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Head-to-head · AI Search Engines

Brave Search vs Kagi Search

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score Brave Search #3 in AI Search Engines 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit Brave Search
Kagi Search #5 in AI Search Engines 8.7/10 Paid ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Kagi

Brave Search leads on 1 check, Kagi Search on 0, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreBrave Search · 9.0/10
  • Free planonly Brave Search
  • Most featuresKagi Search · 4 of 4

Brave Search scores higher on our rubric for ai search engines: 9.0 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #5.

Brave Search offers free plan; Kagi Search doesn't. On mobile apps, Brave Search gives you Both where Kagi Search offers Android.

Brave Search is the better fit for affordable cited web search. Kagi Search is the better fit for power users wanting ad-free customizable search.

  • Brave Search fits best

    Affordable cited web search

  • Kagi Search fits best

    Power users wanting ad-free customizable search

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Side by side

Feature Brave Search 9.0/10 Visit ↗ Kagi Search 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.0 8.7
Ranking #3 in AI Search Engines #5 in AI Search Engines
Best for Affordable cited web search Power users wanting ad-free customizable search
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price $29.99/yr $54/yr
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Mobile, Browser extension Cloud, Mobile, Browser extension
Platforms Web, iOS, Android Web, Android, Chrome extension
Support Community, Docs Email, Community, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Brave Search 3/4 · Kagi Search 4/4
Deep research mode ✓ ✓
Source filters ✓ ✓
Browser extension Not checked yet ✓ (best)
API access ✓ ✓
Specs
Citation format Not checked yet Source_list
Mobile apps Both Android
Monthly query limit Not checked yet 300 /mo
Our review
Pros
  • AI Answers provide inline citations and Deep Research mode
  • Independent index with image, news, video, and forum results
  • Free plan, $3 monthly premium tier, mobile apps, and API access
  • Ad- and tracker-free search with domain ranking, blocking and boosting
  • Lenses filter results by sites, keywords, regions and file types
  • Quick Answers cite sources; Ultimate adds Research mode and premium models
Cons
  • Private ads may appear on the Free plan
  • Premium mainly adds ad-free results and a cleaner results page
  • The broad feature set may exceed the needs of simple web searches
  • No free plan; ongoing use requires a paid plan
  • Starter limits monthly searches to 300
  • The published mobile app is for Android; no iOS Search app is available
Our verdict

Brave Search is a privacy-focused web search engine for people who want conventional search alongside AI-assisted research. It searches an independent web index and covers web, image, news, and video results, while AI Answers provide cited…

Read the review →

Kagi Search is a user-funded web search engine for people who want ad-free, tracker-free results and more control over what appears. It combines Kagi’s own indexes with other providers and vertical sources, and is aimed at individual users…

Read the review →
  1. Brave SearchAI Search Engines 9.0Free plan
  2. Kagi SearchAI Search Engines 8.7Paid

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Brave Search — where it wins

    • AI Answers provide inline citations and Deep Research mode
    • Independent index with image, news, video, and forum results
    • Free plan, $3 monthly premium tier, mobile apps, and API access

    Where it doesn't

    • Private ads may appear on the Free plan
    • Premium mainly adds ad-free results and a cleaner results page
    • The broad feature set may exceed the needs of simple web searches

  • Kagi Search — where it wins

    • Ad- and tracker-free search with domain ranking, blocking and boosting
    • Lenses filter results by sites, keywords, regions and file types
    • Quick Answers cite sources; Ultimate adds Research mode and premium models

    Where it doesn't

    • No free plan; ongoing use requires a paid plan
    • Starter limits monthly searches to 300
    • The published mobile app is for Android; no iOS Search app is available

More comparisons

All AI search engines comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update