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Updated 4 September 2026 · Independent comparison

Kagi Assistant vs LongCat:
which should you use?

Kagi Assistant and LongCat, side by side. Find the one that fits what you need to do.

Find your best fit

The 30-second answer

Kagi Assistant sits on top of a search engine you pay for rather than one funded by advertising, so the results behind an answer are not ranked by who bought them. LongCat meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes.

Pricing, simplified

Start free. Upgrade when you need more.

2 of 2 have a free plan 0 of 2 prices re-read automatically · how we know No paid placement

The 30-second comparison

If you only read one section, make it this one. Rows where both sides say the same thing are left out — the point is where they differ. Where each row came from is listed underneath.

Kagi Assistant and LongCat side by side, with the better fit for each row.
CategoryKagi AssistantLongCatBetter fit
What it's built forSits on top of a search engine you pay for rather than one funded by advertising, so the results behind an answer are not ranked by who bought them.Meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes.Tie
Free planYes. Trial tier, 100 searches with the Assistant included, no card neededYes. Free to use at longcat.chatTie
Cheapest way to pay$5 a month.No paid tier — it is free.LongCat
What the paid tiers cost
  • One person, from $5/month
  • Per seat, from $10/month
No paid tier — it is free.Tie
What to watch out forThe free tier is a 100-search trial. Beyond that you are buying the search subscription, and the assistant comes with it rather than being sold on its own; prices exclude sales tax.Built for China first: the service runs from mainland China, data collected there is stored there, and its terms forbid commercial use of what it produces without Meituan’s permission.Tie
Who it is usually forpeople exploring, working professionals, researcherspeople exploringTie
Runs on your own machineCan be run on your own machine, so the material never leaves it.Hosted service only — your material goes to their servers.Kagi Assistant
Made byKagi — Palo Alto, US.Meituan LongCat — Beijing, CN.Tie

Neither leads on the 8 rows above: 1 each. The job decides it, not the table.

Too close to call

Kagi Assistant or LongCat

Neither leads on the rows above — the job decides it.

✓ Sits on top of a search engine you pay for rather than one funded by advertising, so the results behind an answer are not ranked by who bought them. ✓ The material cannot leave your own machine ✓ You are among working professionals or researchers ✓ Trial tier, 100 searches with the Assistant included, no card needed
Choose LongCat instead if…

Meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes.

LongCat is the better answer when the job is what it was built for rather than what the pick above does broadly.

✓ Sits on top of a search engine you pay for rather than one funded by advertising, so the results behind an answer are not ranked by who bought them. ✓ The material cannot leave your own machine ✓ You are among working professionals or researchers ✓ Trial tier, 100 searches with the Assistant included, no card needed

How we know

Every row that separated these two, and where it came from. Nothing here is a hands-on test — if a line rests on a vendor’s own pricing page, it says so and links it.

The 2 rows that decided this page, with the source for each.
RowFavoursWeightWhere it came from
Cheapest way to payLongCatEverything elseFrom each vendor’s own pricing page. Dates and pages are listed below.
Runs on your own machineKagi AssistantHow well it does the jobFrom this site’s own catalogue record for each product — compiled by hand, not imported. How a product gets listed

The prices

Kagi Assistant. Read by hand off kagi.com on 4 September 2026. It is not on the monthly re-check, so confirm there before paying. kagi.com/pricing

LongCat. Read by hand off longcat.chat on 4 September 2026. It is not on the monthly re-check, so confirm there before paying. longcat.chat

The ratings

The category these two share. General-Purpose AI Assistants — both are listed there in the catalogue, and the fit recorded against each listing is a judgement made here, by hand.

The nine-category grid below. Derived from what each product is listed for, by one script, once per build — so the same pair always reads the same. It is a derivation, not a review.

What this is not

Neither product was run side by side to produce this page. Nobody was paid to appear on it and nothing here is ranked by commission.

To put the same question to both and read the answers yourself, run them side by side — that is a live test, and this is not.

Choose based on what you’re doing

All ten categories, including the ones where neither of these is the answer. These ratings are derived from what each product is listed for, not from running it — a rating here is a reading of the record, and the record is linked.

01

General-Purpose AI Assistants

Questions, brainstorming, explanations, everyday tasks, decision-making, general advice.

Kagi Assistant
Good fit
LongCat
Bad fit
Best choice: Kagi Assistant
02

Search, Research & Academics

Web research, deep research, books, academic papers, citations, news, fact-checking.

Kagi Assistant
Limited fit
LongCat
Bad fit
Best choice: Kagi Assistant
03

Writing, Communication & Language

Emails, reports, essays, editing, summarizing, translation, presentations.

