Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I'm not a kagi user, but I'll put in a word for paying for services: a search engine requires time, equipment and hosting to run. Sure some kind people may be willing to run it free. But search in my opinion is an essential service. If it's not working, I want there to be someone responsible, and (in the kindest sense) obliged to get it working.

Going further, if there are new developments in the tech or new features to be implemented, I want there to be an incentive for the operator to implement them.

I don't turn to a hobbyist to give me eyeglasses or fix my car. Similarly I don't turn to an advertiser. In some cases I fix my car myself, but when something is too complex or time intensive for me to handle I'm going to pay to ensure I have that essential good or service.