Is Kagi Assistant included with Kagi search?

Kagi Assistant is part of Kagi's paid search product, so it suits people who already pay for that subscription. Check Kagi's current plan page for what each tier includes. Quad Chat is a standalone workspace with its own free and paid plans.

Does Quad Chat have a private mode?

Quad routes chat through Zero Data Retention provider routes where they exist and does not train on user data. Incognito chats leave nothing stored, and you can export or delete everything yourself from settings without contacting support.

Which is better for research with sources?

Both cite sources. Kagi Assistant grounds answers in Kagi's own search index, which is its strength. Quad adds what happens next: attach the sources to a project, compare two models on the same question, and turn the result into a scheduled automation.

By Quad Chat team · Published 2026-09-03 · Last updated 2026-09-03

Quad Chat vs Kagi Assistant: Search Companion or Full AI Workspace?

Kagi earned its reputation by charging for search so it never has to sell your attention: no ads, no tracking, no sponsored results. Kagi Assistant extends that stance into AI. It answers with Kagi's own search behind it, lets you pick from several major model providers, and inherits the privacy posture people already pay Kagi for.

The core difference is what each product is built to be. Kagi Assistant is a companion to a search subscription. Quad Chat is a standalone AI workspace: 100+ models you can compare side by side, projects that keep files and context together, Image Studio, scheduled automations, connectors to Notion, Slack and Google, and native mobile apps.

Quick verdict: Choose Kagi Assistant if you already pay for Kagi search and want private AI answers grounded in that index. Choose Quad Chat if you want a full multi-model workspace with side-by-side comparison, projects, files, images, automations and connectors, with a no-training privacy posture.

Quad Chat vs Kagi Assistant at a glance

Decision point	Quad Chat	Kagi Assistant
Best for	Daily multi-model work with files, projects and automations	Kagi subscribers who want AI answers grounded in Kagi search
Starting price	Free plan with no credit card; Go from $8/month	Bundled with Kagi's paid search plans; see official pricing
Model access	100+ models across every major provider	Several major model providers, selectable per chat
Compare models	One prompt to two or three models in the same thread	One model per conversation
Web research	Live web search with inline citations	Grounded in Kagi's own search index
Images and video	Image Studio with five image model families; video on Ultra and up	Not the focus
Automations and connectors	Scheduled prompts, sandboxed Computer, app connectors, MCP	Not the focus
Privacy posture	No training on user data; Zero Data Retention routes where available	Privacy-first company; review its published commitments

Prices and catalogs change. We checked Quad's pricing page on September 3, 2026; check Kagi's official pricing before subscribing.

The real difference: a search companion vs a workspace

Kagi Assistant makes the most sense as an extension of Kagi search. You want a synthesized answer instead of ten links, drawn from an index you already trust, without the ad incentives that shape most search products.

Quad starts from a different question: what happens after the answer? You attach the PDF, switch from Gemini to Claude without losing the thread, run the same prompt against GPT and Claude side by side to see where they disagree, save everything to a project, and pick it up on your phone. Research is the first step, not the deliverable.

Model choice: a menu vs a catalog you can compare

Kagi Assistant gives you a menu of providers and you talk to one at a time. Quad gives you 101 chat models across GPT 5.x, Claude Opus 5 and Sonnet 5, Gemini 3.x, Grok 4.x, DeepSeek V4, Mistral, Qwen, Kimi, GLM, Llama and Perplexity Sonar, and puts two or three next to each other on the same prompt. You stop guessing which model suits a task. If you would rather not choose, smart routing picks for you.

Where Kagi Assistant is the better choice

Kagi Assistant deserves the shortlist if:

you already subscribe to Kagi search and want AI included in that bill;
you want answers grounded specifically in Kagi's index rather than general web search;
you value a company whose entire business model is paid, ad-free search;
or you mostly want an assistant for questions, not a workspace for projects.

Kagi's focus is a real advantage, not a gap.

Where Quad Chat is the better choice

Quad deserves the shortlist if:

you want to compare models side by side instead of switching and re-asking;
your work moves between research, PDFs, drafts and projects that need to persist;
you want images from Nano Banana Pro, FLUX.2, GPT Image 2, Seedream or Recraft in the same account;
you want scheduled automations, a sandboxed Computer, or connectors to Notion, Slack, Google Workspace and Linear;
or you need native iOS and Android apps synced with the web.

Privacy holds up too: no training on user data, Zero Data Retention provider routes where a provider offers one, a one-time Standard Lane confirmation for models without one, encryption in transit and at rest, self-service export and deletion, and a published subprocessor list.

Pricing: what you are actually paying for

Kagi bundles the Assistant into its search plans, so price it as part of a search subscription you would buy anyway. If you are not a Kagi search customer, you are paying for search to get the assistant.

Quad prices the workspace directly: Free at $0 with 100 credits and 50 web searches a month, Go at $8, Pro at $15 with 1,200 credits and 500 searches, Ultra at $40 with video, and Max at $200. Yearly billing takes 15% off; Team plans start at $20 per seat.

Final verdict

Kagi Assistant is the stronger fit for Kagi search subscribers who want private, grounded answers. Quad Chat is the stronger fit for anyone who needs the work to continue after the answer: side-by-side models, projects, files, images, automations and mobile in one account.

If you love Kagi search, keep it and use its Assistant. If you want an AI workspace that stands on its own, start with Quad's free plan.

Try Quad Chat free ->