Search for a Cause is a browser extension that turns your web searches into money for non-profit organizations. I installed it and used it to see how it really works. It is legit, but you never earn anything for yourself. Below is what I found, and which sites I would pick if you want to earn.
Tested by Mikael (EarnWithMike)Founder and lead testerMikael founded PaidFromSurveys in 2016 and has personally tested hundreds of survey and GPT sites since then. He shows his tests and payment proof to 555K+ subscribers on his YouTube channel, EarnWithMike. He tested Search for a Cause himself and does not earn a commission from it.Learn more about Mikael
Legit for charity, but you never earn money yourself
Your searches raise money for charity. You cannot cash out, and the extension does not show how much you have raised.
On this page
The short answer
Search for a Cause is a legit browser extension. Every search you make with it earns a reward, and that money is donated to the charities it supports.
But you will not receive even a single dime yourself. All earnings go to charity. It also replaces your search results with Yahoo results, and it does not tell you how much your searches have earned. If your goal is to earn extra cash, this is not the right opportunity for you.
- A passive way to earn rewards for charity
- Available more or less worldwide
- You support charities without spending money
- A quarterly financial report shows the breakdown of the earnings
- You can only donate your earnings to charity
- Not clear about how its reward system works
- No place to see how much you have earned
- Replaces search results with Yahoo search results
- Only works on computer browsers
My experience with Search for a Cause
I installed the Search for a Cause extension and used it for my web searches. This is what I did myself, and what I did not test.
- First tested
- August 2023Review first published Aug 28, 2023
- Latest retest
- Checked: extension, search results, support
- Search results
- YahooWhat I observed with the extension on
- Payout
- None for youAll earnings are donated to charity
- Installing the extension and setting it up
- Searching the web with the extension on
- The extension settings
- The FAQ and the Help Center
- Which charities received the money. The site does not say.
How Search for a Cause works
In the video below, I show exactly how Search for a Cause works.
Screenshots from my test
Search for a Cause donates everything to charity. If you want to earn for yourself, these sites pay you.
See the best alternativesSearch for a Cause at a glance
| What it is | Browser extension that turns your web searches into money for non-profit organizations |
|---|---|
| Cost | Free |
| How it earns | Every search you make with the extension enabled |
| Where the money goes | Donated to the charities it supports. You receive nothing. |
| Reward rates | Not stated. The extension does not show how much you have earned. |
| Search results | From Yahoo |
| Browsers | Chrome and Firefox extension. Other browsers: set it as your default search engine by hand. |
| Mobile | No. It only works on computer browsers. |
| Who can use it | More or less worldwide, from what I have gathered |
| Transparency | A financial report every quarter, but not which charities got the money |
| Support | FAQ, Help Center and a request form |
Is Search for a Cause legit and safe?
Yes, Search for a Cause is a legit extension. Several reputable companies endorse it as a way to donate to charity, so I would say it really does what it claims. But here is what you should know before you install it.
- You never earn money yourself
Everything your searches earn is donated to charity. You will not receive even a single dime, so this is not a way to earn extra cash.
- You cannot see what you have earned
Search for a Cause is not clear about its reward rates, and there is no section in the extension settings that shows how much you have earned. It can feel like you are not making progress.
- Unclear which charities get the money
The site posts a financial report every quarter with a breakdown of the earnings. It does not say exactly which charities the money was donated to.
- Your search results come from Yahoo
The extension overrides your browser’s search engine and shows Yahoo results, even in Chrome. If you do not want to switch away from Google, do not use it.
My takeIf your goal is to donate to charity, then using Search for a Cause can be a decent way to achieve that. But if your goal is to earn extra cash, this is not the right opportunity for you, because you will never earn anything from it. My one complaint about the extension is that it is not very clear about its reward system. It would help if users could see how much they have earned.
How Search for a Cause earns money
There is one way it earns: your web searches. The money goes to charity, not to you.
Web searchesFor charity only
Install the browser extension in Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. After that, you do not have to do anything else. Browse the internet like you normally would, and the extension does the work.
