I've been using Kagi for the last year, and it is like an actually helpful business partner.

Even if you use another one, we need to break the myth that Google is the only option out there.

If you're not paying Google, you're the product. Same with Facebook. Both of these companies are data mining/harvesting and advertising.

I'm also a Kagi user, but the index they mainly use is Google's. So I am paying for a good UI, a couple of nice features, and a frontend/proxy.

The only independent index I am aware of, is Mojeek.

I use Kagi. They actually use Google but with a different front end. I don’t plan to stop using Kagi.

Glad to hear you're also enjoying it!

Just for anyone else reading, I would say it is inaccurate to say it is a different front-end over Google. They pull from a range of search engines, but also run their own web crawlers and indices. It's the closest thing to a fully new search engine we've had so far.

That’s funny. On the nose. :)