Privacy-focused search engine Kagi retains user as alternatives fail to match text-centric utility
A blogger who has used the service since 2021 cites dissatisfaction with AI-heavy results and technical limitations elsewhere as key drivers for re-subscription.
A long-term user of the privacy-focused search engine Kagi has re-subscribed to the platform following a two-month trial of alternative services. The author, who began using Kagi in 2021, described their experience with Google as a "disaster," citing an overemphasis on AI, video, and image content rather than text-based results.
The author tested several alternatives, including DuckDuckGo, Brave Search, Qwant, and a custom-configured SearxNG instance. While these alternatives offered privacy benefits, they failed to replicate Kagi’s specific combination of result relevance, customisation capabilities, and utility tools. The custom SearxNG instance, in particular, suffered from technical limitations including rate-limiting and slow response times, despite the removal of slower engines.
The author cited specific Kagi features as reasons for returning, including summary and translation tools, and the ability to apply custom CSS. These customisation options could not be replicated on other platforms via userscripts or userstyles, which the author noted were essential for their workflow.
The return to Kagi underscores a growing segment of users prioritising text-centric, highly customisable search interfaces over the broader industry trend towards multimedia-heavy results. The author stated they are unable to return to Google or other engines that do not prioritise user privacy and text-focused results.
The experience of trying out other search engines has reinforced the author's appreciation for Kagi's unique features and its commitment to user privacy. The well is already poisoned for me and I can't go back to Google or any other search engine that doesn't prioritize user privacy and quality results, the author concluded.
The search engine landscape includes major players such as Google, DuckDuckGo, Brave Search, and Qwant, as well as self-hosted options like SearxNG. There is an ongoing industry trend towards integrating AI, video, and image content into search results, which some users find detracts from text-based utility.
The source is a personal blog post on Hacker News. The specific identity of the blogger and their professional background are not verified. The subjective quality of search results is based on a single user's experience and configuration preferences.
