Many people have expressed concerns around online privacy and data usage. As a result, we've seen a significant rise in the number of privacy-oriented search engines that users can choose from.

Kagi is one of those privacy-focused search engines. But what is it, and how does it compare to its competitors? Let's find out.

What Is the Kagi Search Engine?

The search engine sector is a market with rather fierce competition. We've already seen another search engine butt heads against Google with DuckDuckGo, and there's a growing list of search engines that can find content Google can't.

So, what does Kagi do differently? Well, mainly, it's a completely premium model—with monthly and annual payment models. This means that the search engine can keep its promise to be ad-free and implement zero user tracking.br />

If that's enough to raise your eyebrow, read on to find out more about how Kagi tries to change the game. For more information about the pricing model, visit the Kagi website.

How Is Kagi Different to Google?

In many ways, Kagi is similar to Google. They are both lightning-quick and sport eye-catching, minimalist designs.

The core difference stems from what was mentioned above. The premium model allows Kagi to be rid of ads and structure its search engine in an objective way.

For many users, the first step to using Google is to disable personalized ads. This goes some way in streamlining your results, but a major criticism levied towards Google is that the search results are simply too personalized. If you browse in incognito mode, you'll often find that what you see is different from the non-private version.

Kagi has a wide selection of non-commercial indexes and user-controlled personalization. The search engine focuses on getting the ideal results for your query fast.

Rather than a free service, Kagi aims to be a premium product. You purchase it, and you enjoy a refined search engine experience. But how exactly does Kagi deliver that refined search engine experience?

The Main Kagi Features

Let's run through the main tools that would entice a user to use Kagi.

1. Lenses

Kagi endeavors to bring the user powerful tools for refining their search results. Lenses is one of the easiest to understand and potentially the most useful.

With Lenses, you're given the ability to filter your search results through a given topic. Programming and news are two such examples; you can even search directly for PDF files.

This is a novel feature. Other search engines are capable of achieving similar results, but Kagi goes a step further by allowing you to create your own Lenses.

An extension of the Lenses feature is the ability to quickly switch regions for your searches. You can search for results from your own country and from further afield. If you're performing research projects and homework, you might find that this feature is particularly useful.

2. Discussions

Kagi will prioritize organic internet discussions in your search results. Using the previously mentioned Lenses, you can have Kagi only deliver discussions originating from forum posts and other discussion websites.

With the Discussions tool, you can really filter out the junk and find real people discussing relevant topics.

3. Refining Search Results

Kagi has a wide range of smaller, general tools that allow you to adjust how you would personally like to see different websites within your results.

Ranking is one of these tools, allowing you to add a soft preference for how high a website is prioritized in your search. You can also, of course, remove these websites entirely—or guarantee that you see them every time.

Kagi will also automatically sort different results, a function that is also customizable. Kagi will generally group commercial articles together, while giving room for more natural results to breathe.

Of course, Kagi also sports conventional searching tools. DuckDuckGo's famous Bangs feature makes an appearance in the Kagi tool set. If you don't know what Bangs are yet, take a look at our write-up.

4. Appearance Customization

While it might not make the biggest difference to your search results, a robust, customizable interface goes a long way for your eyes after a late night of research.

Kagi not only features the basics that you'd expect, such as dark mode and font customization, it even features a custom CSS editor, allowing up to 10,000 characters in the script.

What is CSS, and how does it play into your search engine experience? Well, this custom CSS editor could potentially allow Kagi to look like anything you desire. So, if you're not a fan of the design, you can switch things up a little.

Should I Use Kagi?

Kagi is a very robust offering. It's unparalleled in its potential for effective research, and the telemetry-free nature of its design will give any users concerned about privacy peace of mind.

With the amount of personalization available here, personalization that is entirely within the user's hands, Kagi should not be looked over easily.

However, the premium model is a real stinger. At the time of writing in August 2022, the pricing model is anything but cheap for a search engine. You cannot buy a lifetime license, meaning that your only option is to pick an ongoing subscription service. Over time, the price can add up.

Kagi does allow a certain amount of free searches per month, which will at least allow you to trial the service. If you're a student, invested in researching of any kind, or just generally don't like other search engines, it's at least worth a look.

If you're not any of the above, you might find it hard to justify a subscription to Kagi.

More Browsers, More Choices

Kagi might not be getting ready to knock Google off its throne, but it's a strong private search browser to use—even if you need to pay for it. Search engines are a vital tool in our lives, and a good selection to choose from is important.

If you feel like you might get some use from Kagi, it's worth at least trying out.