Show HN: Uruky (EU-based Kagi alternative) now has Image Search and URL Rewrites

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Positioning vs Kagi and other search engines

  • Uruky is framed as an EU-based, privacy-focused, paid metasearch engine, compared frequently to Kagi, SearxNG, and Mojeek.
  • Some argue the Kagi comparison is misleading because both are metasearch engines with small proprietary indices; others say Kagi’s main differentiator is search quality and AI tooling, not just “not Google.”
  • Several users like Uruky’s EU focus and minimal account data (random ID, no email), while others say “EU-based” alone is not a strong product strategy.

Indexing, providers, and search quality

  • Uruky aggregates EU-centric providers: Mojeek, Marginalia, EUSP (Ecosia/Qwant), Linkup, Serper (Google proxy, UK-based), and a small in-house “Uruky Site Search” index, plus Pixabay for images.
  • Own index is tiny, opt-in, and cannot yet be used alone; goal is to grow to ~100M URLs.
  • Some users report weak recent-events performance; a date filter is being added.
  • Uruky no longer merges all providers by default for cost/duplicate reasons; it queries others when needed or lets the user switch per search.

Privacy, payments, and geopolitics

  • Strong emphasis on EU servers, EU payment processing, and not using Yandex (important for users boycotting Russian services).
  • Concern that card payments are personally identifiable; suggestions include Monero, Taler, Privacy Pass, Mullvad-style vouchers, and cash-by-mail.
  • Operator notes legal/FX constraints for handling Monero directly and considers third-party proxies, which some argue undermine privacy.

Onboarding friction, abuse controls, and API

  • To combat bots, Uruky requires either account creation (auto-generated ID) plus payment, or a proof-of-work CAPTCHA for a 2-hour free trial.
  • Many find the requirement to create an account and solve CAPTCHAs before first search too high a barrier; some propose limited free searches instead.
  • Uruky exposes a JSON API and clear rate limits; some feedback suggests relaxing “1 request/sec” style limits to short bursts and clarifying API usage to avoid accidental IP bans.

UI/UX, language, and feature requests

  • Mixed feedback on UI: some like it; others call it bland, busy, or confusing (e.g., missing search button, provider controls location, language selector buried).
  • Requests include: site/domain blocking, DDG-style bang shortcuts, better widgets (sports, local businesses), family plans, “grandparent-friendly” mode, improved branding, and explicit per-provider controls.
  • Uruky explicitly rejects adding generative AI, which some praise and others see as a downside.