Kagi expands its human-curated “small web” experience to mobile

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the internet, Palo Alto-based search company Kagi is extending its curated collection of non-commercial, human-created websites to mobile users. The company has introduced new “Small Web” applications for both iOS and Android, offering access to a selection of content focused on independent creators. In Kagi’s view, the “Small Web” consists of websites built by individuals, including personal blogs, webcomics, independent videos, and similar forms of content.

These types of sites reflect the early foundations of the internet, before it became heavily influenced by advertising-driven models and dominated by large corporate platforms. Today, such content is increasingly difficult to discover, particularly as more online material is either generated by or heavily influenced by AI systems.

Kagi initially introduced its “Small Web” initiative in 2023, aiming to highlight this category of content within its search results and through a dedicated platform. In March, the company expanded the initiative further by launching browser extensions, mobile applications, and additional tools that allow users to filter content by specific categories.

The Small Web website itself functions similarly to the once-popular StumbleUpon service, presenting users with a randomly selected site from its curated collection. Users can then move on to another selection with a simple “next” button, encouraging exploration and discovery of lesser-known parts of the internet.

With the introduction of category-based filtering, users can now focus on particular topics of interest drawn from more than 30,000 Small Web sites included in Kagi’s index.

These features are also integrated into Kagi’s mobile apps and browser extensions. Within these platforms, users can choose the type of content they want to explore, such as videos, blogs, code repositories, or comics. Additional features include viewing recently accessed or popular sites, reading content in a distraction-free mode, and saving favourite pages or articles for future visits.

While the initiative to surface lesser-known, independently created content has been widely seen as a positive step—especially at a time when AI-generated material can sometimes pass as human-created—some users believe the effort still has limitations.

On the Hacker News discussion forum, one user noted that Kagi appears to restrict its selection to sites that provide RSS feeds with recent updates. This approach may exclude unique, static websites or experimental pages that do not frequently publish new content. Another user expressed concern after encountering a site within the Small Web collection that appeared to have been written using AI, raising questions about curation standards.

Despite these criticisms, the broader concept of a human-curated ecosystem of genuinely human-authored content remains compelling. It could prove valuable, particularly if Kagi’s broader ambition to position itself as a premium, paid alternative to traditional search engines like Google does not fully materialise.

For now, users who wish to contribute can recommend new websites for inclusion in the Small Web collection through the project’s GitHub page.