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Kagi vs Perplexity

Features, pricing, ratings, and pros and cons, side by side.

Kagi logo

Kagi

Ad-free, subscription-funded search engine with built-in AI assistant and summarization tools

Free trial
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Verdict

Kagi and Perplexity are both AI Assistants tools. Perplexity scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.7 vs 8.1 out of 10). Both have a free plan or trial.

Best overall

Perplexity

  • Researchers
  • Students
  • Analysts
  • Journalists

Choose Kagi if

  • You want a tool built for people who want ad-free, personalizable search results and are willing to pay a subscription to get them.
  • No advertising; revenue comes from subscriptions.
  • Site-level raise, lower and block controls let users tune results.

Choose Perplexity if

  • You want a tool built for answering factual and current-events questions with checkable sources, and running multi-step web research.
  • Every answer links to numbered sources, so claims are easy to check.
  • Free plan includes search with citations.
Best for beginners
Kagi
Best for business
Perplexity

Features

16 features compared.

  • Ad-free search
    Kagi
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Site personalization
    Kagi
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Lenses
    Kagi
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Kagi Assistant
    Kagi
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Quick Answer and Summarize Page
    Kagi
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Developer APIs
    Kagi
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Orion browser
    Kagi
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Kagi Translate and Kagi News
    Kagi
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Cited answers
    Kagi
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available
  • Pro Search
    Kagi
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available
  • Research
    Kagi
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available
  • Model selection
    Kagi
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available
  • File uploads
    Kagi
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available
  • Perplexity Computer
    Kagi
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available
  • Comet browser
    Kagi
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available
  • Perplexity API
    Kagi
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available

Pricing

Plans as listed by each vendor. Check their sites for current prices.

  • Pricing model
    Kagi
    Free trial
    Perplexity
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    Kagi
    Yes
    Perplexity
    Yes
  • Starting price
    Kagi
    $0
    Perplexity
    $0
  • Plans
    Kagi
    4 plans
    Perplexity
    5 plans

Kagi plans

  • Trial

    $0

    Free trial to evaluate Kagi

    • 100 searches
    • 100 Assistant interactions

  • Starter

    $5/month

    Entry plan for light searchers

    • 300 searches
    • Assistant Quick mode

  • Professional

    Most popular

    $10/month

    Unlimited search for regular users

    • Unlimited searches
    • Assistant Quick mode
    • larger monthly Assistant allowance

  • Ultimate

    $25/month

    Full AI access

    • Unlimited searches
    • Assistant Research mode
    • flagship models including Claude
    • GPT and Gemini
    • highest level of support

Perplexity plans

  • Free

    $0

    Basic search with citations and limited daily usage.

    • Search with citations
    • 3 Pro Searches per day
    • 1 Research query per month
    • Limited file uploads

  • Pro

    Most popular

    $20/month

    Higher limits, advanced models and Perplexity Computer for individuals.

    • Extended Pro Search
    • Extended Research
    • Advanced AI models
    • Image generation
    • Create files and apps
    • Comet Assistant
    • Weekly Computer usage

  • Max

    $200/month

    Highest consumer limits, with monthly credits and priority support.

    • Everything in Pro
    • 10,000 monthly credits
    • Highest Comet Assistant limits
    • Brain (research preview)
    • Extended Create files and apps
    • Priority support

  • Enterprise Pro

    $40/user/mo

    Team plan with admin controls and organizational features.

    • 400 Pro Searches per week
    • 50 Research queries per month
    • 80 Comet Assistant queries per month
    • 500 monthly credits
    • File uploads and sharing

  • Enterprise Max

    $325/user/mo

    Highest enterprise limits with SCIM, audit logs and priority support.

    • 4,000 Pro Searches per week
    • 500 Research queries per month
    • 15,000 monthly credits
    • 15 videos per month
    • SCIM and audit logs
    • Priority support

Our ratings

Scored out of 10 by the Finder Atlas editorial team. Last reviewed October 2026.

