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Qwant

French privacy-oriented search engine from QWANT SAS in Paris, with contextual ads by default, Qwant Junior, and a documented Microsoft results path plus an Ecosia index joint venture.

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Qwant is a general web search engine operated by QWANT SAS, a French company at 42 Avenue de la Porte de Clichy in Paris. The service launched in 2013 and is offered free of charge at qwant.com, through browser extensions, and via iOS and Android apps. French law governs the terms of service. Qwant presents itself as a European alternative to profile-driven search: contextual ads by default, no resale of personal data, and no stored personal search history.

The privacy policy (updated 20 May 2024) is more precise than the homepage slogans. Qwant is the GDPR controller and names a DPO at legal@qwant.com. Without an account, it still processes device characteristics and a salted hash of the IP address, keeps keywords with a pseudonymous identifier for one month, then keeps those keywords for aggregated statistics. To fill results and serve contextual ads, it partners with Microsoft and can send search keywords, browser data, a truncated or hashed IP, coarse location, and, for security or account-linked features, a full IP address.

Qwant also runs its own Qwantify family of crawlers and, with German search engine Ecosia, owns European Search Perspective (EUSP), a 50/50 Paris joint venture announced in November 2024 to build a European web index. Official ranking pages still list Microsoft Bing, Twitter, YouTube, and iTunes APIs as sources that complete results. The buying question is not whether Qwant is "Google-free." It is whether a French controller, a contextual default, a child-safe Junior product, and a growing European index are enough given a documented Microsoft data path.

EU-operatedContextual ads by defaultQwant Junior (ages 6-12)Hybrid own index + Bing APIs

Shortlist Qwant when you need a French-operated consumer search default with contextual ads, Qwant Junior, and a public-sector-friendly story. Skip it when you require a fully independent index with no Microsoft query path (consider Mojeek) or when climate impact is the primary switch reason (consider Ecosia).

Key capabilities

Logged-out Qwant says it does not keep a personal search history or sell personal data, and it serves keyword-based ads without advertising cookies unless you consent. The privacy policy still keeps keywords with a pseudonymous identifier for one month and aggregated statistics afterwards. Best for defaults that ban behavioural profiling, not for a literal zero-query-log architecture.

Official ranking pages say Qwantify robots build an indexing database, while Microsoft Bing, Twitter, YouTube, and iTunes APIs complete results. Shopping offers are Microsoft partner merchant listings. Useful when you want a European operator that still discloses hybrid sourcing instead of implying a fully independent web index.

The about site offers in-engine AI answers and a one-click Summary of a web page. Unlimited use requires a Qwant account. The privacy policy states account and new-feature paths share IP addresses with Microsoft. Skip the account if you only want the logged-out search box.

A separate engine at qwantjunior.com that Qwant says blocks inappropriate content, does not keep children's search history, and pairs weekly educational items from Bayam. Mobile apps are on iOS and Android. This is the school and family differentiator versus Ecosia or a generic privacy front-end.

Official extensions exist for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari. Consumer apps are on the App Store and Google Play. Help and ranking pages describe Web, News, Images, Videos, Shopping, and Maps (OpenStreetMap or named partners). Availability is not worldwide: qwant.com can refuse visitors outside supported countries.

En un coup d'œil

HQ
Paris, France (42 Avenue de la Porte de Clichy, 75017)
Legal entity
QWANT SAS (RCS Paris B 532 867 256)
Launched
2013 (company registered 2011)
Commercial model
Free consumer search funded by contextual ads; optional consent ads and accounts
Index
Qwantify crawlers + Bing and other APIs; EUSP/Staan joint index with Ecosia
Governing law
French law (terms of service)

Best fit when

  • Public-sector or regulated teams that want a French SAS as the search controller and a contextual-ad default in Edge or Firefox
  • Schools and families that need Qwant Junior (ages 6 to 12) rather than an unfiltered adult engine
  • Privacy officers who will accept Microsoft as a results and ads partner if logged-out use stays keyword-contextual
  • Organisations watching the Ecosia/Qwant EUSP index as a long-term way off Bing, and willing to re-check coverage later
  • Users in supported European countries who can install the official extension or mobile app

Poor fit when

  • Requirements for a crawler-only index with no Microsoft, Google, or other US results API in the data path (see Mojeek)
  • Buyers who treat homepage "no search data retained" copy as a no-logs guarantee without reading the retention tables
  • Global or unsupported-country deployments: the site can refuse visitors outside Qwant's availability map
  • Teams that need a published B2B DPA, ISO 27001/SOC 2, or an independent no-logs audit before a fleet default
  • Users who need Google-class long-tail recall, Shopping, or Maps depth and will not accept hybrid Bing/OSM modules

Consider instead when

  • When: You need an independent crawler-based index and cannot accept a Microsoft query or ads path

    Consider: Mojeek (UK)

    Smaller consumer surface than Qwant. No Junior product. Add as a catalog alternative when the slug exists.

