Search engines

Kagi

Kagi is the leading paid, ad-free, account-bound search engine.

Website

kagi.com

KYC

optional KYC — Paid search. Free tier available with limited queries. Signup is email-only.

Status

active

Fiat on-ramp

no

Payment

card, crypto

Jurisdiction

United States (operator-disclosed)

Founded

2019

Open source

no

Custodial

yes

Last verified

Jan 1, 2026

Sources

2

Overview

Strengths

• Paid-only business model removes the surveillance-advertising incentive.
• Independent index plus aggregator with strong long-tail recall.
• Per-domain ranking controls.

Caveats

• U.S. operator; account-bound usage.
• Email at signup.
• Facts need re-verification by operator (last seeded 2026-01).

Verdict

Kagi is the leading paid, ad-free, account-bound search engine. The privacy story is "we don't sell you, you pay us" — not "we don't know who you are." For users who want a quality search without ads and accept an account, Kagi is the default. For users who specifically want no account, see Mojeek or DuckDuckGo.

FAQ

Does Kagi require KYC?

Kagi has optional KYC; you can use the service without it for the basic flow. Paid search. Free tier available with limited queries. Signup is email-only.

What payment methods does Kagi accept?

Kagi accepts: card, crypto.

Where is Kagi based?

Operating jurisdiction listed as United States (operator-disclosed). This is best-known information; corporate structure can be opaque.

Sources

1. Kagi about · accessed Jan 1, 2026
2. Kagi blog · accessed Jan 1, 2026

Mentioned in

Alternatives to Kagi

• Brave Search none kyc · United
• DuckDuckGo none kyc · United
• Marginalia Search none kyc · Sweden
• Mojeek none kyc · United
• Presearch optional kyc · Canada
• SearXNG none kyc · depends

Entry last verified Jan 1, 2026. Notice an error? Send it via the contact form.