HACKER Q&A
📣 d12bb

Do you use “next-gen” search engines?


In recent months, multiple new web search engines have launched with features like personalization of results, examples being Kagi, Neeva or You. I've been using Kagi as my standard search engine for the past month and really like it, though I'm not sure yet if it's worth $10/M.

Do you use one of those new engines instead of established ones (Google, DDG, …), and what made you chose the one you use?


  👤 ghusto Accepted Answer ✓
There was a similar post recently, which I found Kagi through.

What Kagi has taught me is that it is unlikely-to-impossible for there to be a successful, good search engine — i.e. you can have good, or economically viable, pick one.

If it's good, it'll cost what they're asking for (currently $10 pm), because that's how much they have to charge to stay in business. Not enough people will pay that though, so paradoxically, they'll go out of business charging what they need to.

If it's an acceptable price, it'll either be backed by FAANG, or be looking to sell fast (so ultimately be owned by FAANG anyway). If it's backed by FAANG, you've sacrificed the "good" part, because that's not part of their business model (they're here to sell ads, which means breaking good search in many ways).


👤 marymkearney
Neeva FTW.

Result quality: high to excellent, including image search. Feels like searching on Google circa 2010, in a good way. I haven't "personalized" it, and it still works fine.

Cost: Zero so far. Figured I'd hit my search limit early and have to pay, but that hasn't happened. On a heavy research day I can easily do 50 to 150 searches. Neeva seems fine with that. At this point I like it so much, I'd pay for it.

Product choice: Saw it on HN. :) HTH