Qwant

Qwant is a French search engine founded in 2013 in Paris with a clear mission: to provide a powerful search experience without tracking users or compromising their privacy. In a world dominated by Google's 90%+ market share, Qwant represents Europe's most ambitious attempt to build a privacy-respecting search alternative. The company has received significant backing from the European Investment Bank and the French government's Caisse des Depots, reflecting Europe's strategic interest in developing sovereign digital infrastructure.

Privacy by Design

Qwant's core differentiator is its strict no-tracking policy. Unlike Google, which builds detailed profiles of users to serve personalized ads, Qwant does not store search histories, does not use tracking cookies, and does not create user profiles. Every search is treated independently, meaning the results you see are not influenced by your previous searches or browsing behavior. This approach not only protects privacy but also helps break the filter bubble that can result from algorithmic personalization.

The technical implementation of this privacy stance is robust. Qwant does not log IP addresses in connection with search queries. No personal data is transmitted to advertisers or third parties. The advertising model relies on contextual ads based solely on the current search query, not on user profiles. This demonstrates that a sustainable search business can exist without surveillance capitalism.

Search Quality and Technology

Building a search engine from scratch is an enormous technical challenge, and Qwant has made significant investments in its own indexing and ranking technology. The company operates its own web crawler and maintains its own search index. For certain types of queries, Qwant supplements its results with data from Microsoft Bing, but this is done in a privacy-preserving way that does not share user data with Microsoft.

Search quality has improved substantially since Qwant's early days. While Google still leads in terms of result relevance for complex queries, Qwant performs well for most everyday searches. The interface is clean and modern, with tabs for web, news, images, videos, maps, and shopping. The lack of personalization means you may need to be more specific in your queries to get relevant results, but many users consider this a fair trade-off for privacy.

Qwant Junior and Family Features

Qwant Junior is a standout feature that sets Qwant apart from other privacy search engines. It is a search engine specifically designed for children aged 6-12, filtering out inappropriate content while still providing useful search results. Qwant Junior is endorsed by the French Ministry of National Education and is used in schools across France. For families concerned about what their children might encounter online, it provides a safer search environment without requiring account creation or data collection.

The filtering in Qwant Junior is not just about blocking explicit content. It also removes violent imagery, inappropriate advertising, and other content that may be unsuitable for young users. This makes it a valuable tool for schools and libraries that want to provide internet access without exposing children to harmful material.

European Digital Sovereignty

Qwant is more than just a search engine; it is part of a broader European effort to build digital sovereignty. The company's infrastructure is entirely located within the European Union, meaning user data is protected by GDPR and not subject to US surveillance laws like the CLOUD Act. Qwant has positioned itself as the privacy-respecting, European alternative for government agencies, educational institutions, and privacy-conscious businesses.

The French government has actively promoted Qwant as a default search option in public administration. Several European countries have explored or implemented similar recommendations. This institutional support, combined with growing public awareness of privacy issues, has helped Qwant build a sustainable user base. While it will never threaten Google's dominance, Qwant serves an important role in providing a European alternative that respects user privacy.