Kagi Adds Full AI Opt-Out and Ships Major Orion Browser Update

Kagi has introduced new controls that let users completely switch off AI-based features in its search product, paired with a substantial update to its Orion browser for macOS. The changes appear in changelog entry #11296, published August 21, 2026. Kagi Changelog

The AI controls live under kagi.com/settings/ai, where users can turn off access to AI features in search entirely. Kagi also plans to add the same option to its onboarding flow for new users, though that integration has not yet shipped and remains an announced plan rather than a finished feature.

The decision to offer a full AI opt-out stands out in the current search landscape. Most major search engines have spent the last two years building AI-generated summaries and conversational assistants into their core results pages, with varying degrees of user control and no universal way to remove them. Kagi gives users an explicit choice: AI features on or off, at the product level, rather than through workarounds or browser extensions.

The broader context here is the business model behind that choice. Kagi runs on a paid subscription rather than advertising, which removes the incentive to push AI features simply to keep users engaged longer. A full opt-out is commercially workable when the user is the customer, not the product. Whether ad-supported search providers could offer the same without hurting their own engagement metrics is a separate question, but the structural difference is clear.

The same changelog entry covers changes to Kagi's search widgets — small utility tools that appear alongside standard search results, such as calculators or unit converters. The dice widget now supports rolling dice with any number of sides, not just standard polyhedral sets. A coin-flipping widget has been added as well. More substantively, Kagi added per-widget toggles under kagi.com/settings/more_search, letting users disable any individual widget they do not want to see. That gives users fine-grained control over which utility features surface in their results.

On the browser side, Kagi launched Orion 1.1 for macOS, described in the changelog as one of its most significant updates. The release brings a redesigned interface, containers (isolated tabs that keep separate login sessions, so you can be signed into two accounts on the same site at once), and a personalized browser border. The border customization is exclusive to Orion+ subscribers, Kagi's paid support plan for the otherwise free browser. Kagi Changelog

Orion occupies an unusual niche. It is a free browser distributed without advertising, with Kagi selling an optional support subscription to fund development and keep the browser ad-free. Supported platforms include macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Windows, and Linux, all available from a dedicated site at orionbrowser.com. Kagi Changelog

The container feature mirrors functionality that has existed in Firefox for years and is available in Chrome through profiles and extensions. Isolated tabs that maintain separate cookie jars (the files websites use to remember your login) and session states are a practical need for anyone managing multiple accounts on the same service, from developers juggling test and production credentials to ordinary users separating work and personal logins. Building this into Orion natively reduces the friction of relying on add-ons for what is, for many users, a core workflow requirement.

The personalized browser border is a lighter feature, clearly positioned as a subscriber perk rather than a functional upgrade. Tying a cosmetic customization to the paid tier is a straightforward value-add strategy that costs little to build while giving subscribers something visible for their commitment.

Taken together, the changelog reflects a product team iterating on two fronts at once. On the search side, Kagi is handing users more control over what appears in their results, from AI features down to individual widgets. On the browser side, Orion is adding infrastructure features like containers that bring it closer to parity with established competitors, while a cosmetic subscriber benefit rounds out the release. The AI opt-out is the headline item, but the widget toggles and the container support are the changes most likely to affect day-to-day workflow for the technical users who make up Kagi's audience.