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Kagi alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave Kagi: monthly subscription for something most engines give away, and free trial is limited to 100 searches. We ranked 5 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Kagi, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Brave Search currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Brave Search logoBrave SearchFree plan + paidNoWeb, iOS, Android4 of 466.5
2DuckDuckGo logoDuckDuckGoFree plan + paidNoWeb, Windows, macOS +34 of 462.6
3Perplexity logoPerplexityFree plan + paidNoWeb, Windows, macOS +23 of 359.6
4Startpage logoStartpageFreeNoWeb, iOS, Android +14 of 457.2
5SearXNG logoSearXNGOpen sourceYesWeb, Self-hosted4 of 455.3
  1. DuckDuckGo logo

    2. DuckDuckGo

    Best for: People who want a familiar, free search engine without being profiled

    Free plan + paidWeb, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Browser extension

    62.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Kagi

    Free private search if paying for search doesn't feel worth it.

    Pros

    • No search history or ad profile tied to you
    • Bangs make jumping to other sites' search very fast
    • Optional private AI chat and a tracker-blocking browser

    Cons

    • Relies heavily on Bing, so results are rarely unique
    • Weaker than Google for local and breaking-news queries
    • Still shows ads, just not personalised ones
    Visit DuckDuckGo Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is DuckDuckGo a good Kagi alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Launched
    2008
    Checked Oct 25, 2026duckduckgo.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Monthly searches
    3 billion
    Checked Oct 25, 2026duckduckgo.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Result sources
    Many sources plus own crawler (DuckDuckBot)
    Checked Oct 25, 2026duckduckgo.com(opens source in a new tab)
    AI chat
    Duck.ai, free and optional
    Checked Oct 25, 2026duckduckgo.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Perplexity logo

    3. Perplexity

    Best for: Researching questions where you want a sourced summary instead of a list of links

    Free plan + paidWeb, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android

    59.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Kagi

    For people who mainly used Kagi's Assistant and want deeper AI research.

    Pros

    • Answers cite their sources inline
    • Real-time web search with follow-up questions
    • Choice of leading AI models on paid plans

    Cons

    • Summaries can misread or over-generalise sources
    • Weak for navigational, shopping and local searches
    • Best features sit behind a subscription
    Visit Perplexity Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Perplexity a good Kagi alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    How it works
    Real-time web search, summarised with citations
    Checked Oct 25, 2026perplexity.ai(opens source in a new tab)
    Enterprise security
    SOC 2 Type II
    Checked Oct 25, 2026perplexity.ai(opens source in a new tab)
    Enterprise customers
    50,000+ organizations
    Checked Oct 25, 2026perplexity.ai(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Startpage logo

    4. Startpage

    Best for: People who want Google-quality results without Google tracking them

    FreeWeb, iOS, Android, Browser extension

    57.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from Kagi

    Free Google-sourced results without tracking.

    Pros

    • Familiar Google-sourced results without personalisation
    • Anonymous View proxy hides your IP from the sites you open
    • Does not record your IP address or search history

    Cons

    • Fewer rich features such as maps and local listings
    • Anonymous View breaks some interactive sites
    • Ads are still shown, just not personalised
    Visit Startpage Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Startpage a good Kagi alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Founded
    2006, the Netherlands
    Checked Oct 25, 2026startpage.com(opens source in a new tab)
    IP logging
    No
    Checked Oct 25, 2026startpage.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Proxy browsing
    Anonymous View
    Checked Oct 25, 2026startpage.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Data protection
    GDPR
    Checked Oct 25, 2026startpage.com(opens source in a new tab)
  4. SearXNG logo

    5. SearXNG

    Best for: Self-hosters who want private search pulling from many engines at once

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    55.3

    score / 100

    Why switch from Kagi

    Self-hosted metasearch you control completely, at no subscription cost.

    Pros

    • Combines results from many engines in one page
    • No tracking or profiling, with optional JavaScript and cookies
    • Fully self-hostable and configurable

    Cons

    • Upstream engines sometimes block or rate-limit instances
    • Public instances vary in speed and reliability
    • Running your own takes some server know-how
    Visit SearXNG Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.363
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is SearXNG a good Kagi alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    AGPL-3.0
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Engines supported
    Up to 261 search services
    Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.searxng.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Origin
    Fork of searx (2021)
    Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.searxng.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Self-hosting
    Container, script or manual install
    Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.searxng.org(opens source in a new tab)

The best Kagi alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Brave Search logo

Best Kagi alternative for most people

Brave Search

Free, private and independent, with a paid ad-free tier if you want one.

Startpage logo

Best Kagi alternative for a free option

Startpage

Free Google-sourced results without tracking.

DuckDuckGo logo

Best Kagi alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

DuckDuckGo

Free private search if paying for search doesn't feel worth it.

SearXNG logo

Best Kagi alternative for open source

SearXNG

Self-hosted metasearch you control completely, at no subscription cost.

SearXNG logo

Best Kagi alternative for self-hosting

SearXNG

Self-hosted metasearch you control completely, at no subscription cost.

Perplexity logo

Best Kagi alternative for Mac

Perplexity

For people who mainly used Kagi's Assistant and want deeper AI research.

DuckDuckGo logo

Best Kagi alternative for Windows

DuckDuckGo

Free private search if paying for search doesn't feel worth it.

Brave Search logo

Best Kagi alternative for iPhone and Android

Brave Search

Free, private and independent, with a paid ad-free tier if you want one.

Brave Search logo

Best Kagi alternative for working in the browser

Brave Search

Free, private and independent, with a paid ad-free tier if you want one.

Kagi alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Kagi?

Brave Search ranks first right now. Free, private and independent, with a paid ad-free tier if you want one. DuckDuckGo and Perplexity follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to Kagi?

Yes. Brave Search (free plan + paid), DuckDuckGo (free plan + paid), Perplexity (free plan + paid) and Startpage (free) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Kagi?

Yes: SearXNG. SearXNG can also be self-hosted.

Why do people switch from Kagi?

The complaints we hear most: monthly subscription for something most engines give away; free trial is limited to 100 searches; local and maps results lag Google.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Kagi, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.