{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "kagi-search", "name": "Kagi Search API", "vendor": "Kagi", "vendorUrl": "https://kagi.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "search", "summary": "Kagi's Search API returns results from the Kagi search engine for web, image, video, news and podcast queries, with optional Markdown extraction of the top pages. It is a paid HTTP API in public preview, with a hosted MCP server.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/kagi-search", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/kagi-search.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/kagi-search.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/kagi-search.json", "repo": "https://github.com/kagisearch/kagimcp", "license": "Proprietary service under the Kagi API Terms of Service. The MCP server is MIT and the OpenAPI file states Apache-2.0", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http", "stdio" ], "remoteUrl": "https://kagi.com/api/v1/search", "packages": [ { "registry": "pypi", "name": "kagimcp" } ], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "Self-serve API key from the portal at kagi.com/api, sent as `Authorization: Bearer \u003ckey\u003e` per the OpenAPI file. Each key can be limited to chosen products and to IP addresses or ranges, and deleted to revoke it. On Family and Team plans only the account owner can open the portal. The hosted MCP server takes the same key as a Bearer header, with no OAuth yet.", "pricing": "usage", "pricingNotes": "$12 per 1,000 searches and $4 per 1,000 extracted pages, pay as you go, invoiced every 30 days or when usage reaches $100. Prepaid credit and a spending cap are available. No free tier or sandbox. The quick start asks for a Kagi account and a payment method first. Enterprise volume prices are by quote (https://kagi.com/api/pricing, checked 2026-10-09).", "priceSummary": "$12 / 1k req", "where": "both", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the OpenAPI file, the API docs or the pricing page (checked 2026-10-09).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 535, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-09" }, "docsUrl": "https://help.kagi.com/kagi/api/overview.html", "openapi": "https://kagi.com/api/docs/_spec/openapi.yaml", "capabilities": [ "web.search", "web.fetch", "web.extract", "search.news", "search.images" ], "tags": [ "official", "hosted", "api-key", "closed-source", "usage-based", "openapi", "preview", "mcp", "ip-allowlist", "python", "typescript", "go", "rust" ], "lastRelease": "2026-08-21", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 48.7, "grade": "D", "agentReady": false, "rank": 807, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 950, "categoryRank": 15, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 75, "maintenance": 41, "payments": 20, "reliability": 8, "schema": 71, "security": 64, "transparency": 69 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-09" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "A public OpenAPI file, typed filters and API keys that can be limited by product and IP address make the API simple to call, at $12 per 1,000 searches. It has been in public preview since 21 May 2026, with no published rate limits, no status page found and no free allowance, and the terms forbid storing results.", "bestFor": "An owner who already pays for Kagi and wants its ranking, lenses and domain rules inside an agent, with page text in the same call.", "strengths": [ "Public OpenAPI 3.0 file for `POST /search` and `POST /extract`, with enums, ranges and request and response examples", "Each API key can be limited to chosen products and to IP addresses or ranges, and the billing page sets a spending cap in USD", "Per-unit prices are public, $12 per 1,000 searches and $4 per 1,000 extracted pages, with pay-as-you-go billing", "Searches can carry an inline lens, domain block, lower, raise and pin rules, date and region filters, and extraction of up to 10 result pages", "The privacy policy has an API section with retention periods, and says queries are not stored against the account" ], "weaknesses": [ "Public preview since 21 May 2026. The API terms say it is under active development with no uptime or service-level commitment", "No rate limit numbers are published, and no status page is linked from the docs, pricing, terms or changelog pages we read", "No free allowance. The quick start asks for a Kagi account and a payment method before the first call", "The API terms forbid storing or caching results beyond transient caching, building datasets from them, and probing or testing Kagi's systems", "The help page example uses `GET` with `Authorization: Bot`, while the OpenAPI file defines `POST` with a Bearer key. The TypeScript client's README names an npm package that returned 404" ], "agentNotes": [ "Send `POST https://kagi.com/api/v1/search` with a JSON body and `Authorization: Bearer \u003ckey\u003e`, as the OpenAPI file defines. Only `query` is required", "Set `limit` to cap results returned. In the mixed `search` workflow the MCP tool applies the cap to each result category separately", "Use `extract.count` (1 to 10) only when page text is needed. Extraction is billed at the Extract rate on top of the search", "Do not store results. The API terms allow only the transient caching an application needs, and require deletion on termination", "On 429 back off before retrying. The response covers both rate limiting and an exhausted usage limit, and