Important Clarifications and Apology Regarding Kagis' Pricing Update

Dear valued customers,

I am writing to you today with a heavy heart to address the recent loss of approximately 200 customers who cancelled their Kagi membership following our pricing announcement. As a small company with a dedicated userbase, this loss has certainly left its mark.

First and foremost, I would like to extend my sincerest apologies for the poor execution of the pricing update announcement. It was not our intention to cause any inconvenience or disappointment among our loyal customers, and for that, we are truly sorry.

In the spirit of transparency and clarity, I would like to take this opportunity to provide additional explanations and clarifications on the matter, in hopes that you may reconsider your decision.

Please allow me to highlight a few key points:

1. We understand that change can be difficult, particularly when it involves pricing adjustments. However, the changes we made were necessary to ensure the sustainability of our company, and to continue providing you with the best possible search experience.

2. Our new pricing model is designed to be more flexible, with a range of options to suit different needs and budgets. While we acknowledge that the tiered plans plus pay per go system may take some getting used to, we believe that it is the best alternative when considering the increasing cost per search we are facing, the wildly uneven distribution of searches in our userbase, and Kagi's long-term sustainability.

3. We apologize for any confusion caused by our initial blog post, which lacked key explanations like for example regarding grandfathering. We have since updated the post for clarity and invite you to review it here https://blog.kagi.com/update-kagi-search-pricing

4. We would like to clarify that for most customers, the price will remain the same as before ($10), and those who search less than ~20 times/day will actually see a decrease in cost with the new plans. For those who search more than 1,000 times/month, the increase will be only $1.5 per 100 searches above 1,000.

5. We were using a home-brewed emailer, which was built the same day the email was sent (Kagi does not have a mailing list), and it took it almost 24h to email everyone. Because of this, many people saw the news on HN before getting the email, adding to the confusion.

6. We would like to invite you to a live community event on Discord on Tuesday at 1pm EST to answer any questions you may have. Here is the link to join https://discord.gg/UJabZACn?event=1083127085310156800

7. Lastly, I would like to recommend that if you still choose to maintain your decision, you consider re-subscribing for a brief period, specifically until the pricing update takes effect on Wednesday, to add the Early Adopter flag to your account. This will grant you automatic access to the Early Adopter Professional plan, which may prove beneficial if you decide to change your mind in the future.

Thank you for your understanding and consideration. We value your support and loyalty, and we hope to continue serving you in the future.

Sincerely,

Vlad