Kagi
8.1overall
Perplexity
8.7overall

  • Ease of Use

    Kagi
    8.2
    Perplexity
    Not rated

  • Feature Depth

    Kagi
    8.6
    Perplexity
    Not rated

  • Value for Money

    Kagi
    7.4
    Perplexity
    Not rated

  • Performance & Speed

    Kagi
    8.4
    Perplexity
    Not rated

  • Documentation & Support

    Kagi
    7.8
    Perplexity
    Not rated

  • Live Web Search & Citations

    Kagi
    Not rated
    Perplexity
    9.2

  • Real-time Factuality & News

    Kagi
    Not rated
    Perplexity
    8.6

  • Source Transparency

    Kagi
    Not rated
    Perplexity
    9.0

  • Document & Research Analysis

    Kagi
    Not rated
    Perplexity
    8.3

  • Search Speed & Responsiveness

    Kagi
    Not rated
    Perplexity
    8.5

Scores weigh documented features, plan value, platform coverage, integrations and user feedback. A missing score means we have not rated that area yet.

Pros and cons

Kagi

Pros

  • No advertising; revenue comes from subscriptions.
  • Site-level raise, lower and block controls let users tune results.
  • Lenses give quick topic-specific filtering such as Academic or Forums.
  • Ultimate bundles access to Claude, GPT and Gemini models in Assistant.
  • Public APIs and an MCP server support developer use.
  • Transparent funding history published by the company.

Cons

  • No permanent free tier: the trial is limited to 100 searches.
  • The $5 Starter plan caps searches at 300 per month, which users report running out of quickly.
  • Reviewers report that lens use and loading more results can count as extra searches.
  • Full AI model access requires the $25 Ultimate plan.

Perplexity

Pros

  • Every answer links to numbered sources, so claims are easy to check
  • Free plan includes search with citations
  • Paid plans offer a choice of advanced models from several providers
  • Available on web, iOS, Android and through a developer API
  • Separate Comet browser integrates the assistant into browsing

Cons

  • Free plan is limited to 3 Pro Searches per day and 1 Research query per month
  • Pro and Max limits are described as weekly or monthly allowances rather than fixed numbers
  • Max costs $200 per month, and Enterprise Max costs $325
  • Answers can still contain errors, so the cited sources need checking

Platforms

  • Web
    Kagi
    Supported
    Perplexity
    Supported
  • Windows
    Kagi
    Not supported
    Perplexity
    Not supported
  • macOS
    Kagi
    Not supported
    Perplexity
    Not supported
  • iOS
    Kagi
    Supported
    Perplexity
    Supported
  • Android
    Kagi
    Supported
    Perplexity
    Supported
  • API
    Kagi
    Supported
    Perplexity
    Supported
  • Browser Extension
    Kagi
    Not supported
    Perplexity
    Not supported

Integrations

Kagi

4 integrations
  • Anthropic Claude
  • OpenAI GPT
  • Google Gemini
  • MCP

Perplexity

No integrations listed.

Company

  • Company
    Kagi
    Kagi Inc.
    Perplexity
    Perplexity AI, Inc.
  • Founded
    Kagi
    2018
    Perplexity
    2022
  • Headquarters
    Kagi
    San Francisco, CA
    Perplexity
    San Francisco, CA
  • Listing
    Kagi
    Claimed
    Perplexity
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Kagi better than Perplexity?

It depends on your workflow. Kagi is built for people who want ad-free, personalizable search results and are willing to pay a subscription to get them. Perplexity is built for answering factual and current-events questions with checkable sources, and running multi-step web research.

What are the key feature differences between Kagi and Perplexity?

Kagi: Ad-free, subscription-funded search engine with built-in AI assistant and summarization tools. Perplexity: AI answer engine that searches the live web and cites its sources.

Does Kagi or Perplexity have a free plan?

Yes, both do. Kagi is free trial and Perplexity is freemium, and each has a free plan or trial.

Which is cheaper, Kagi or Perplexity?

Both can be used for free. Paid plans differ in limits and features, so compare the tiers in the pricing table above.