Kagi review

Kagi is the only engine here that charges for search itself, and that is the point: it has no ads and says it is fully funded by its users. The Trial covers 100 searches and 100 Assistant interactions. Starter costs $5 a month plus tax for 300 searches, Professional costs $10 for unlimited searches with Kagi Summarize, and Ultimate costs $25 and adds premium AI models and Research mode in the Kagi Assistant. Annual billing takes 10% off, and Kagi's fair pricing policy credits you for any month you do not use. Features go well beyond the basics: lenses narrow results to a topic, personalized results and filters shape what you see, and bangs jump to other sites. For anonymity, Kagi supports Privacy Pass and access over Tor, because a paid account is otherwise tied to your billing details. The main drawback is cost: Kagi is the most expensive option here, and Starter's 300-search cap runs out quickly.

Who it is for

heavy searchers who will pay to remove ads entirely

Price

Trial of 100 searches; Starter $5 a month for 300 searches, Professional $10 a month unlimited, Ultimate $25 a month.

The Starter plan offers 300 searches per month, up to 300 AI interactions per month with standard models , and access to Kagi Translate for USD $5 per month + tax.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 14, 2026.

Key features

• No ads and no tracking; Kagi is fully funded by subscribers
• Lenses, personalized results, bangs and result filtering
• Professional plan at $10 a month includes unlimited searches and Kagi Summarize
• Privacy Pass and Tor access for anonymous searching
• Fair pricing: a month you do not use is credited back

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Trial includes 100 searches and 100 Assistant interactions
• Strength: Annual billing is 10% off
• Strength: Accepts PayPal and Bitcoin through OpenNode, without auto-renew
• Weakness: No permanent free plan
• Weakness: Starter is capped at 300 searches a month
• Weakness: Ultimate, with premium AI models, costs $25 a month

Key facts

• Price: From $5 a month
• Free trial: 100 searches
• Unlimited plan: Professional, $10 a month
• Ads: None

Where it ranks

Kagi is No. 4 in our Best Private Search Engines verdict.