MetaGer review: nonprofit search without ads

MetaGer is a nonprofit metasearch. You type a query once, and it collects matches from several search engines, then sorts them into a single list.³ The nonprofit association SUMA-EV, registered in Hannover, runs it for people who want ad-free web search without opening an account.¹⁵ A random key is your access. A prepaid balance, which MetaGer calls tokens, turns the search on.¹

Last checked October 28, 2026.

At a glance

What it is: A nonprofit metasearch that mixes other engines’ results and also keeps small indexes of its own.³

Works on: The website on any device, plus a browser extension. The official Android app needs Android 7.0 or newer. There is no iPhone or iPad app.¹⁷⁸

Price: 1 token per default web search. 500 tokens cost €5 (about two months). Valid for two years, with no standing order. Members search without ads.⁴⁵¹

Licence: MetaGer says the source code is free and public. The Android app on F-Droid is GNU AGPL-3.0 only.¹³⁸

Best for: People who want a nonprofit in front of several search indexes and will pay a small token fee.

Official site: metager.org

What MetaGer does (and how it protects your privacy)

A usual search engine keeps its own copy of the web, called an index, filled by crawlers that follow links.³ A metasearch engine sends your words to several engines and shows one sorted list.³ MetaGer also keeps small indexes of its own.³ There is no advertising, and SUMA-EV says it does not build user profiles, meaning an automatic file of who you are and what you look up.¹²

The query still travels. MetaGer sends the search words to partner engines, keeps the results, including the search term, for a few hours, and says your IP address and user-agent are not saved or shared for a normal web search.² An IP address identifies your connection. A user-agent is the note that names your browser. Open anonymously loads the result on SUMA-EV’s servers instead. The other site does not learn your address, and the session is deleted when it ends.⁶ MetaGer also offers a Tor hidden service that you open in Tor Browser.⁶

Key features

Several indexes, one list. Other engines are combined with small indexes MetaGer keeps itself.³
Pay per search. One default web search costs 1 token. Choosing which services to query changes the cost.⁴
A shareable key. No sign-up. The same key works on many devices, and you may pass it on.¹⁵
Anonymous tokens. The Android app and browser extension can prove a search stays anonymous.¹
Open anonymously. The page loads on SUMA-EV’s servers. If your browser does not support that remote browser, a simpler proxy covers clicks from link to link.⁶
Web, images, news, science and products in the Android app. Image search on the website uses extra sources.⁸¹
On-phone history. The app stores address-bar history encrypted on the device, with tracker and ad blocking on from the start.⁸

Pros and cons

Pros

SUMA-EV, a nonprofit, runs it, and the source code is public.¹³
No ads, and no user profiles, according to MetaGer.¹²
Tokens last two calendar years. There is no standing order. Card, PayPal and cash by mail are accepted.⁵⁴
A top-up does not require personal data, apart from what the payment itself needs.⁵
F-Droid added Android app version 6.26.0 on 22 October 2026.⁸

Cons

Access is paid. Each default web search spends 1 token.¹⁴
No iPhone or iPad app. Use the website there.⁷
Partner engines receive the search words.²
Pages can be dropped when the law requires it, or when MetaGer judges them demonstrably incorrect, extremely poor, or particularly dubious.³
The anonymous browser runs on SUMA-EV’s computers for that session.⁶
Unused-token refunds are voluntary, cash is excluded, and you must ask within 30 days.⁵

Is MetaGer safe and private?

SUMA-EV administers MetaGer itself, on hardware rented from Hetzner Online GmbH.² Terms dated August 2026 place the office in Hannover and say German law applies.⁵ Anyone can join the association.³ The source code is public, and the Android app on F-Droid is GNU AGPL-3.0 only.¹³⁸

The help page limits the “IP address not saved” line. Cookies, session IDs and IP addresses are not processed, except short-term storage against hacking and bots, and the address is visible on the server while a search runs.⁶ The Tor address for Tor Browser is metagerv65pwclop2rsfzg4jwowpavpwd6grhhlvdgsswvo6ii4akgyd.onion.⁶ Address-bar suggestions are off by default. Turn them on and MetaGer stores a SHA-1 hash, a one-way scramble, of your IP address, user-agent and language. Left off, nothing is stored for that feature.²

If the site breaks, SUMA-EV records the error in GlitchTip on its own servers. Your IP address is removed first, the report is not tied to a person, and it is deleted after 30 days.² Payment details for a key are kept for 10 years for tax, and are not passed to third parties.² Over the last five years MetaGer lists zero fulfilled requests for information from authorities, and zero fulfilled blocking requests.³

How to get started

Open metager.org. A key is created with no name and no email. Enter it on each device you use.¹
Add credit on the prices page. One default web search costs 1 token. 500 tokens cost €5 and last two calendar years. There is no standing order. Card, PayPal and cash by mail are accepted. Cash cannot be refunded. Other unused tokens can be refunded only if you ask within 30 days and the payment method allows it.⁴⁵
Search, and leave address-bar suggestions off.²
On Android, install from F-Droid. Version 6.26.0 needs Android 7.0 or newer. The app page also links Google Play, and calls SUMA-EV’s own download the better privacy choice.⁸⁷
On a computer, use the website or the homepage’s browser extension. The extension and the app are how anonymous tokens work.¹
For a sensitive result, choose Open anonymously. If your browser does not support it, the address bar shows proxy.suma-ev.de.⁶ For Tor, use Tor Browser from torproject.org and the onion address above.⁶ On Android, Orbot can send chosen apps through Tor.

Who should use MetaGer (and who might prefer something else)

MetaGer fits people who want a nonprofit in front of several indexes and who will pay a small token fee. MetaGer says about 500 tokens (€5) usually last around two months.¹ Members of SUMA-EV search without ads.¹ Use the Android app or the browser extension if you want anonymous tokens.

For the noncommercial web, see Marginalia Search. To run an index yourself, see YaCy. To make the browser harder to recognise, see Mullvad Browser. Fingerprinting means details that identify a browser.

Frequently asked questions

Is MetaGer free?

No. A payment adds tokens, and one default ad-free web search costs 1 token. 500 tokens cost €5 and last two calendar years. There is no standing order.¹⁴⁵ Members of SUMA-EV search without ads.¹ Most of the price, MetaGer says, pays the search services it queries, plus personnel, servers, fees and tax.⁴

Is MetaGer safe?

SUMA-EV says it does not save your IP address or user-agent, does not build profiles, and keeps the search term with the results for a few hours. Partners still receive the query.² The address is visible on the server while the search runs, with short-term storage against attacks.⁶ The code is public and the Android app is AGPL-3.0 only.³⁸

Does MetaGer work on iPhone?

The website does. Any device can open metager.org and use a key.¹ There is no official app for iPhone or iPad. MetaGer says the app is Android only.⁷ Anonymous tokens are described for that Android app and for the browser extension.¹

Does MetaGer log my searches?

The search words go to partner engines. Results, including the search term, are kept for a few hours. The IP address and user-agent for that search are not saved or shared.² Suggestions are off unless you enable them. If you do, MetaGer stores a hash of your address and browser.²