Qwant 100% free

What Qwant actually does

Qwant is a search engine built and operated in France, positioned around the idea that "you are the user, not the product": it's a normal search engine you set as your default in any browser, or use through dedicated iOS and Android apps, rather than a full browser replacement.

The core product

At its core, Qwant states it does not store search history tied to an individual and does not build advertising profiles from that activity — the two things privacy-conscious searchers usually want confirmed before switching away from Google. It's accessed the same way any search engine is: as a website you can set as your browser's default, or through native Android and iOS apps that carry the same approach to mobile search. Beyond plain web search, it includes a Flash Answers feature that surfaces direct answers to common questions without requiring a click-through, and a separate product, Qwant Junior, that filters results specifically for younger users.

What's new or notable

Qwant's most-discussed point isn't a new feature but a structural one: for a meaningful share of its results, it has drawn on Microsoft's Bing search index and infrastructure rather than running an entirely independent index it built from scratch. Qwant itself has publicly disputed this relationship with Microsoft, criticizing it as a constraint on result quality and on Qwant's own independence, which is a notable admission for a company whose entire pitch is being a European alternative to US search giants. It's worth knowing going in rather than discovering later.

Who should use Qwant

Great fit if…

• You want a European default search engine — Qwant is hosted in Europe and operates under French and EU data protection rules, which matters if jurisdiction is part of your decision.
• You want search without a stored personal history — Qwant states it does not retain search history tied to an individual or turn it into an advertising profile.
• You have a child using search — Qwant Junior gives a filtered mode built specifically for younger users.
• You just want to swap your default search engine, not your whole browser — switching takes a few minutes on desktop and mobile with no new browser to learn.

Skip it if…

• Independence from US search infrastructure matters to you specifically — Qwant has relied in part on Microsoft's Bing index, so it isn't a fully independent alternative the way some competitors are.
• You want a full browser, not just a search engine — there is no dedicated Qwant desktop browser; you're changing your search engine, not your whole browsing environment.

Pricing in detail

Qwant's own pricing page lists no paid consumer plan; search is free on the web and through its mobile apps.

Where it falls short

• Partial reliance on Bing — Qwant has drawn its results in part from Microsoft's Bing index rather than an entirely independent index of its own, a point Qwant itself has publicly disputed with Microsoft over quality.
• No desktop browser — there is no dedicated Qwant desktop browser; it functions as a search engine and set of mobile apps rather than a full browser replacement on desktop.

Privacy & data

Qwant's privacy claims center on not storing individually-linked search history and not selling or building behavioral advertising profiles from search activity — stated goals rather than something we independently audited. It is hosted in Europe and operates under French and EU data protection rules, which gives it a jurisdictional argument that US-based search engines can't make. The dependency on Microsoft's Bing index for part of its results is relevant here too: it means at least some result sourcing runs through infrastructure outside Qwant's own systems, even if Qwant's front-end privacy policy still governs what it does with your queries. We did not find a published independent security audit or an open-source codebase for Qwant's core search stack on the pages checked, so we're not able to confirm those specifics beyond the stated no-tracking, no-profile-building position.

How we checked this

This entry draws on Qwant's own pricing page (qwant.com/pricing), checked on 2026-09-04, together with the verified verdict, feature list, and known limitations compiled for this entry, including Qwant's own public dispute with Microsoft over the Bing relationship. We did not run hands-on search-quality testing; the assessment of independence and result sourcing reflects publicly documented and self-disclosed information rather than a side-by-side query comparison we performed ourselves.

What you get, what you give up