# Kagi

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

- Category: [AI Assistants](https://finderatlas.com/categories/ai-assistants)
- Pricing: Free trial
- Website: https://kagi.com
- Platforms: Web, iOS, Android, API
- API: available
- Mobile app: available
- Made by: Kagi Inc., founded 2018, San Francisco, CA
- Last updated: 2026-10-19
- FinderAtlas page: https://finderatlas.com/tools/kagi

## Overview

Kagi is a paid, ad-free web search engine built by Kagi Inc. Instead of selling advertising or user data, it charges a monthly subscription, and its stated mission is to "reclaim the web" and restore user privacy. Users can personalize results by raising, lowering or blocking specific sites, and can narrow searches with built-in or custom lenses such as Forums, Academic and Programming.

## Key features

- Ad-free search
- Site personalization
- Lenses
- Kagi Assistant
- Quick Answer and Summarize Page
- Developer APIs
- Orion browser
- Kagi Translate and Kagi News

## Pricing

- **Trial** ($0): Free trial to evaluate Kagi
- **Starter** ($5/month): Entry plan for light searchers
- **Professional** ($10/month): Unlimited search for regular users
- **Ultimate** ($25/month): Full AI access

## Best for

- People who want ad-free, personalizable search results and are willing to pay a subscription to get them

## Who uses it

- Privacy-conscious users
- Researchers
- Developers
- Heavy web searchers
- Power users

## Strengths

- 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.

## Limitations

- 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.

## Not recommended for

- Users who expect a permanently free search engine, or very light users who only need occasional searches

## Integrations

- Anthropic Claude
- OpenAI GPT
- Google Gemini
- MCP

## FinderAtlas editorial scores (out of 10)

- Ease of Use: 8.2/10
- Feature Depth: 8.6/10
- Value for Money: 7.4/10
- Performance & Speed: 8.4/10
- Documentation & Support: 7.8/10

## Alternatives

- [Msty](https://finderatlas.com/tools/msty): Private AI workspace for chatting with local and online models, with your data under your control ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/kagi-vs-msty))
- [Fellou](https://finderatlas.com/tools/fellou): Agentic AI browser that plans and runs multi-step web tasks for you ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/fellou-vs-kagi))
- [Grok](https://finderatlas.com/tools/grok): xAI's AI assistant with live X and web search, image and voice tools ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/grok-vs-kagi))
- [Dia](https://finderatlas.com/tools/dia): An AI-native web browser that answers questions across your tabs and work apps ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/dia-vs-kagi))
- [Perplexity](https://finderatlas.com/tools/perplexity): AI answer engine that searches the live web and cites its sources ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/kagi-vs-perplexity))
- [You.com](https://finderatlas.com/tools/you-com): Real-time web search, research and answer APIs that ground AI agents in live data ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/kagi-vs-you-com))
- [Felo](https://finderatlas.com/tools/felo): Multilingual AI search engine that also builds slides, mind maps and research reports ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/felo-vs-kagi))
- [Opera Neon](https://finderatlas.com/tools/opera-neon): Agentic AI browser that researches, navigates and completes web tasks for you ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/kagi-vs-opera-neon))

## FAQ

**Is Kagi free?**

Not permanently. New accounts get a trial of 100 searches and 100 Assistant interactions, after which a paid plan starting at $5 per month is required.

**How many searches does each plan include?**

Starter includes 300 searches per month, while Professional and Ultimate include unlimited searches.

**Which AI models does Kagi Assistant use?**

The Ultimate plan includes flagship models from providers including Claude, GPT and Gemini, along with Research mode. Starter and Professional use Quick mode.

**Does Kagi have mobile apps?**

Yes. Kagi Assistant is available on the iOS App Store, and Kagi's help centre describes an Android app available on Google Play with home-screen search widgets and Privacy Pass support.

**Does Kagi offer an API?**

Yes. Kagi sells pay-per-use Search, Enrichment, Universal Summarizer and FastGPT APIs, and offers a free Small Web RSS feed.

**Who is behind Kagi?**

Kagi Inc., founded in 2018 by Vladimir Prelovac. It is a Public Benefit Corporation and was funded by its founder and a group of angel investors.