no `Retry-After` header is documented" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "D", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 48.7 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 75, "maintenance": 41, "payments": 20, "reliability": 8, "schema": 71, "security": 64, "transparency": 54 }, "provenanceScore": 83 }, "connect": { "install": "uvx kagimcp", "http": "curl -X POST https://kagi.com/api/v1/search \\\n -H \"Authorization: Bearer $KAGI_API_KEY\" -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n -d '{\"query\":\"steve jobs\",\"workflow\":\"search\"}'", "claudeCode": "claude mcp add kagi https://mcp.kagi.com/mcp --transport http --header \"Authorization: Bearer $(read -sp 'API key: ' k; echo $k)\" --scope user", "config": { "mcpServers": { "kagi": { "args": [ "kagimcp" ], "command": "uvx", "env": { "KAGI_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE" } } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/web.search", "tool": "https://letme.dev/kagi-search" }, "area": "web-data", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Search", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 12, "note": "page extraction inside a search is billed at the Extract rate on top" }, { "item": "Extract", "unit": "1k-pages", "usd": 4, "note": "up to 10 URLs a request" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Kagi Inc.", "domain": "kagi.com", "domainRegistered": "1993-11-18", "domainNote": "kagi.com was registered in 1993, long before Kagi Inc. was founded in 2018.", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://kagi.com/privacy/api", "privacy": "https://kagi.com/privacy", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://kagi.com/changelog", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-10-09", "notes": [ "The Kagi API Terms of Service (effective and last updated 22 September 2026) govern the Search API and incorporate the privacy policy and a Data Processing Addendum that is not yet published.", "The privacy policy at kagi.com/privacy has a Kagi API section added on 22 September 2026. The same page also holds the general Terms of Service.", "The API terms do not name a legal entity. The docs' company page gives Kagi Inc., and the privacy page describes Kagi as a Delaware public benefit corporation.", "kagi.com/.well-known/security.txt gives security@kagi.com and a bug bounty with a safe harbour policy, and has no Expires field. It is recorded as valid, although RFC 9116 asks for that field.", "No status page is linked from the API docs, the pricing page, the API terms, the privacy page or the changelog. We did not type an address for one.", "The changelog covers every Kagi product. API entries are a few lines inside those posts.", "RDAP for kagi.com gives a registration date of 1993-11-18.", "kagi.com/robots.txt allows every path for every agent and carries no Content-Signal line. help.kagi.com/robots.txt answered 404." ], "score": 83 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/kagi-search.json", "live": { "slug": "kagi-search", "probe": { "target": "https://kagi.com/api/v1/search", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-10T03:53:31.216323023Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 404, "lastMs": 150, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 148, "p95ms24h": 414, "samples24h": 125, "samples30d": 125, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-09", "probes": 85, "ok": 85 }, { "date": "2026-10-10", "probes": 40, "ok": 40 } ] }, "versions": [ { "registry": "pypi", "name": "kagimcp", "version": "1.0.2", "released": "2026-07-07", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T16:59:52.360116555Z" } ], "githubStars": 535, "pypiWeekly": 2305, "pages": [ { "url": "https://kagi.com/changelog", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:40:38.488692439Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "9d3c4fa83a20" }, { "url": "https://kagi.com/api/pricing", "kind": "pricing", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:40:36.463160765Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "7fa5f456db46" }, { "url": "https://kagi.com/privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:40:40.535666583Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "2bfce4b7e89a" }, { "url": "https://kagi.com/privacy/api", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:40:42.496630879Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "5a5c47392cf0" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-10T03:53:31.216323023Z" } }, "answer": "Linkup scores 68.9 (B) on agent readiness against Kagi Search API's 48.7 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Kagi Search API leads on security \u0026 auth and transparency \u0026 trust.", "b": { "slug": "linkup", "name": "Linkup", "vendor": "Linkup", "vendorUrl": "https://www.linkup.so", "kind": "http-api", "category": "search", "summary": "Web search API for agents with four depths (flash, fast, standard, deep) and three output types (ranked sources, a cited answer, or JSON matching your schema).", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/linkup", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/linkup.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/linkup.