The Brave Search API Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Brave Search API in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Brave Search API
The Insider’s Guide
Web search API from Brave's own index, built for AI agents and apps
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among SERP and SEO data APIs, read from Brave Search API’s own pages.
Made by Brave Software, Inc. · checked Oct 23, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Brave Search API’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Brave Search API’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 23, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.2
GPA, above 7 of the 38 other SERP and SEO data APIs we grade
Brave Search API returns results from Brave's own web index, with no fallback to Google or Bing. One key covers web, news, image, video and place search, an LLM Context endpoint that returns extracted page text for AI models, and an Answers endpoint that writes cited answers. It is paid for with prepaid credits used as you go, with $5 of free credit each month on each plan.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Brave Search API, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Judged on how fast a developer gets a first result: one key for every search type, and an Answers interface that works with the OpenAI SDK.
- 1
Best for web results from an independent index
Brave Search API returns results from Brave's own index, with news, images, video, places and an LLM Context endpoint for AI models, and $5 of free credit a month.
- 2
There is a free plan
$5 of free credit every month on each prepaid plan (Search, Answers, Spellcheck and Autosuggest), applied automatically. A credit card is needed to sign up.
- 3
It runs on Web
Web.
- 4
Brave's own index
Every result comes from Brave's crawler and ranking, informed by opt-in signals from Brave users, with no fallback to Google or Bing for any query.
- 5
LLM Context endpoint
Returns ranked, extracted page content for a model to answer from, sized from 1k to about 33k tokens, with a relevance threshold and a URL and timestamp per source.
- 6
Web, news, image, video and places
The Search plan covers human-readable web results plus news, images, videos and location-aware places with map data, under one API key.
- 7
A 2.2 GPA, above 7 of 38
That is against the other SERP and SEO data APIs we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
To replace Brave Search API you would be making search results fetched at scale from many countries without being blocked. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Brave Search API at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Brave Software, Inc.
- Category
- SERP & SEO Data APIs
- Our grade
- 2.2 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for web results from an independent index
Brave Search API returns results from Brave's own index, with news, images, video, places and an LLM Context endpoint for AI models, and $5 of free credit a month. It never falls back to Google or Bing, so it can't tell you how you rank there, and Search costs $5 per 1,000 past the free credit.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | No subscription: Search is $5 per 1,000 requests from prepaid credits, after $5 of free credit a month. That's the dear end of what this category charges per search, and Answers adds token charges on top. |
| Free plan and trial | C | $5 of free credit every month on each plan, about 1,000 searches, but a credit card is needed to sign up. |
| Features | C | Web, news, image, video and places search from Brave's own index, an LLM Context endpoint, cited Answers and Goggles to rerank results. The listing's own gap: it can't show what ranks on Google or Bing. |
| Ease of use | C | Judged on how fast a developer gets a first result: one key for every search type, and an Answers interface that works with the OpenAI SDK. No rating on record, and a card is asked for at sign-up. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, with an API and the OpenAI SDK, Amazon Bedrock and OpenClaw. No desktop or phone app, so B is the top. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Brave Search API is for
- Fits if you're grounding an AI chatbot in current web results without scraping Google
- Works for apps moving off Google's Custom Search JSON API
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you need Google or Bing rankings, as results come only from Brave's index
- Watch out: a credit card is needed to sign up, even for the free monthly credit
- Watch out: storing results or training models on them needs a plan with storage rights
- Tight if you need volume, at 50 requests a second on Search and 2 on Answers before Enterprise
- Pricey if you use Answers, at $4 per 1,000 queries plus $5 per million tokens each way
Good to know
Good for
- Developers grounding AI agents and chatbots in current web results
- Apps that need web, news and image search without scraping Google
- Teams moving off Google's Custom Search JSON API
Worth knowing
- Usage is billed from prepaid credits: Search is $5 per 1,000 requests, and Answers $4 per 1,000 queries plus $5 per million input and output tokens.
- Spellcheck and Autosuggest cost $5 per 10,000 requests, and storing results or training models on them needs a plan with storage rights.
- Results come only from Brave's index, so it does not report what ranks on Google or Bing.
- Capacity is 50 requests per second on Search and 2 on Answers; more needs an Enterprise agreement.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
2
plans to choose from
Brave Search API has a free plan.
That's the dear end of what this category charges per search, and Answers adds token charges on top.
Free monthly credits
$0
$5 of credit a month on each of Search, Answers, Spellcheck and Autosuggest; usage beyond it is drawn from prepaid credits.
Enterprise
Custom
Custom terms, capacity and endpoints, full-funnel zero data retention, NDAs, invoicing and enterprise support. Sold through sales.
The free plan
$5 of free credit every month on each prepaid plan (Search, Answers, Spellcheck and Autosuggest), applied automatically. A credit card is needed to sign up.
Read from api-dashboard.search.brave.com on Oct 23, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Web search API from Brave's own index, built for AI agents and apps. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI features, sERP API.
