freetree FAQ

Very easy. In order to install the extension, you just click on the yellow button on the top right of our website. You will then be redirected automatically to your browser's extension store. Now you can install Freetree with one click – and for free, of course.

So cool of you to ask! We’re super proud to be planting the trees together with Ecosia.

Ecosia is a green search engine, founded in 2009 that uses its profits to plant trees. Ecosia has established itself as a trusted tree planting organization. They plant trees in biodiversity hotspots, worldwide, or more precisely: at over 60 projects in over 30 countries. These projects are holistic: Native tree species, mixed forests, and cooperation with local communities. The aim is to strengthen biodiversity and at the same time to improve the living conditions of the local people.

Our trees are not just being planted. They're growing to become forests, healthy ecosystems. In order to secure this path, all projects are subject to precise monitoring.

If you want to learn more about the projects, you can read exciting articles on Ecosia's blog or watch this report by Galileo, for example.

Many online shops give a commission for customer recommendations. When these recommended customers make a purchase, the referrer receives a small commission from the shop (Ø approx. 5 % of net sales). 

We use 100% of our profits to plant trees.

Trees are true wonders of nature that unfold their full potential when the right trees are planted in the right place. Most people associate trees with binding CO2. While this is an important side effect, trees can do so much more. In this video you'll learn more about the miracle of trees and why it's so important to plant them.

As soon as you visit an online shop that is supported by freetree, the freetree window appears automatically in the cart. It reminds you that you can plant trees while shopping - with just one click.

The best part: It doesn’t cost you anything!

Data privacy and protection are very important to us. Therefore, you can use freetree without specifying personal data, such as email address, name, etc.

We're currently in the early launch phase. Therefore, the number of planted trees is still under 10.000.

But the integration of a live counter into our homepage - showing exactly how many trees we’ve already planted together - is already in planning.

Ecosia's tree planting projects are designed to be as long-term and sustainable as possible. In perspective, the added value of the trees should be higher than the added value of deforestation. A strict monitoring system ensures exactly how many trees survive. Here you can read exactly what that looks like.

Your trees by freetree are planted by Ecosia. Ecosia is the search engine that has been planting and protecting trees for over 12 years. To date, Ecosia has planted over 150 million trees. In monthly financial reports you can see how much money goes into which tree planting projects, each month.

Online shops often pay commissions when third parties recommend them. This is the so-called affiliate marketing, as you may also know it from influencers. We do not directly recommend specific shops.

freetree users naturally prefer shops that allow tree planting. As a result, they are more likely to buy there than from competitors who don’t support tree planting. Supporting shops pay us a commission for every purchase made by a freetree user. This doesn't cost you a cent more, when you shop.

Landing at a partner shop, a small pop-up will suggest to activate freetree. This pop-up appears very late during your purchase, for example in the shopping cart or during the payment process.

You can activate the partner shops manually if you have pinned freetree, and then click on the small freetree icon.

By activating, you allow us to get a commission for your purchase at the partner shop. We can only plant trees with your purchase if you have activated freetree.

If you pin freetree, you can always see at one glance whether freetree works and whether a shop is a partner shop.

To pin freetree, click Extensions in the top-right corner of your browser, then select the tiny pushpin next to the freetree extension (or the square icon in Opera, or the puzzle icon in Edge).

After successfully pinning freetree, you will see the freetree icon in the upper right corner of the browser, next to the URL line. It’ll change its color, regularly.

Grey: Freetree works, but you're currently not on a partner shop.

Orange: You’re on a partner shop and therefore must activate it in order to plant trees. Simply click on the orange icon and confirm with the “activate” button in the pop-up.

Green: You’re on a partner shop that you have already activated. Every purchase now plants trees.

As explained above, we cannot plant trees without activations. This is why activations are so important.

So every time you activate a partner shop, it moves us forward in our mission to bring back forests.

The more shops you activate, the more trees you can plant. To show you how far you've come, we let you reach different levels. You'll become a real tree planting hero and will soon be able to compare yourself with other power users.