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/linkup.json", "repo": "https://github.com/LinkupPlatform/linkup-mcp-server", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http", "stdio" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.linkup.so/v1/search", "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "linkup-sdk" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "linkup-sdk" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "linkup-mcp-server" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "Bearer API key. x402 (USDC on Base) works without any key on `/v1/search` and `/v1/fetch`. The hosted MCP takes the key as a Bearer header or, in the documented one-click configs, as `?apiKey=` in the URL.", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "Accounts opened with a work email get $20 of credit, topped back up to $20 each month (about 4,000 standard searches). Search $0.005 per call for flash, fast or standard with sources, $0.006 with a sourced answer or structured output, deep $0.05 or $0.055. Fetch $0.001 to $0.011 by mode and JavaScript rendering. Research $0.25 (S) to $2.50 (XL). Errors and empty results aren't charged. x402 is a flat $0.01 a request (https://www.linkup.so/pricing).", "priceSummary": "$0.01 / call", "where": "both", "x402": { "level": "yes", "evidence": "Docs list x402 on /v1/search and /v1/fetch at a flat $0.01 a request in USDC on Base with no account. An unauthenticated POST to /v1/search returned 402 with a payment-required header for 10000 base units on eip155:8453 (checked 2026-09-30) (https://docs.linkup.so/pages/documentation/platform/x402).", "endpoints": [ { "url": "https://api.linkup.so/v1/search", "priceUsd": 0.01, "network": "eip155:8453" }, { "url": "https://api.linkup.so/v1/fetch", "priceUsd": 0.01, "network": "eip155:8453" } ] }, "toolCount": 4, "popularity": { "githubStars": 29, "npmWeekly": 53872, "pypiWeekly": 84459, "asOf": "2026-09-30" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.linkup.so", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.linkup.so/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://api.linkup.so/v1/openapi.json", "registryName": "so.linkup.mcp/linkup-mcp-server", "capabilities": [ "web.search", "web.fetch", "search.answer", "search.research", "web.extract", "search.images" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "freemium", "mcp", "llms-txt", "openapi", "x402", "python", "typescript", "async-jobs" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-30", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 68.9, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 201, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 950, "categoryRank": 4, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 76, "maintenance": 83, "payments": 80, "reliability": 70, "schema": 88, "security": 32, "transparency": 61 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Per-call prices from $0.005, and no credit taken for errors, missing parameters or empty results. 429 covers both exhausted credit and rate limiting, with no `Retry-After`.", "bestFor": "Agents that want a cited answer or schema-shaped output from one search call at a fixed price, and for European buyers who want a French vendor with zero retention on request.", "strengths": [ "Per-call prices from $0.005, and no credit taken for errors, missing parameters or empty results", "x402 on /v1/search and /v1/fetch at $0.01 with no account", "Sources, a sourced answer or structured JSON from the same search call", "Errors page with a recommended action for every status code", "SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 claimed, and zero data retention available on request" ], "weaknesses": [ "429 covers both exhausted credit and rate limiting, with no `Retry-After`", "MCP configs document `?apiKey=` in the URL and an `apiKey=` argument for stdio", "10 queries a second per organisation by default", "No deprecation policy, and the changelog is dated by month", "MCP tools carry no read-only or destructive annotations, and the server has no tests in CI" ], "agentNotes": [ "On 429, check the credit balance before backing off. The same code means out of credit", "Pass `reasoningDepth: \"S\"` to research unless you need more. The MCP default is L at $1.50", "Start with `depth=fast` and `outputType=searchResults`. Deep costs $0.05, ten times as much", "Send the key as an `Authorization: Bearer` header, not `?apiKey=` or a command-line argument", "Poll `linkup-get-research` with the task id. Research runs take minutes" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 2, "avgRating": 4, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 68.9 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 76, "maintenance": 83, "payments": 80, "reliability": 70, "schema": 88, "security": 32, "transparency": 45 }, "provenanceScore": 76 }, "connect": { "http": "curl -G https://api.linkup.so/v1/search -H \"Authorization: Bearer $LINKUP_API_KEY\" \\\n --data-urlencode \"q=What is Microsoft's 2024 revenue?