Lilo Search review
A free, partner-powered search engine that turns searches into support for projects.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Nov 2026
Lilo Search is a free web search engine for people who want everyday searches to support social and environmental projects. Searches earn water drops, which users can allocate to organizations they choose. It is aimed at individuals and small-scale users who value that project-funding mechanism alongside web search, rather than a search service built around its own independent index. Access is through Lilo’s website on computers, tablets, and smartphones.
Search results come from partner providers, including Microsoft Bing and Yellow Pages; Lilo’s current policy also references Microsoft and Mistral for AI responses, so results may depend on the query or feature. Users can set language preferences for multilingual search and manage privacy and cookie preferences. Optional AI-generated synthesized responses provide another way to engage with results, but they are not required to use the search engine. This partner-powered approach is a key trade-off: Lilo connects searches to a charitable allocation feature, while the results depend on external providers.
The service is free, and its defining benefit is directing earned water drops to selected projects rather than paying a subscription. Advertising helps generate project funding. Lilo is operated under its brand owned by Qwant, whose headquarters are in Paris, France; the service identifies GDPR compliance and offers documentation support. Choose Lilo if project support and language preferences matter in a free web search tool. If an independently maintained search index is a priority, a search engine with that approach is a better fit.
Lilo Search pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Earn water drops through searches and allocate them to chosen projects.
- Search in multiple languages using user preferences.
- Optional AI-generated synthesized responses complement partner results.
- Where it doesn't
- Results come from partner search providers rather than an independent index.
- Advertising helps generate project funding.
- Available through the web, with documentation as the listed support channel.
Lilo Search fact sheet, pricing and score →
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