Kagi Opens Limited Free Search and Takes Aim at Google’s School AI Policy
Kagi, the paid ad-free search engine, now gives unregistered users 50 free searches and adds 100 more after signup. It also criticizes Google for tying school search access to AI settings.
A limited free tier
Kagi, the paid ad-free search engine, has announced that search is now open to everyone with a usage cap. An unregistered visitor can perform 50 searches without creating an account. After registering, the user receives another 100 searches on top of that initial allowance. The announcement frames this as an open door to the service: people who have never used Kagi can try it without committing to a paid plan or handing over account data at the first step.
What the update leaves unspecified matters for anyone evaluating the service. The company does not say whether the 50 unregistered searches reset after a period, whether they are tied to a browser fingerprint or IP address, or whether the additional 100 searches for account holders are a one-time benefit. There is also no detail on what a user sees after exhausting the free allowance. Kagi’s core product remains paid and ad-free, but the announcement does not explicitly state that the free tier will stay ad-free or which advanced features may be excluded.
The Google school policy dispute
Kagi used the same announcement to criticize Google. According to Kagi’s description, Google has decided that its search engine will close to US schools if those schools choose to disable AI. That linking of school access to AI settings is the basis for Kagi’s criticism. Kagi writes that education should not become a hostage of an advertising company, and that corporate profit should not be placed above the core mission of educating students. These are strong claims, and the announcement presents no further evidence or documentation of Google’s policy. It also does not specify which AI features are covered, whether the policy applies to all Google search access from school networks, or how schools can disable AI in practice.
The practical call from Kagi is direct: US schools should consider alternative search engines, including Kagi. This is framed as a suggestion rather than a concrete offer with pricing, deployment details, or educational privacy commitments. Kagi does not lay out a school-specific product in the announcement, so the comparison with Google on features, management controls, and compliance remains open.
Reading the update as a product move
From a product perspective, the change lowers the barrier to first use. A search engine that has positioned itself as paid and ad-free typically asks users to commit before they can evaluate relevance and speed. By giving a small number of free searches to anonymous visitors, Kagi can introduce its results page without requiring a signup. The registration bonus then creates a second step for people who want more than a quick test.
The announcement does not include usage data, conversion figures, or comparison with other search engines. It also does not say whether the free allowance will remain at the same level or change later. Because the information is limited, the update is best understood as a limited free entry point plus a public objection to Google’s school policy. Its effect on the search market or on school procurement decisions cannot be judged from the material Kagi has released.