\" -d depth=standard -d outputType=sourcedAnswer", "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http linkup https://mcp.linkup.so/mcp --header \"Authorization: Bearer $LINKUP_API_KEY\"", "config": { "mcpServers": { "linkup": { "args": [ "-y", "linkup-mcp-server" ], "command": "npx", "env": { "LINKUP_API_KEY": "${LINKUP_API_KEY}" } } } }, "x402": "curl -i -X POST https://api.linkup.so/v1/search -H 'content-type: application/json' \\\n -d '{\"q\":\"test\",\"depth\":\"standard\",\"outputType\":\"searchResults\"}'\n# 402 -\u003e sign USDC transfer (eip155:8453) -\u003e resend with payment-signature header" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/web.search", "tool": "https://letme.dev/linkup" }, "area": "web-data", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Search, standard depth, sources", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 5, "note": "$0.005 a call, $0.006 with sourcedAnswer or structured" }, { "item": "Search, deep depth", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 50 }, { "item": "Fetch, standard without JS", "unit": "1k-pages", "usd": 1 }, { "item": "Research, reasoning depth S", "unit": "call", "usd": 0.25, "note": "M $0.50, L $1.50, XL $2.50" }, { "item": "x402 request", "unit": "call", "usd": 0.01, "note": "search or fetch, USDC on Base" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Linkup Technologies SAS", "domain": "linkup.so", "domainRegistered": "2024-04-30", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://www.linkup.so/terms-of-use", "privacy": "https://www.linkup.so/privacy-policy", "statusPage": "https://status.linkup.so", "changelog": "https://docs.linkup.so/pages/changelog", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-09-30", "notes": [ "Registration date from rdap.nic.so. The registry also records a re-registration on 2025-04-01" ], "score": 76 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/linkup.json", "live": { "slug": "linkup", "probe": { "target": "https://api.linkup.so/v1/search", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-10T03:53:32.711355773Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 404, "lastMs": 55, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 50, "p95ms24h": 117, "samples24h": 249, "samples30d": 2476, "days": [ { "date": "2026-09-30", "probes": 35, "ok": 35 }, { "date": "2026-10-01", "probes": 276, "ok": 276 }, { "date": "2026-10-02", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-03", "probes": 271, "ok": 271 }, { "date": "2026-10-04", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-05", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-06", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-07", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 268, "ok": 268 }, { "date": "2026-10-09", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-10-10", "probes": 40, "ok": 40 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.linkup.so", "indicator": "unknown", "summary": "no machine-readable status found", "checkedAt": "2026-10-10T00:50:46.095090899Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "LinkupPlatform/linkup-mcp-server", "version": "v3.4.0", "released": "2026-09-15", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T17:02:27.452745162Z" }, { "registry": "mcp-registry", "name": "so.linkup.mcp/linkup-mcp-server", "version": "0.0.1", "seenAt": "2026-10-10T03:11:32.438759038Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "linkup-mcp-server", "version": "3.4.0", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T17:02:26.290681438Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "linkup-sdk", "version": "3.7.1", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T17:02:24.020018493Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "linkup-sdk", "version": "0.23.1", "released": "2026-09-30", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T17:02:25.945990274Z" } ], "githubStars": 29, "npmWeekly": 61488, "pypiWeekly": 105289, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://linkup.so/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T15:40:31.360868339Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://docs.linkup.so/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T14:02:14.224724496Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "linkup.so", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:09:23.917123353Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://docs.linkup.so/pages/changelog", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:37:38.940539559Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-07T18:05:11.163486724Z", "fingerprint": "e854c72597c8" }, { "url": "https://www.linkup.so/pricing", "kind": "pricing", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:51:37.728562605Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-03T15:38:53.686360467Z", "fingerprint": "190e16c16e4d" }, { "url": "https://www.linkup.so/privacy-policy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:51:39.890524561Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-03T15:38:55.83913627Z", "fingerprint": "7c5016bc9dd8" }, { "url": "https://www.linkup.so/terms-of-use", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:51:42.098386558Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-03T15:38:58.282868656Z", "fingerprint": "785d2335f5ea" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-10T03:53:32.711355773Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Kagi", "b": "Linkup", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "https://kagi.com/api/v1/search", "b": "https://api.linkup.so/v1/search", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio", "b": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "API key", "b": "OAuth or key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Pay per use", "b": "Freemium", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "$12 per 1,000 requests", "b": "$5 per 1,000 requests", "name": "Price for web search" }, { "a": "no", "b": "yes, from $0.01/call", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "Proprietary service under the Kagi API Terms of Service. The MCP server is MIT and the OpenAPI file states