Kagi Summarize vs Recast

Kagi Summarize creates summaries of web pages, videos and podcasts when a transcript is available. It accepts URLs for web pages, PDFs, PPTX files, MP3s and videos. Output choices include headlines, brief summaries, digests, medium or long summaries, bullet points and ELI5; users can also translate a summary with Kagi Translate. Kagi lists Cecil as consumer-grade, Agnes as consumer-grade and Muriel as enterprise-grade; Agnes and Muriel are available through the browser extension or API. Summarize is accessible in Kagi search results, through the!sum Bang, in Orion on Apple devices, and in Chrome and Firefox extensions. The API supports text pages, PDFs, PPTX and DOCX files, MP3/WAV audio, experimental YouTube URLs, and scanned PDFs or images using OCR. API requests are limited to 1 MB and require a Kagi account and API credits. A trial includes 100 searches and 100 AI interactions with standard models. Starter costs $5 per month plus tax; there is no free plan.

Recast uses Claude AI to turn PDFs, article URLs, text, or topics into platform-ready content. It offers nine formats, including social posts, video scripts, newsletters, blog outlines, takeaways, and hooks. Study Mode creates study guides, slide decks, flashcards, quizzes, and citations from course material. Tone and reading-level controls are available; the Free Beta also includes Brand Voice and translation into 10 languages. Free Beta costs nothing, allows 10 generations per day across nine formats and five input types, and requires your own Anthropic API key. Anthropic charges usage directly, typically 0.05–$0.30 depending on length. Recast says keys, history, and browser-stored data remain on your device, while inputs go directly from the browser to Anthropic. URL pages are fetched through allorigins.win. Flashcards export to Anki and Quizlet. Planned Pro costs $15 a month and lists unlimited generations, no API key, bulk upload up to 10 files, priority generation, and founder support.