Kagi Search Now Lets You Turn Off AI Completely
Kagi has added new settings that let users completely switch off AI features in its search engine. The company also released a major update to its Orion web browser for Mac. The changes were published on August 21, 2026. Kagi Changelog
The AI controls are available at kagi.com/settings/ai, where users can turn off all AI features in search with a single switch. Kagi also plans to add this option to the setup process for new users, though that has not been built yet and is currently just a planned feature.
This is unusual in the search world. Over the past two years, most major search engines have added AI-generated summaries and chat assistants directly into their results pages. Those engines offer varying levels of control, but none let you remove the AI features entirely. Kagi gives users a simple choice: AI on or AI off, built into the product itself rather than requiring a workaround or a browser extension.
The reason Kagi can offer this comes down to how it makes money. Kagi charges a subscription fee for search instead of showing ads. When a company relies on ads, it wants users to stay longer and click more, and AI features tend to keep people engaged. A subscription model removes that pressure, because the user is already the paying customer. Whether ad-supported search engines could offer the same option without hurting their own revenue is an open question, but the difference in business models is clear.
The same update also changes Kagi's search widgets — small tools like calculators or dice rollers that appear alongside search results. The dice widget can now roll dice with any number of sides, not just standard gaming dice. A coin-flip widget was added too. More importantly, Kagi added a setting at kagi.com/settings/more_search that lets users turn off any individual widget they do not want to see.
On the browser side, Kagi released Orion 1.1 for macOS. The update includes a redesigned look, containers, and a customizable browser border. Containers are tabs that stay separate from each other, so you can log into two accounts on the same website at the same time without them interfering. The border customization is only available to Orion+ subscribers, which is Kagi's paid support plan for the otherwise free browser. Kagi Changelog
Orion is an unusual browser. It is free and has no advertising. Kagi funds it by selling an optional support subscription, which keeps the browser ad-free. It is available on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Windows, and Linux from orionbrowser.com. Kagi Changelog
The container feature has been available in Firefox for years and can be added to Chrome through extensions. Separate tabs that keep their own login information are useful for anyone managing multiple accounts on the same website, whether that means a developer handling work and personal credentials or an everyday user keeping their job and personal email apart. Building this directly into Orion means users no longer need to rely on add-ons for something many people need regularly.
The personalized browser border is a smaller feature, clearly meant as a perk for paying subscribers rather than a practical upgrade. Offering a cosmetic customization to the paid tier is a simple way to give subscribers something visible in return for their support.
Taken together, the update shows Kagi working on two products at once. In search, users get more control over what shows up in their results, from AI features down to individual widgets. In the browser, Orion gains features like containers that bring it closer to what established competitors already offer, plus a cosmetic bonus for subscribers. The AI opt-out is the headline, but the widget controls and container support are the changes most likely to affect how people use Kagi day to day.