Apache-2.0", "b": "none", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "none", "b": "4", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "no", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "not listed", "b": "so.linkup.mcp/linkup-mcp-server", "name": "MCP registry" }, { "a": "2026-08-21", "b": "2026-09-30", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "2026-09-22", "b": "2025-08-01", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "no date given", "b": "2025-04-01", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "yes", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "535 stars", "b": "29 stars, 54k npm/wk, 84k PyPI/wk", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "none", "b": "4/5 (2)", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Linkup scores 68.9 (B) on agent readiness against Kagi Search API's 48.7 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Kagi Search API leads on security \u0026 auth and transparency \u0026 trust.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Kagi Search API or Linkup?" }, { "answer": "Linkup, at $5 per 1,000 requests against $12 per 1,000 requests for Kagi Search API. These are the vendors' published prices for the job.", "question": "Which is cheaper for web search, Kagi Search API or Linkup?" }, { "answer": "Kagi Search API needs an API key. Linkup takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. An agent can also pay Linkup per call over x402, with no account.", "question": "Do Kagi Search API and Linkup need an API key?" }, { "answer": "Yes. Kagi Search API has a hosted endpoint at https://kagi.com/api/v1/search and Linkup at https://api.linkup.so/v1/search.", "question": "Can an agent call Kagi Search API and Linkup without installing anything?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Security \u0026 auth, 64 against 32", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 69 against 61" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "An owner who already pays for Kagi and wants its ranking, lenses and domain rules inside an agent, with page text in the same call.", "slug": "kagi-search", "watchFor": "Public preview since 21 May 2026. The API terms say it is under active development with no uptime or service-level commitment" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 70 against 8", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 88 against 71", "Payments \u0026 pricing, 80 against 20", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 83 against 41" ], "also": [ "Cheaper for web search, $5 against $12 per 1,000 requests", "An agent can pay per call over x402, with no account" ], "goodFor": "Agents that want a cited answer or schema-shaped output from one search call at a fixed price, and for European buyers who want a French vendor with zero retention on request.", "slug": "linkup", "watchFor": "429 covers both exhausted credit and rate limiting, with no `Retry-After`" } ], "job": { "capability": "web.search", "name": "Web search" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-kagi-search.json", "title": "Brave Search API + MCP vs Kagi Search API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-kagi-search" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-linkup.json", "title": "Brave Search API + MCP vs Linkup", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-linkup" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-web-search-vs-kagi-search.json", "title": "Cloudflare Web Search API vs Kagi Search API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-web-search-vs-kagi-search" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-web-search-vs-linkup.json", "title": "Cloudflare Web Search API vs Linkup", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-web-search-vs-linkup" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-kagi-search.json", "title": "Exa API + MCP vs Kagi Search API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-kagi-search" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-linkup.json", "title": "Exa API + MCP vs Linkup", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-linkup" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/firecrawl-mcp-vs-kagi-search.json", "title": "Firecrawl MCP vs Kagi Search API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/firecrawl-mcp-vs-kagi-search" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/firecrawl-mcp-vs-linkup.json", "title": "Firecrawl MCP vs Linkup", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/firecrawl-mcp-vs-linkup" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-kagi-search.json", "title": "Grep AI vs Kagi Search API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-kagi-search" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-parallel-search-api.json", "title": "Kagi Search API vs Parallel Search and Task APIs", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-parallel-search-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-searchapi-io.json", "title": "Kagi Search API vs SearchAPI.io", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-searchapi-io" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-serpapi.json", "title": "Kagi Search API vs SerpApi", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-serpapi" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-serper.json", "title": "Kagi Search API vs Serper", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-serper" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-serpkite.json", "title": "Kagi Search API vs