Comparison

CustomSearch 2 vs Foundation

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

CustomSearch 2

Take control of your web searches with a customizable engine selector. Choose from dozens of pre-built options or add your own, and use quick shortcuts to switch engines on the fly. Your privacy is protected as the extension only operates at the URL level.

Highlights
  • 29+ built-in search engines
  • Add custom search engines
  • Bang shortcuts for quick switching
  • Native iOS and iPadOS app
  • Privacy-focused operation
  • Safari toolbar integration
Features
Read full description

Custom Search Engine 2.1 has been rebuilt from the ground up with SwiftUI. Faster, cleaner, and now including a full native iOS app for iPhone and iPad that syncs with iCloud. Take back control of where Safari sends your searches. Choose from 33 built-in engines or add your own. Enable, disable, and switch engines in seconds from the Safari toolbar. 33 Built-in Search Engines Brave Search, Kagi, DuckDuckGo, Startpage, SearXNG, Perplexity, Google, Bing, and 21 more, all pre-configured and ready to use. No setup needed. Bang Shortcuts Override your default engine for any single query. Type k! for Kagi, d! for DuckDuckGo, pp! for Perplexity, y! for YouTube... no settings change required. Works at the start or end of any search. Add Your Own Engines Any search engine works. Enter a URL with %s as the query placeholder, assign a bang shortcut, and go. Your Privacy, Protected The extension operates at the URL level only. It never reads page content, never stores your queries, and never makes network requests. What you search is yours alone. How It Works 1. Enable the extension in Safari Settings → Extensions 2. Tap the toolbar icon to pick your default engine 3. Search as you always do, Safari redirects automatically Available for Mac (Safari App Extension) and iPhone & iPad (Safari Web Extension). Free, no account, no subscription, no ads, no tracking.

About

Foundation

Engage in intelligent, private AI conversations that run entirely on your device. No internet or data collection required, offering instant responses and multiple conversation threads for various tasks.

Highlights
  • 100% on-device AI processing
  • Zero data collection
  • Works offline
  • Multiple conversation threads
  • Clean SwiftUI interface
  • Unlimited chat sessions
Features
Read full description

FoundationChat: Intelligent Conversations, Completely Private Experience AI without compromising your privacy. FoundationChat runs entirely on your iPhone or iPad—no internet required, no data sent to servers. Uses Apple’s on-device Intelligence or Cactus open models. PRIVACY FIRST 100% on-device processing—no ChatGPT, OpenAI, or third-party AI Zero data collection—conversations never leave your device No account, login, or tracking FEATURES Natural conversation powered by on-device AI Context-aware responses Multiple conversation threads Clean SwiftUI interface Works offline with instant responses Unlimited chat sessions REQUIREMENTS iOS 26.0 or later Apple Intelligence: iPhone 15 Pro+, iPhone 16+, or iPad with M1+ (enable in Settings) Cactus: iPhone 13 Pro and other devices with 4GB+ RAM (download a model in-app) WHY FOUNDATIONCHAT? Unlike cloud-based chatbots, FoundationChat keeps everything local. Your questions and conversations stay on your device. Ideal for brainstorming, writing help, learning, and any task where privacy matters. Download FoundationChat for truly private AI conversations.

Screenshots

CustomSearch 24 screens
Foundation3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: CustomSearch 2 at 77% against Foundation's 0%. CustomSearch 2 also leads on rating (2.5 vs 1.0) and iOS requirement (18.6 vs 26.0). Foundation's advantage is price (Free vs $1.99). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Foundation is free to download; CustomSearch 2 costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CustomSearch 2 holds the better App Store score, 2.5 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of CustomSearch 2's written reviews are positive against 0% of Foundation's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CustomSearch 2 ships an update every 6 weeks, Foundation every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
CustomSearch 2 versus Foundation: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCustomSearch 2Foundation
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating2.5 (2 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews76.9% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarco Cebrian MuinoSagar Desai

Customer experience

CustomSearch 2

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive76.9%
Neutral11.5%
Negative11.5%

Foundation

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

CustomSearch 2

No in-app purchases

None

Foundation

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CustomSearch 2 free?
CustomSearch 2 costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Foundation free?
Foundation is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, CustomSearch 2 or Foundation?
CustomSearch 2 is rated higher. CustomSearch 2 averages 2.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Foundation averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do CustomSearch 2 or Foundation have ads?
Neither CustomSearch 2 nor Foundation shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CustomSearch 2 or Foundation?
CustomSearch 2 ships an update every 6 weeks, and Foundation every 4 weeks. Most recently, CustomSearch 2 was updated on October 25, 2026 and Foundation on October 24, 2026.

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