Ecosia says it uses 100% of its profits for the planet — but where does that money come from in the first place, and how much of it really ends up in the ground as trees? I’ve been following Ecosia’s monthly financial reports since 2018 for my Ecosia review, so I pulled the same month (August) from every year between 2018 and 2026 to see how the money has changed.
The short answer: search ads
Ecosia makes money the same way Google does — from ads shown next to search results. When you click one of those ads, the advertiser pays, and Ecosia gets a share. The ads come from its search partners, Microsoft Bing and Google. Just searching doesn’t earn anything by itself; it’s the ad clicks that generate the income (which is why a search engine with millions of users is needed to fund this many trees).
Ecosia doesn’t charge you anything and, by default, the ads you see aren’t personalized. I cover the privacy side in detail in Is Ecosia Safe?
8 years of Ecosia’s August reports
Here’s what Ecosia reported for August of each year, in euros, straight from its financial reports:
| August | Total income | Paid for trees | Total climate action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | €676,747 | €293,421 | €366,048 |
| 2019 | €1,755,823 | €855,323 | €1,069,715 |
| 2020 | €1,540,659 | €479,869 | €599,027 |
| 2021 | €2,177,704 | €931,949 | €1,169,355 |
| 2022 | €3,296,876 | €1,033,529 | €1,696,656 |
| 2023 | €3,555,311 | €1,215,548 | €1,992,215 |
| 2024 | €2,530,505 | €697,136 | €1,075,310 |
| 2025 | €3,893,732 | €1,209,754 | €1,935,515 |
| 2026 | €4,004,725 | €1,075,141 | €1,792,744 |
A few things jump out:
- Monthly income grew almost 6x, from about €677,000 in August 2018 to just over €4 million in August 2026.
- Monthly tree spending grew about 3.7x over the same period.
- It isn’t a straight line — August 2020 and especially August 2024 were noticeably lower than the year before.
- “Climate action” is bigger than the tree payments because it also includes other projects, like solar power and regenerative agriculture, plus money set aside in reserves.
Where the money went in August 2026
Ecosia’s latest report (August 2026, in US dollars) breaks down a total income of $4,652,366.27 like this:
- Trees: $1,249,012.05 sent to tree-planting partners
- Other climate impact: $833,653.25 (reserves and projects like solar plants)
- Building search diversity: $262,548.56 for European Search Perspective, the independent European search index Ecosia is building with Qwant
- Taxes: $1,363,442.55
- Operational costs: $851,884.11 (mostly staff, plus servers, software and offices)
- Marketing (“spreading the word”): $91,825.78
Ecosia also reported that the trees it financed that month totaled 2,076,516, and that it added $350,000 to a tree fund that covers its existing commitments to planting partners.
Does Ecosia really give 100% of its profits?
This is where people get confused. Only about 27% of Ecosia’s August 2026 income went directly to tree planting — but “100% of profits” means profits after costs and taxes, not 100% of income. Here’s the math:
$4,652,366.27 income − ($851,884.11 operations + $91,825.78 marketing + $1,363,442.55 taxes) = $2,345,213.83 profit after tax
- Trees: $1,249,012.05 ÷ $2,345,213.83 = 53% of profit
- Trees + other climate projects: $2,082,665.30 ÷ $2,345,213.83 = 89% of profit
- Search diversity: the remaining 11%
So every dollar of profit that month is accounted for, with the majority going to trees.
Why the founders can’t cash out
In 2018, Ecosia moved to steward ownership, working with the Purpose Foundation. In practice it means the company can never be sold and no one — including the founders — can take dividends or profits out of it. That structure is a big reason I trust the reports: there’s no owner who benefits from keeping the money.
Why Ecosia pays so much tax
Taxes were the second-biggest line item in August 2026. In its reports, Ecosia says that unlike much of big tech it stays clear of tax-avoidance schemes — which means less money for trees in the short run, but it’s a choice I respect.
Quick FAQ
Does Ecosia make money if I don’t click ads?
Not directly — Ecosia’s income comes from ad clicks, so searches without clicks don’t earn money on their own.
Is Ecosia a non-profit?
Not technically — it’s a German company (GmbH), but a steward-owned, not-for-profit business that doesn’t pay out dividends.
Where can I check the numbers myself?
Ecosia publishes every monthly report on its financial reports page, going back to 2015.
Figures are taken from Ecosia’s official monthly financial reports (August of each year), retrieved October 2026. For my full verdict on whether Ecosia is worth switching to, read my Ecosia review.
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