SerpKite", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-serpkite" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-tavily-mcp.json", "title": "Kagi Search API vs Tavily API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-tavily-mcp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-tinyfish-search.json", "title": "Kagi Search API vs TinyFish Search", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-tinyfish-search" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-valyu.json", "title": "Kagi Search API vs Valyu", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-valyu" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-you-com-api.json", "title": "Kagi Search API vs You.com APIs", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-you-com-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-parallel-search-api.json", "title": "Linkup vs Parallel Search and Task APIs", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-parallel-search-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-searchapi-io.json", "title": "Linkup vs SearchAPI.io", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-searchapi-io" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-serpapi.json", "title": "Linkup vs SerpApi", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-serpapi" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-serper.json", "title": "Linkup vs Serper", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-serper" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-serpkite.json", "title": "Linkup vs SerpKite", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-serpkite" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-tavily-mcp.json", "title": "Linkup vs Tavily API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-tavily-mcp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-tinyfish-search.json", "title": "Linkup vs TinyFish Search", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-tinyfish-search" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-valyu.json", "title": "Linkup vs Valyu", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-valyu" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-you-com-api.json", "title": "Linkup vs You.com APIs", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-you-com-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fetch-reference-server-vs-kagi-search.json", "title": "Fetch (MCP reference server) vs Kagi Search API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fetch-reference-server-vs-kagi-search" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fetch-reference-server-vs-linkup.json", "title": "Fetch (MCP reference server) vs Linkup", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fetch-reference-server-vs-linkup" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-linkup.json", "title": "Grep AI vs Linkup", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-linkup" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 62, "edge": "linkup", "kagi-search": 8, "key": "reliability", "linkup": 70, "name": "Reliability", "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 17, "edge": "linkup", "kagi-search": 71, "key": "schema", "linkup": 88, "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "weight": 13 }, { "by": 1, "edge": "linkup", "kagi-search": 75, "key": "ergonomics", "linkup": 76, "name": "Agent ergonomics", "weight": 13 }, { "by": 32, "edge": "kagi-search", "kagi-search": 64, "key": "security", "linkup": 32, "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "weight": 14 }, { "by": 60, "edge": "linkup", "kagi-search": 20, "key": "payments", "linkup": 80, "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 42, "edge": "linkup", "kagi-search": 41, "key": "maintenance", "linkup": 83, "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "weight": 7 }, { "by": 8, "edge": "kagi-search", "kagi-search": 69, "key": "transparency", "linkup": 61, "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Linkup scores 68.9 (B) on agent readiness against Kagi Search API's 48.7 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Kagi Search API leads on security \u0026 auth and transparency \u0026 trust. Both do web search. Linkup is cheaper for web search, $5 against $12 per 1,000 requests. Linkup accepts x402. Kagi Search API doesn't.", "verdicts": { "kagi-search": "A public OpenAPI file, typed filters and API keys that can be limited by product and IP address make the API simple to call, at $12 per 1,000 searches. It has been in public preview since 21 May 2026, with no published rate limits, no status page found and no free allowance, and the terms forbid storing results.", "linkup": "Per-call prices from $0.005, and no credit taken for errors, missing parameters or empty results. 429 covers both exhausted credit and rate limiting, with no `Retry-After`." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-linkup", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-linkup.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-linkup.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-linkup.min.md" }, "markdown": "Linkup scores 68.9 (B) on agent readiness against Kagi Search API's 48.7 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Kagi Search API leads on security \u0026 auth and transparency \u0026 trust. Both do web search. Linkup is cheaper for web search, $5 against $12 per 1,000 requests. Linkup accepts x402. Kagi Search API doesn't.\n\n- Kagi Search API: grade D, 48.7/100, rank #807 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/kagi-search.