serp.fast

Qwant

French privacy-focused search engine with its own partial index, GDPR-native, and backed by European institutional investors.

Nathan Kessler
By Nathan KesslerUpdated

Each tool is evaluated against our methodology using public docs, vendor demos, and hands-on testing.

Independent web indexes maintain their own crawl of the web, separate from Google or Bing. This independence is valuable for AI applications that need unbiased search results, want to avoid rate limits on commercial search engines, or need specialized coverage. Several of these indexes are open source, allowing full transparency into how results are ranked.

Visit Qwant →See pricing →

Some links on this page are affiliate links. We earn a commission if you sign up – at no additional cost to you. Our editorial assessment is independent and never paid. How we review.

Features

–JS Rendering
✓Structured Output
–Open Source
–Self-Hosted Option
Pricing:PaidSee pricing →

Editorial assessment

The European sovereignty play – French-owned, GDPR-native, supported by institutional investors. Has an API though availability varies by market. Relies partially on Bing for results (which is increasingly problematic post-Bing API shutdown). The independent index portion is limited. More of a political project than a technical one.

How Qwant compares

Brave Search API

Brave Search API offers a fully independent index without Bing dependency at proven scale.

Mojeek

Mojeek is also European (UK) with a fully independent index and no Bing fallback.

Stract

Stract is the open-source European alternative building a fully independent index.

See full Qwant alternatives comparison →

Frequently asked questions

What is Qwant best used for?

Qwant is a French privacy-focused search engine with its own partial web index, positioned as a European, GDPR-native alternative to Google and Bing. For AI product builders, it fits teams that need a sovereignty story or European data-residency posture more than raw coverage. Its independent index is limited and supplemented by Bing, so it suits compliance-driven work rather than projects that need the deepest, most complete result set.

Is Qwant open source?

No. Qwant is not open source. The search engine and its API are proprietary and closed, and the API is largely undocumented. You cannot inspect or change how its index and ranking work. If you specifically need an open, inspectable search stack, Qwant will not meet that requirement, so look at alternatives built around openly available code instead.

Can Qwant be self-hosted?

No. Qwant cannot be self-hosted. It runs as a hosted service accessed over its API, with no on-premise or self-managed deployment option. Teams that need to run search infrastructure inside their own environment for strict data isolation will not be able to do that with Qwant. Its European hosting and GDPR-native stance may still address some data-residency concerns without self-hosting.

Does Qwant run on its own index or on Bing?

Both. Qwant operates its own crawler and partial index, but it supplements results with Microsoft Bing where its own coverage is thin, and historically for images. The independent portion is limited, which makes Qwant more of a sovereignty and policy project than a fully self-sufficient search engine. The Bing dependency is also a risk given changes to Bing's search API availability.

How much does the Qwant API cost?

Qwant is a paid, API-based search service rather than a free product, and it returns structured JSON. Public, detailed pricing is not well documented, and API access has historically been restricted, often arranged through partnerships or direct requests rather than open self-serve signup. Confirm current terms and rate limits directly with Qwant before building, since availability varies by market and the API stays largely undocumented.

How does Qwant compare to Brave Search API?

Brave Search API runs on its own independent index with documented, self-serve access and clear per-request pricing, which makes it easier to adopt for AI applications. Qwant leans on a sovereignty and GDPR positioning, but its independent index is smaller and it falls back to Bing. Choose Qwant for European-sovereignty requirements. Choose Brave Search API when you want broader independent coverage and straightforward developer onboarding. Mojeek and Stract are other independent-index options.

Weekly briefing – tool launches, legal shifts, market data.

Visit

Qwant

Visit →