I've been using Kagi for the last year, and it is like an actually helpful business partner.

Even if you use another one, we need to break the myth that Google is the only option out there.

If you're not paying Google, you're the product. Same with Facebook. Both of these companies are data mining/harvesting and advertising.

I'm also a Kagi user, but the index they mainly use is Google's. So I am paying for a good UI, a couple of nice features, and a frontend/proxy.

The only independent index I am aware of, is Mojeek.