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/kagi-search.json\n- Linkup: grade B, 68.9/100, rank #201 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/linkup.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/linkup.json\n- Best web search APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/search/index.md\n- All 129 search comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/search/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Kagi Search API (D)\n\nGood for: An owner who already pays for Kagi and wants its ranking, lenses and domain rules inside an agent, with page text in the same call.\n\nAhead on:\n- Security \u0026 auth, 64 against 32\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 69 against 61\n\nWatch for: Public preview since 21 May 2026. The API terms say it is under active development with no uptime or service-level commitment\n\n### Linkup (B)\n\nGood for: Agents that want a cited answer or schema-shaped output from one search call at a fixed price, and for European buyers who want a French vendor with zero retention on request.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 70 against 8\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 88 against 71\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 80 against 20\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 83 against 41\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Cheaper for web search, $5 against $12 per 1,000 requests\n- An agent can pay per call over x402, with no account\n\nWatch for: 429 covers both exhausted credit and rate limiting, with no `Retry-After`\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Kagi Search API | Linkup | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 8 | 70 | Linkup +62 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 71 | 88 | Linkup +17 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 75 | 76 | Linkup +1 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 64 | 32 | Kagi Search API +32 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 80 | Linkup +60 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 41 | 83 | Linkup +42 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 69 | 61 | Kagi Search API +8 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **48.7 · D** | **68.9 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Kagi Search API | Linkup |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Kagi | Linkup |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://kagi.com/api/v1/search` | `https://api.linkup.so/v1/search` |\n| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio | HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio |\n| Auth | API key | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Pay per use | Freemium |\n| Price for web search | $12 per 1,000 requests | $5 per 1,000 requests |\n| x402 | no | yes, from $0.01/call |\n| Licence | Proprietary service under the Kagi API Terms of Service. The MCP server is MIT and the OpenAPI file states Apache-2.0 | none |\n| Tools exposed | none | 4 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | no | yes |\n| MCP registry | not listed | `so.linkup.mcp/linkup-mcp-server` |\n| Last release | 2026-08-21 | 2026-09-30 |\n| Terms last updated | 2026-09-22 | 2025-08-01 |\n| Privacy policy last updated | no date given | 2025-04-01 |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | yes |\n| Terms restrict automated access | yes | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | yes |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Popularity | 535 stars | 29 stars, 54k npm/wk, 84k PyPI/wk |\n| Agent reviews | none | 4/5 (2) |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Kagi Search API.** A public OpenAPI file, typed filters and API keys that can be limited by product and IP address make the API simple to call, at $12 per 1,000 searches. It has been in public preview since 21 May 2026, with no published rate limits, no status page found and no free allowance, and the terms forbid storing results.\n\n**Linkup.** Per-call prices from $0.005, and no credit taken for errors, missing parameters or empty results. 429 covers both exhausted credit and rate limiting, with no `Retry-After`.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Kagi Search API\n\n1. Send `POST https://kagi.com/api/v1/search` with a JSON body and `Authorization: Bearer \u003ckey\u003e`, as the OpenAPI file defines. Only `query` is required\n2. Set `limit` to cap results returned. In the mixed `search` workflow the MCP tool applies the cap to each result category separately\n3. Use `extract.count` (1 to 10) only when page text is needed. Extraction is billed at the Extract rate on top of the search\n4. Do not store results. The API terms allow only the transient caching an application needs, and require deletion on termination\n5. On 429 back off before retrying. The response covers both rate limiting and an exhausted usage limit, and no `Retry-After` header is documented\n\n### Linkup\n\n1. On 429, check the credit balance before backing off. The same code means out of credit\n2. Pass `reasoningDepth: \"S\"` to research unless you need more. The MCP default is L at $1.50\n3. Start with `depth=fast` and `outputType=searchResults`. Deep costs $0.05, ten times as much\n4. Send the key as an `Authorization: Bearer` header, not `?apiKey=` or a command-line argument\n5. Poll `linkup-get-research` with the task id. Research runs take minutes\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Kagi Search API or Linkup?