Qwant

Qwant lets you search the web without giving up your privacy. Based in Paris and founded in 2013, it takes a different approach: no tracking, no profiling, no filter bubbles. Everyone gets the same results for the same query.

It covers web pages, images, videos, news, and shopping. Qwant Junior filters out inappropriate content for children. Qwant Maps gives you directions and local results without logging where you go.

The business model runs on contextual ads. You see ads based on what you just typed, not on a profile built from months of browsing. Ads still show up, but they are not tailored to you personally.

In 2024, Qwant and Ecosia started building Staan, an independent European search index. It went live in August 2025 and aims to handle 50% of French search queries without touching Google or Bing servers. For years, Qwant relied on Bing for results behind the scenes. Staan changes that.

Worth knowing

Qwant holds about 1.35% of desktop search traffic in France. Results can feel thinner than Google for niche queries, though this is getting better as Staan grows. The mobile app gets mixed reviews for speed and stability. In 2025, France's data authority (CNIL) flagged that some data Qwant shared with Microsoft for ads counted as personal data, and Qwant tightened its practices. On the upside, the French government uses Qwant as the default search engine on its own devices.