  • When: Climate impact or tree-planting is the reason to leave Google, and you already accept mixed back-ends

    Consider: Ecosia (Germany)

    50/50 EUSP partner. Add as a catalog alternative when the slug exists.

  • When: You need the broadest commercial web, image, and local index and accept a US consumer profiler

    Consider: Google Search

    Incumbent coverage. Opposite jurisdiction and advertising model.

Juridiction et propriété

Entité légale
QWANT SAS, 42 Avenue de la Porte de Clichy, 75017 Paris (RCS Paris B 532 867 256)
Maison mère / contrôle US
Aucune maison mère US connue
Exposition CLOUD Act (indicative)
Medium
Hébergement / résidence
Legal notices name QWANT SAS as host. Homepage says hosted in Europe. EUSP marketing describes an OVH affiliation. No public datacenter map. Microsoft receives query-related data (search, ads, sometimes full IP). Piwik Pro analytics, Batch email, Shadow SAS IAM (vendor says no personal-data access).

No known US parent. 2023 press describes French Synfonium ownership (Klaba family and Caisse des dépôts). Indicative CLOUD Act exposure is medium because of the Microsoft partnership, not because of HQ. Not legal advice.

  • Independent security / no-logs auditNot found
  • ISO 27001Not found
  • SOC 2 / SOC 3Not found
  • GDPR / EU data protectionVendor claimed
  • +3

Considerations & known limitations

  • MediumMicrosoft results and ads data path

    Even logged out, Qwant may send Microsoft keywords, truncated or hashed IP data, and sometimes a full IP for security. Accounts and consent expand that path to Advertising and Clarity. A French HQ does not remove this US-group partner.

  • MediumIndex still hybrid

    Qwantify and EUSP/Staan are real, but ranking pages still list Bing and other APIs and do not claim exhaustiveness. Coverage and ranking will not match Google. Independence is partial until Qwant publishes a measured split.

  • MediumHomepage slogans vs retention tables

    CNIL found 2019 anonymity claims were wrong (pseudonymous data to Microsoft). Current homepage still says search data is not retained. The May 2024 policy describes one-month identifier linkage and longer aggregated retention. Brief legal, not marketing, in any DPIA.

  • MediumNo public independent audit or B2B DPA

    No ISO 27001, SOC 2, or no-logs audit was found. Fleet buyers must request a DPA, subprocessors, and hosting regions. Practical impact: slower public-sector assurance than vendors with a trust center.

  • LowNot available in every country

    qwant.com can show a service-unavailable page outside supported countries. Confirm the availability map before promising a global staff default.

Open questions for due diligence

  • What share of production queries is now served from Qwantify and EUSP/Staan versus Microsoft Bing and other APIs?
  • Which datacenters host qwant.com and query logs, and is OVH the production host or only an affiliation mentioned by EUSP?
  • Will Qwant sign a B2B DPA and publish a current subprocessor and transfer list for a fleet or education deployment?
  • Is there an independent security or no-logs audit that can be shared under NDA?
  • Which model provider powers AI answers and Summary, and is there an EU AI Act position?
  • What is the current Synfonium / Caisse des dépôts cap table after 2026 director changes?
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Questions Fréquemment Posées

Yes, according to the 20 May 2024 privacy policy. To provide results Qwant does not have itself and to serve contextual ads, Qwant may send Microsoft the keywords, browser information, the first three bytes of the IP address (or the full IP if you have a user account), coarse geography, a salted hash, and a random token. It may also send a full IP address for Microsoft's security and fraud detection. Optional consent adds Microsoft Advertising and Microsoft Clarity cookies. This is a partner data path, not a no-third-party design.

Not fully, on Qwant's own documents. In November 2024 Qwant and Ecosia announced European Search Perspective, a 50/50 Paris company to build a European index from redesigned Qwant technology, while both would keep existing back-end partnerships. Qwant's ranking page still lists Bing and other APIs. Ecosia's August 2025 blog said a portion of French queries already comes from the joint Staan index. Ask Qwant for a current percentage split (own index versus partners) before treating the stack as sovereign.

Accounts collect email, language, marketing preferences, and last-login date (13 months after last activity). Google or Apple sign-in shares the partner email. Unlimited AI and Summary use is tied to the account. The policy says IP addresses are shared with Microsoft for new features, and the cookie manager can enable Microsoft advertising and measurement. A fleet default can stay logged out and refuse those cookies if the goal is the contextual, no-account path.

No public B2B data processing agreement or numbered subprocessor list was found on the official legal and about pages reviewed for this draft. The privacy policy names Microsoft, Piwik Pro, Batch, and Shadow SAS and points rights requests to legal@qwant.com and the Paris DPO address. Procurement should treat DPA, region, and audit evidence as open questions, not as in-product paperwork.

When the users are children roughly 6 to 12 and you need a filtered index plus a claim of no child search-history retention. Junior is a distinct site and app, with Bayam educational modules and French child-protection partnerships described on the official Junior page. It is not a general enterprise search appliance and it is not a substitute for device-level parental controls.