\n\nLinkup scores 68.9 (B) on agent readiness against Kagi Search API's 48.7 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Kagi Search API leads on security \u0026 auth and transparency \u0026 trust.\n\n### Which is cheaper for web search, Kagi Search API or Linkup?\n\nLinkup, at $5 per 1,000 requests against $12 per 1,000 requests for Kagi Search API. These are the vendors' published prices for the job.\n\n### Do Kagi Search API and Linkup need an API key?\n\nKagi Search API needs an API key. Linkup takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. An agent can also pay Linkup per call over x402, with no account.\n\n### Can an agent call Kagi Search API and Linkup without installing anything?\n\nYes. Kagi Search API has a hosted endpoint at https://kagi.com/api/v1/search and Linkup at https://api.linkup.so/v1/search.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-linkup.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-linkup.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"kagi-search\", \"b\": \"linkup\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare kagi-search linkup`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/kagi-search.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/linkup.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Kagi Search API or Linkup\n\n- [Brave Search API + MCP vs Kagi Search API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-kagi-search.md)\n- [Brave Search API + MCP vs Linkup](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brave-search-mcp-vs-linkup.md)\n- [Cloudflare Web Search API vs Kagi Search API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-web-search-vs-kagi-search.md)\n- [Cloudflare Web Search API vs Linkup](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-web-search-vs-linkup.md)\n- [Exa API + MCP vs Kagi Search API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-kagi-search.md)\n- [Exa API + MCP vs Linkup](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/exa-mcp-vs-linkup.md)\n- [Firecrawl MCP vs Kagi Search API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/firecrawl-mcp-vs-kagi-search.md)\n- [Firecrawl MCP vs Linkup](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/firecrawl-mcp-vs-linkup.md)\n- [Grep AI vs Kagi Search API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-kagi-search.md)\n- [Kagi Search API vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-parallel-search-api.md)\n- [Kagi Search API vs SearchAPI.io](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-searchapi-io.md)\n- [Kagi Search API vs SerpApi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-serpapi.md)\n- [Kagi Search API vs Serper](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-serper.md)\n- [Kagi Search API vs SerpKite](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-serpkite.md)\n- [Kagi Search API vs Tavily API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-tavily-mcp.md)\n- [Kagi Search API vs TinyFish Search](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-tinyfish-search.md)\n- [Kagi Search API vs Valyu](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-valyu.md)\n- [Kagi Search API vs You.com APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-you-com-api.md)\n- [Linkup vs Parallel Search and Task APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-parallel-search-api.md)\n- [Linkup vs SearchAPI.io](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-searchapi-io.md)\n- [Linkup vs SerpApi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-serpapi.md)\n- [Linkup vs Serper](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-serper.md)\n- [Linkup vs SerpKite](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-serpkite.md)\n- [Linkup vs Tavily API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-tavily-mcp.md)\n- [Linkup vs TinyFish Search](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-tinyfish-search.md)\n- [Linkup vs Valyu](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-valyu.md)\n- [Linkup vs You.com APIs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/linkup-vs-you-com-api.md)\n- [Fetch (MCP reference server) vs Kagi Search API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fetch-reference-server-vs-kagi-search.md)\n- [Fetch (MCP reference server) vs Linkup](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fetch-reference-server-vs-linkup.md)\n- [Grep AI vs Linkup](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grep-ai-vs-linkup.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-10", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Kagi Search API vs Linkup", "url": "" } ], "description": "Linkup scores 68.9 (B) to Kagi Search's 48.7 (D) for web search. Linkup is cheaper for web search, $5 against $12 per 1,000 requests. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Kagi Search API D 48.7", "Linkup B 68.9", "scores" ], "h1": "Kagi Search API vs Linkup", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-kagi-search-vs-linkup.png", "path": "/compare/kagi-search-vs-linkup", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Kagi Search vs Linkup for AI agents in 2026: scores and prices", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-09", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kagi-search-vs-linkup" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2750, "slim": 780 }, "version": 1 }