This has also been my experience. The search quality is no better. When I ask people directly what they like about Kagi, it's all about the customization stuff

This has also been my experience. The search quality is no better. When I ask people directly what they like about Kagi, it's all about the customization stuff (custom search operators; denylisting domains; etc). I do see the appeal of that, but I don't personally care enough about those features to pay for it.