Web, news, image, video and places search from Brave's own index, an LLM Context endpoint, cited Answers and Goggles to rerank results.
- Brave's own index
- Every result comes from Brave's crawler and ranking, informed by opt-in signals from Brave users, with no fallback to Google or Bing for any query.
- LLM Context endpoint
- Returns ranked, extracted page content for a model to answer from, sized from 1k to about 33k tokens, with a relevance threshold and a URL and timestamp per source.
- Web, news, image, video and places
- The Search plan covers human-readable web results plus news, images, videos and location-aware places with map data, under one API key.
- Goggles and richer results
- Goggles rerank results and limit them to chosen sites; up to five extra snippets per result and schema-enriched results with added metadata.
- Answers endpoint
- Writes answers grounded on one or several searches, with citations and streaming, through an interface compatible with the OpenAI SDK.
- Privacy and security
- Brave says queries are never shared or used for training, retention is zero by design, and the service is SOC 2 Type II attested.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- OpenAI SDK
- Amazon Bedrock
- OpenClaw
Brave Search API is made by Brave Software, Inc.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
7/38
Other SERP and SEO data APIs it is graded above
Brave Search API's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 7 of the 38 other SERP and SEO data APIs we grade, and level with 8.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 9 of 38) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 39 SERP and SEO data APIs we grade, cut by the letter each got. Brave Search API’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 1 of 38
- CFree plan and trialAbove 2 of 38
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 38
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 38
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 9 of 38
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Brave Search API you would be making search results fetched at scale from many countries without being blocked. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 23 of the 38 other SERP and SEO data APIs grade higher.
What you could not
- Search results fetched at scale from many countries without being blocked.
- It plugs into other products, OpenAI SDK, Amazon Bedrock and OpenClaw among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: SOC 2.
What this rests on. Brave Search API’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
SerpApi, Serper, SearchApi and DataForSEO
The 4 tools Brave Search API is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
SerpApi
Free plan · from $25/mo
Real-time search results API for Google and dozens of other engines.
- 2.4GPA
Serper
Free trial · from $50 one-time
Google search results API sold in prepaid credit packs.
- Brave Search API has a free plan. Serper does not, though it has a free trial.
- 2.4GPA
SearchApi
Free trial · from $40/mo
Real-time SERP API for Google, AI answers and dozens of other sites.
- Brave Search API has a free plan. SearchApi does not, though it has a free trial.
- 2.8GPA
DataForSEO
Free trial · from $50
Pay-as-you-go APIs for SERP, keyword, backlink and AI mention data.
- Brave Search API has a free plan. DataForSEO does not, though it has a free trial.
- DataForSEO also covers keyword research, site audit, backlink analysis and AI search visibility.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Brave Search API free?
Brave Search API has a free plan. $5 of free credit every month on each prepaid plan (Search, Answers, Spellcheck and Autosuggest), applied automatically.
How much does Brave Search API cost?
Brave Search API lists 2 plans. Free monthly credits: $0.
What platforms does Brave Search API work on?
Brave Search API is available on Web.
Does Brave Search API have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. Brave Search API is listed for Web.
Does Brave Search API have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. Brave Search API is listed for Web.
Is Brave Search API open source?
Brave Search API is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 23, 2026.
Does Brave Search API have an API?
Yes. Brave Search API offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Brave Search API integrate with?
Brave Search API's listing names OpenAI SDK, Amazon Bedrock and OpenClaw.
Who makes Brave Search API?
Brave Search API is made by Brave Software, Inc.
What are the alternatives to Brave Search API?
The closest alternatives to Brave Search API in our directory are SerpApi, Serper, SearchApi and DataForSEO.
How does Brave Search API compare with other SERP and SEO data APIs?
Brave Search API's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 7 of the 38 other SERP and SEO data APIs we grade, and level with 8.
Could I make my own version of Brave Search API?
To replace Brave Search API you would be making search results fetched at scale from many countries without being blocked.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Brave Search API’s own pages on Oct 23, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 23, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Brave's own pages on 23 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Brave Software, Inc. Prices change, so check brave.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Brave Search API, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/brave-search-api
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Brave Search API: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 23, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/brave-search-api
Know someone choosing between SERP and SEO data APIs?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/brave-search-api/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded SERP and SEO data APIs after Brave Search API, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- SERP & SEO Data APIs Insider's GuideEvery one of the 39 SERP and SEO data APIs we grade, compared
- Apify Insider's GuideScraping platform with a store of ready-made Actors, Google included2.8 GPA
- DataForSEO Insider's GuidePay-as-you-go APIs for SERP, keyword, backlink and AI mention data2.8 GPA
- Decodo SERP Scraping API Insider's GuideSERP scraping for Google, Bing and more, inside a web data API2.8 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Brave Search API’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Brave Search API is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Brave Software, Inc. Prices and plans change: check brave.com before you buy.