SaaS Metrics
Gemini Executive Synthesis
Uruky, an EU-based Kagi alternative search engine.
Technical Positioning
EU-based Kagi alternative with new features: Image Search and URL Rewrites. Focus on privacy and source-available licensing.
SaaS Insight & Market Implications
Uruky positions itself as a privacy-focused, EU-based alternative to Kagi, targeting users concerned with data sovereignty and transparency. The introduction of Image Search and URL Rewrites expands its feature parity with established search engines. The strategic shift towards a source-available license like PolyForm Shield, while acknowledging increased risk, aims to build trust and community engagement, differentiating it from proprietary competitors. Reaching 100 monthly active accounts indicates initial market validation for its privacy-centric value proposition. This product taps into growing user demand for ethical and transparent online services, particularly within the European regulatory landscape.
Proprietary Technical Taxonomy
Raw Developer Origin & Technical Request
Hacker News
Jun 4, 2026
Show HN: Uruky (EU-based Kagi alternative) now has Image Search and URL Rewrites
You can get a 2h free trial by solving a proof-of-work captcha when topping up your account for the first time.If you'd like to learn more, an independent interview was posted a couple of weeks ago [1], and the FAQ [2] has a lot of information as well.For the source code sharing, we've talked with lawyers and are inclined to no longer require the NDA/NCC for privacy reasons shared with us before (signing requires identification), but instead use a source-available permissive license that doesn't allow competition, like PolyForm Shield [3] (we do still have about 6 months before finalising a decision, here).This does come with a lot more risks for us (it's harder to track down if someone publishes the code or uses it against the license), but given we've already passed 100 monthly active accounts, we're feeling more confident it's an acceptable risk.The plan is to give logged in accounts (who are 12 months old or more) a way to download a ZIP of the current code base that's in the server.Obviously there's no easy way to prove that's the case, but we're open to ideas/suggestions if someone here has them.[1]: theprivacydad.com/interview-with-th... uruky.com/faq[3 polyformproject.org/licenses/shield/1...
Developer Debate & Comments
Given that:- Google has been around for 20+ years, so the concept of search engine and the technologies behind it should have been well known.- Computing power and Internet speed has increased significantly and in many homes (at least outside of US) 1Gbps is norm.- Everyone is talking about Google deteriorating over the years and prefer the old Google. The old system from the 2000s should be dirt cheap to run with modern home hardware.- People's need for search engine is highly specific, you presumably would be interested in searching a small subset of the whole Internet.My question is: why haven't a local run search engine be a thing at least in the tech circles?It should be able to bootstrap with e.g. an hourly updated "top 100 websites in 50 categories" index file, and adapt to my daily queries to automatically update the index in the background, and iteratively improves the quality of the results.The rise of the local LLM users proves this model works.
Nice - I like this. Especially that I can also use it via API too and that expectations are limits are set out clearly (which seem very generous).On limits - consider changing the short limit on this:> searches to 1 per second, 30 per minute, and 1800 per hour.to 5 per 5 seconds or 10/10. That still works out to one per second but users are less likely to accidentally hit it with two requests that have similar timing. Say one from me and one from API usage.
Interesting. I will definitely add it to my list of services to experiment with.I like the account/payment system, where you top up a random account number for a period. Instead of having to go with the whole process of creating and verifying an account with your data and then managing yet another recurring subscription.Congrats on the release, wish you the best.
Regarding UI/UX. One thing that immediately catches my as an Design Engineer (being over 7 years Product Designer before that) is that the site looks bland. Nothing that sticks. Also one UX caveat: you are using your accent-color for primary buttons like the sign-up as well as a display variant for text for the "PRIVATE SEARCH YOU CONTROL". The logo is not a strong one, lacks personality, the font choice is also a little "weird".Just my two cents. But I am glad, that someone is creating an alternative in the EU. Hit me up, if you want to get more design opinions.
As a search/metasearch developer, I can heavily recommend Uruky. It is by far the best third party search alternative in terms of how they approach privacy and transparency. Keep up the good work Bruno!
I'd be more than willing to subscribe and support the project BUT, I need to address the elephant in the room: The reason why I'm against Kagi is the fact that they use Yandex(be it only for images according to their own words) and I'm sure as hell refusing to give a single cent to them. So I guess my question is: sources?
I live in the EU and I use kagi, but I think you fail to understand why kagi is good and useful. In the end of the day I need a search engine to find stuff and kagi is better than google for the things I and my AI agents are searching for. If you don't get that no amount of better privacy is worth my time as a person as shit searches mean agents don't works so well a.k.a more expensive or my room becomes toastier for the agents that I run locally. (I can use it for boring personal searches, but I do 2/3 of these a day, so I am not paying 5€ for that)
As much as I'd prefer a smaller, non-american operator (for most anything really), I'm extremely hesitant to pay directly for search.For this service, the "just an ID as account" looks nice and private on the surface, but once you look at payment methods, it's 100% personally identifiable. If it's so privacy-focused - where's the payment option for transferring Monero?As for the code - don't get me started. Source available? NDAs?Smells "Private VPN" funny to me.
I really like the idea and that it's eu-made a love it. A fee things I see with kagi which are useful and improvements:- Hire a UI/UX person NOW! My parents and gf like using google and kagi because are easy to use.- add the widgets like the football or the show the local store with the phone number asap. My gf is thinking about moving away from kagi because of this.- the quick ai response is extremely useful.- Indexing websites is super important. People doesnt know where to put the content in a website or how to make accessible. Many times i use google due to this fact.- Make a family subscription.- make it funny, easy to use and welcoming. The branding is SUPER important.Good luck and I really wish you to succeed! Im paying for an account ;)
> EU search providers (Marginalia, Mojeek, EUSP, etc.).Does this mean this is just a meta search engine without its own index?If so, the comparison to Kagi seems misleading.The question would turn from "why not Kagi" to "why not SearxNG".
Frequently Asked Questions
Market intelligence mapped to Uruky, an EU-based Kagi alternative search engine..
What is the technical positioning of Uruky, an EU-based Kagi alternative search engine.?
Based on our AI analysis of the original developer request, its primary technical positioning is: EU-based Kagi alternative with new features: Image Search and URL Rewrites. Focus on privacy and source-available licensing.
What is the general sentiment around Uruky, an EU-based Kagi alternative search engine.?
Yes, we have tracked 146 direct responses and active debates regarding this specific topic originating from Hacker News.
Which technical concepts are associated with Uruky, an EU-based Kagi alternative search engine.?
Our proprietary extraction maps Uruky, an EU-based Kagi alternative search engine. to adjacent architectural concepts including proof-of-work captcha, NDA/NCC, source-available permissive license, PolyForm Shield.
Are there startups building around Uruky, an EU-based Kagi alternative search engine.?
Yes, market intelligence reveals commercial overlap. A product named 'u2m.io' focuses directly on this: Free URL shortener with bulk API, QR code, and geo analytics
Engagement Signals
Cross-Market Term Frequency
Quantifies the cross-market adoption of foundational terms like proof-of-work captcha and NDA/NCC by tracking occurrence frequency across active SaaS architectures and enterprise developer debates.