search engine from France
Qwant is a search engine from France that says it does not store or sell user search data. It uses its own crawling and relies partly on Staan, the European index co-developed with Ecosia, while third-party indexing services including Microsoft Bing still supplement some results. There is also a separate search engine for children.
FranceEU hostedFree planEU controlled
Ecosia
Search engine from Germany that funds conservation
GermanyFree plan♻EU controlled
metaGer
German metasearch engine run by a non-profit
GermanyEU hosted♻EU controlledSelf-hosted and open source
Open source projects you can run yourself. Not necessarily made in Europe, but nobody else holds your data.
Services without verified European control
Kept here for transparency, but excluded from the European options and totals. How we classify services →
Mojeek
Independent search engine from the United Kingdom
United KingdomFree plan Ownership reviewed, controller unresolved
GOOD
Non-profit search engine from Germany
GermanyEU hosted♻ Ownership reviewed, controller unresolved
swisscows
Private search engine from Switzerland
SwitzerlandEFTA hostedFree plan Ownership reviewed, controller unresolvedQuestions
How do I change my default search engine?
Every major browser lets you set the default in its settings, and most of these engines can be added in a couple of clicks. Qwant, Ecosia and Mojeek describe the steps for each browser on their own sites.
Do these engines have their own index?
Mojeek runs an independent index. Qwant and Ecosia use the European Staan index alongside third-party sources, while metaGer and self-hosted SearXNG aggregate results from other engines. Check the provider mix as well as the operator's country.
Are these search engines free to use?
All of the engines listed here are free to use, funded through advertising or donations. Qwant, Ecosia and swisscows explain their funding models publicly, which is worth reading if it matters to you.