Privacy-first subscription search vs customizable AI search engine.
by Kagi Inc.
Kagi is a paid, ad-free search engine with a built-in AI assistant (Kagi Assistant). Because it is subscription-funded, Kagi shows zero ads and does not sell your data. Its AI features include Summarizer (instant summaries of any webpage), FastGPT (quick answers from the web), and the full Kagi Assistant powered by GPT-4, Claude, or Gemini with citations.
by You.com
You.com is an AI-first search engine that lets you choose which model answers your query — GPT-4o, Claude, Gemini, or its own YouPro model. All searches include cited web results. Has a 'private mode' with no tracking, making it a privacy alternative to Perplexity.
| Feature | Kagi | You.com |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | Kagi Inc. | You.com |
| Category | AI Search | AI Search |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Starting price | $5/mo | Free / $15/mo |
| Strengths | Zero ads — search results ranked purely on relevance, No tracking, no data selling, no personalized ad profiles, Built-in AI assistant with citations (GPT-4, Claude, Gemini) | model picker in one search bar, cited results like Perplexity, private mode with zero tracking |
| Weaknesses | Paid only — no free tier beyond 100 searches, Smaller index than Google — occasional gaps in freshness | smaller community than Perplexity or ChatGPT, slower at breaking news |
New head-to-heads, price drops, launches. One email per week.
No spam. We never share your address.