Kagi
A paid, ad-free search engine with built-in AI answer summaries.
Description
Kagi charges a subscription instead of running ads, and layers optional AI-generated answer summaries and an AI Assistant on top of its own, less SEO-cluttered search index.
Pros
- No ads, no tracking-driven result ranking
- AI summaries stay optional, not forced
- Lets you personally boost or block domains
Cons
- Paying for search is a hard sell for many users
- Smaller index than Google for very obscure queries
What it does & solves
Kagi solves the ad-and-SEO-spam problem of mainstream search by removing the incentive entirely — you pay for the product, so there's no ad ranking or engagement-farming content to wade through. It also folds in an optional AI layer: quick answer summaries above results and a chat-style Assistant for deeper questions, both of which you can ignore if you just want a clean, private results page. It's built for people who've found regular search results increasingly cluttered with ads and low-quality AI content and are willing to pay to fix that directly.
Use cases
- Running everyday search without ads or tracking-based result ranking
- Getting a quick AI summary above results for straightforward factual questions
- Using the Assistant in Research mode with flagship models for harder questions (Ultimate plan)
- Personally boosting trusted domains or blocking low-quality ones from your results
- Using Lenses to filter results to a specific type of source (forums, academic, etc.)
- Searching privately without your queries feeding an ad-targeting profile
- Sharing a family or duo plan to get several people off ad-supported search at once
Who it's for
Aimed at privacy-conscious users and search power users who are frustrated with ad-cluttered, AI-spam-filled results and are willing to pay a monthly fee to fix it. No technical skill is required — it works like any search engine, just with a login. It's a harder sell for casual users who search occasionally and don't mind free, ad-supported alternatives.
Getting started
- 1Start the free trial at kagi.com — 100 searches and 100 Assistant interactions, no credit card required.
- 2Search normally; use Lenses or domain boosting to fine-tune results as you go.
- 3Try the AI Assistant for questions that need a synthesized answer, not just links.
- 4Once the trial runs low, pick a paid tier based on how many searches you actually used.
- 5Set Kagi as your browser's default search engine so the habit sticks.
Tips for using it well
- Start on the free trial (100 searches, 100 Assistant interactions) before picking a paid tier, since it shows real usage rather than guessing
- Use domain boosting and blocking early — it compounds, making results better the more you personalize
- Reserve Assistant Research mode (Ultimate) for genuinely hard questions; Quick mode on Professional covers most everyday use
- Try Lenses to scope a search to a specific source type instead of adding site: filters manually
- If you rarely hit your monthly search cap, Kagi auto-credits unused searches — no need to jump to a bigger plan just in case
Plans & pricing
Free plan: A one-time trial of 100 searches and 100 Assistant interactions — not a renewing free tier, so once it's used up you need a paid plan to keep searching.
Starter
$5/month
300 searches a month with Assistant access in Quick mode.
Professional
$10/month
Unlimited searches, unlimited personalization and Lenses, and a larger Assistant allowance.
Ultimate
$25/month
Unlimited searches plus Assistant Research mode with access to flagship models like Claude and GPT.