Kagi Assistant
Limited fit
LongCat
Bad fit
Best choice: Kagi Assistant
04

Coding, Data & Technical Work

Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.

Kagi Assistant
Limited fit
LongCat
Bad fit
Best choice: Kagi Assistant
05

Business, Finance & Professional Work

Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.

Kagi Assistant
Limited fit
LongCat
Bad fit
Best choice: Kagi Assistant
06

Image & Design

Image generation, photo editing, logos, graphics, product design, advertising creatives.

Kagi Assistant
Bad fit
LongCat
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
07

Video

Video generation and editing, clipping, subtitles, avatars, animation and motion capture.

Kagi Assistant
Bad fit
LongCat
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
08

Audio, Voice & Music

Voice generation, transcription, music, dubbing, sound cleanup and podcast production.

Kagi Assistant
Bad fit
LongCat
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
09

Marketing & Content Creation

Social media, SEO, advertising, copywriting, content ideas, scripts, brand development.

Kagi Assistant
Limited fit
LongCat
Bad fit
Best choice: Kagi Assistant
10

Productivity, Automation & Personal Life

AI agents, workflows, scheduling, meetings, organization, shopping, travel, personal finance.

Kagi Assistant
Limited fit
LongCat
Bad fit
Best choice: Kagi Assistant
Pick Kagi Assistant if

Sits on top of a search engine you pay for rather than one funded by advertising, so the results behind an answer are not ranked by who bought them.

by Kagi
Sits on top of a search engine you pay for rather than one funded by advertising, so the results behind an answer are not ranked by who bought them.
The material cannot leave your own machine
You are among working professionals or researchers
Trial tier, 100 searches with the Assistant included, no card needed
Pick LongCat if

Meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes.

by Meituan LongCat
Meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes.
You would rather not take on a subscription at all
Free to use at longcat.chat
It is aimed at people exploring

Pricing, simplified

The plans people actually compare, read from each vendor’s own page.

PricingSimple, up-to-date plan overview.
Kagi Assistantby Kagi
LongCatby Meituan LongCat
Free version
Kagi Assistant
Yes — Free plan availableTrial tier, 100 searches with the Assistant included, no card needed
LongCat
Yes — Free plan availableFree to use at longcat.chat
Individual plans
Kagi Assistant
Starter $5 / month$4.50 / month (annual)
Professional $10 / month$9 / month (annual)
Ultimate $25 / month$22.50 / month (annual)
Duo $14 / month$12.60 / month (annual)
Family $20 / month$18 / month (annual)
LongCatFree plan only
Business plans
Kagi Assistant
From $10 / user / monthTeam Professional, Team Ultimate
LongCatNot sold to teams
Enterprise
Kagi AssistantNot published
LongCatNot published
View full details
Kagi AssistantView Kagi Assistant pricing
LongCatView LongCat pricing
Interactive

Tell us what you use AI for

Pick your main job and the verdict below changes to match. Every answer is on the page already, so this works as a reader, not a lookup.

The verdict for that job
Evenly matched
Close call. Both cover general-purpose ai assistants at the same level; both have a free plan you can start on.
8 rows compared

Frequently asked questions

Is Kagi Assistant or LongCat better?

Neither leads on the 8 rows above: 1 each. The job decides it, not the table. both have a free plan you can start on. Kagi Assistant: Sits on top of a search engine you pay for rather than one funded by advertising, so the results behind an answer are not ranked by who bought them. LongCat: Meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes.

Is Kagi Assistant or LongCat cheaper?

Only one of the two publishes a ladder we have verified, so a like-for-like comparison is not possible yet.

Do Kagi Assistant and LongCat both have free plans?

Yes. Kagi Assistant: Trial tier, 100 searches with the Assistant included, no card needed. LongCat: Free to use at longcat.chat.

What should I watch out for?

Kagi Assistant: The free tier is a 100-search trial. Beyond that you are buying the search subscription, and the assistant comes with it rather than being sold on its own; prices exclude sales tax. LongCat: Built for China first: the service runs from mainland China, data collected there is stored there, and its terms forbid commercial use of what it produces without Meituan’s permission.

Read more

Kagi Assistant

What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.

LongCat

What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.

Best AI Assistants

Questions, brainstorming, explanations, everyday tasks, decision-making, general advice.

How we compare AI tools
Every row is generated from the same record the rest of the site is built on, so this page cannot drift from what we say elsewhere. We separate winner, tie and depends rather than forcing each category into a ranking, and we drop rows where both sides say the same thing. A pick is only called an overall pick when it leads on rows about how well the tool does the job; a lead that rests on price or audience alone is labelled as one. Nothing here is a hands-on test — how we know lists the source and date behind every deciding row.