If you use a different browser, you have to set Search for a Cause as your default search engine by hand. The instructions are here.
Every search you make with the extension enabled earns a reward, which is donated to charity. The extension shows you Yahoo results for what you searched for. See the best passive income apps if you want to earn for yourself.
What a reader told me
This review has 2 comments since August 2023: 1 from a reader and 1 reply from me.
A reader pointed to eco-friendly search engines with a clearer policy, and noted that some ads pop up with Search for a Cause.
“You don’t even know how much you earned or where the prizes really go, and some ads pop up. All this is a big minus in my opinion.”
Mikael: Thanks for sharing your opinion and experiences.
Ways to earn for yourself I have tested
| Site | Best for | Min. cashout | My rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pawns | Passive earning by sharing internet, plus surveys and games | $5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Swagbucks | Many daily ways to earn, one of the biggest GPT sites | About $5 PayPal; gift cards from 100 SB | 4.3 / 5 |
| Honeygain | Completely passive: share your unused internet | $20 PayPal; $0.50 through JumpTask | 3.7 / 5 |
| Microsoft Rewards | Points for Bing searches, paid in Microsoft Store products, not cash | Around 5,000 points ($5) | 2.7 / 5 |
Want to earn extra cash? See the top survey and GPT sites in your country. Most, if not all, of them offer cash rewards.
How I scored Search for a Cause
I use the same 100-point system for every platform. See how I test and rate.
Search for a Cause scores 48 out of 100. If you want to earn for yourself, see these sites first.
See the best sites in your countrySearch for a Cause FAQ
Is Search for a Cause legit?
Yes. It is a legit browser extension that turns your searches into donations for charity. But you never earn money yourself.
Can I cash out from Search for a Cause?
No. All the money your searches earn is donated to charity. You will not receive even a single dime.
How much does each search earn?
Search for a Cause is not clear about its reward rates, and the extension does not show how much you have earned.
Which browsers does it work with?
The extension works with Chrome and Firefox. In other browsers, you can set Search for a Cause as your default search engine by hand.
Can I use it on my phone?
No. It only works on computer browsers.
Which search results does it show?
Yahoo results, even when you search in Chrome.
How do I contact Search for a Cause?
Check the FAQ page or the Help Center. If you cannot find your answer, submit a request through the Help Center.
Who tested Search for a Cause for this review
Founder of PaidFromSurveys.com since 2016. Mikael has tested hundreds of survey and GPT sites and shares his tests with 555K+ subscribers on YouTube (October 2026).
If you have any comments, questions, or experiences with Search for a Cause, I would love to hear from you in a comment below.
Hello,
Thank you for a short overview that says so much.
Most of today’s browsers are based on either Chrome or Firefox, so it is possible to add directly from the address bar instead of adding an extension, although the process differs depending on the browser.
I didn’t know that money was impossible to earn. It’s nice if your prizes by searches go to charity, but I’d say there are much better alternatives such as, for example, several eco-friendly search engines, which are apsolutelly legit, like Ecosia, Ecogine, Lilo, OceanHero, etc that at least have a clear policy and you can know what you’re up to with them; and they provide much more besides. If only different search engines or some meta-search engine could be used instead of Yahoo!. You don’t even know how much you earned or where the prizes really go, and some ads pop up. All this is a big minus in my opinion.
By the way, just to mention one more time: the decentralized blockchain platform that claims to fight for free speech and rewards users is called Odyssey and is affiliated with LIBRY (the BitChute I mistakenly mentioned is also decentralized and claims to support free speech, but it has nothing to do with blockchain and rewards, and it also has a bad reputation for tolerating extremist content). Regarding BitTube, I think only the BitTubers site is available (other sites, such as bit.tube, bittube.app, bittube.video or bittube.tv are not), but it’s possible that access to that site is also restricted.
Please, when you have time, look into this and post if you think it fits the content of this site because I’m very interested in what happened to BitTube and how useful LIBRY and Odyssey can be for video content creators and viewers.
Thank you in advanced.
With best regards,
Nikola
Thanks for sharing your opinion and experiences.