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Updated 4 September 2026 · Independent comparison

Kagi Assistant vs Poe:
which should you use?

Kagi Assistant and Poe, 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. Poe is built for general-purpose ai assistants.

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 Poe side by side, with the better fit for each row.
CategoryKagi AssistantPoeBetter 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.One subscription across most of the major models, so you can put the same question to several and compare rather than committing to one lab.Poe
Fit for general-purpose ai assistantsStrong fitBuilt for thisPoe
Free planYes. Trial tier, 100 searches with the Assistant included, no card neededYes. Free tier with a daily points allowanceTie
Cheapest way to pay$5 a month.$4.99 a month.Poe
What the paid tiers cost
  • One person, from $5/month
  • Per seat, from $10/month
  • One person, from $4.99/month
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.Points, not messages, and different models burn them at wildly different rates. Heavy use of a frontier model empties an allowance faster than the plan name suggests.Tie
Who it is usually forpeople exploring, working professionals, researcherspeople exploring, working professionals, studentsTie
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.Quora — Mountain View, US.Tie

Poe is ahead on 3 of the 9 rows compared, 1 of them about how well it does the job itself, against 1 to Kagi Assistant. It is a single row of daylight, so read Kagi Assistant’s column before deciding.

Overall pick

Poe

One subscription across most of the major models, so you can put the same question to several and compare rather than committing to one lab.

✓ The job is mainly general-purpose ai assistants ✓ One subscription across most of the major models, so you can put the same question to several and compare rather than committing to one lab. ✓ You want the cheaper paid plan, $4.99 against $5 ✓ You are among students
Choose Kagi Assistant instead 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.

Kagi Assistant 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 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 4 rows that decided this page, with the source for each.
RowFavoursWeightWhere it came from
What it's built forPoeHow well it does the jobFrom this site’s own catalogue record for each product — compiled by hand, not imported. How a product gets listed
Fit for general-purpose ai assistantsPoeHow well it does the jobBoth products are listed under general-purpose ai assistants in the catalogue, and this is the fit recorded against each listing. Everything listed under general-purpose ai assistants
Cheapest way to payPoeEverything 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

Poe. Read by hand off poe.com on 4 September 2026. It is not on the monthly re-check, so confirm there before paying. poe.com/subscription_plans

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
Poe
Built for this
Best choice: Poe
02

Search, Research & Academics

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

Kagi Assistant
Limited fit
Poe
Limited fit
Best choice: Tie
03

Writing, Communication & Language

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

Kagi Assistant
Limited fit
Poe
Limited fit
Best choice: Tie
04

Coding, Data & Technical Work

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

Kagi Assistant
Limited fit
Poe
Limited fit
Best choice: Tie
05

Business, Finance & Professional Work

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

Kagi Assistant
Limited fit
Poe
Limited fit
Best choice: Tie
06

Image & Design

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

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

Video

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

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

Audio, Voice & Music

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

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

Marketing & Content Creation

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

Kagi Assistant
Limited fit
Poe
Limited fit
Best choice: Tie
10

Productivity, Automation & Personal Life

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

Kagi Assistant
Limited fit
Poe
Limited fit
Best choice: Tie
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 researchers
Trial tier, 100 searches with the Assistant included, no card needed
Pick Poe if

One subscription across most of the major models, so you can put the same question to several and compare rather than committing to one lab.

by Quora
The job is mainly general-purpose ai assistants
One subscription across most of the major models, so you can put the same question to several and compare rather than committing to one lab.
You want the cheaper paid plan, $4.99 against $5
You are among students

Pricing, simplified

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

PricingSimple, up-to-date plan overview.
Kagi Assistantby Kagi
Poeby Quora
Free version
Kagi Assistant
Yes — Free plan availableTrial tier, 100 searches with the Assistant included, no card needed
Poe
Yes — Free plan availableFree tier with a daily points allowance
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)
Poe
Subscription $4.99 / monthor $19.99 / month
Business plans
Kagi Assistant
From $10 / user / monthTeam Professional, Team Ultimate
PoeNot sold to teams
Enterprise
Kagi AssistantNot published
PoeNot published
View full details
Kagi AssistantView Kagi Assistant pricing
PoeView Poe 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
Poe
Poe. It is built for general-purpose ai assistants; Kagi Assistant does it well without it being its focus; both have a free plan you can start on; Poe is cheaper to start paying for, $4.99 against $5.
9 rows compared

Frequently asked questions

Is Kagi Assistant or Poe better?

Poe is ahead on 3 of the 9 rows compared, 1 of them about how well it does the job itself, against 1 to Kagi Assistant. It is a single row of daylight, so read Kagi Assistant’s column before deciding. Poe is built for general-purpose ai assistants; Kagi Assistant does it well without it being its focus; both have a free plan you can start on; Poe is cheaper to start paying for, $4.99 against $5. 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. Poe: One subscription across most of the major models, so you can put the same question to several and compare rather than committing to one lab.

Is Kagi Assistant or Poe cheaper?

Poe — paid plans start at $4.99 a month against $5 a month.

Do Kagi Assistant and Poe both have free plans?

Yes. Kagi Assistant: Trial tier, 100 searches with the Assistant included, no card needed. Poe: Free tier with a daily points allowance.

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. Poe: Points, not messages, and different models burn them at wildly different rates. Heavy use of a frontier model empties an allowance faster than the plan name suggests.

Read more

Kagi Assistant

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

Poe

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.