It should just let me search, when I want to pay then I pay.
I would like Kagi to do something like Mullvad does without knowing who I am so I don't need to fiddle around with emails or passwords.
If they do not get your email they have a lower chance of turning you into a paying user, which is the sole purpose of the offer.
Even taking into account that some potential customers, like you, will be pissed and never sign up to even the free plan, I am pretty sure the metrics support their decision to keep asking for the email.
I pay for Mullvad, and would pay for Kagi but only if I can not have my identity attached to their service and not have any emails associated with them.
Mullvad is doing it right.
A free plan just cannot work if anyone can mint new identities for free.
You paying for Mullvad doesn't seem very relevant to that complaint. They have no free plan. They also require creating an account and signing in to use their service at all.