Brave Search
Privacy-focused search engine with independent index of 40B+ pages and AI-powered answers, built from scratch without relying on Google or Bing
Overview
Brave Search is a privacy-first search engine that operates its own independent index built from scratch, rather than relying on Google or Bing results like most competitors. Launched in 2021, it delivers AI-powered answers with source citations, community-created ranking customization via "Goggles," and anonymous local results without tracking or profiling users. The platform offers multiple LLM model choices including Claude, Llama, and Gemma for its AI chat feature, with all conversations encrypted and auto-deleted after 24 hours. Brave Search processes over 20 billion queries annually and maintains an index of 40+ billion pages updated with 100+ million pages daily.
The Verdict
Who Should Use Brave Search?
Best For
- Privacy-conscious users who want zero tracking
- Users seeking AI answers with source citations
- Those wanting independence from Google/Bing ecosystems
- Developers needing a search API for AI applications
- General English-language everyday searches
Not Ideal For
- Researchers needing exhaustive academic/niche results
- Non-English searches (especially Japanese, Dutch)
- Users who need polished maps and local business data
- SEO professionals requiring deep long-tail content
What's Great
- Truly independent index - not relying on Google or Bing
- Zero tracking, profiling, or data collection
- AI answers with multiple LLM choices (Claude, Llama, Gemma, etc.)
- Goggles feature for custom ranking and filtering
- Transparency score showing index independence percentage
- Generous free tier with optional Premium for ad-free
- Developer-friendly API with free monthly credits
- Encrypted chat history auto-deleted after 24 hours
Watch Out For
- Weaker results for non-English languages (Japanese, Dutch)
- Smaller index may miss niche/academic content
- Maps and local business results less polished than Google
- Some AI features work best in Brave browser
- May need Google/Bing backup for obscure queries
Pricing
View all features & details
Core Features
- Independent search index (40B+ pages)
- AI-powered answer summaries
- Goggles custom ranking filters
- Anonymous local results
- Discussions (Reddit/forum results)
- Independence score transparency
- Safe Search filtering
AI Capabilities
- Multiple LLM choices (Claude, Llama, Gemma, DeepSeek, Qwen)
- Source-cited AI answers
- Code snippet generation
- Content summarization
- Encrypted chat (24hr auto-delete)
- No account required for Ask feature
Privacy Features
- No user tracking or profiling
- No IP address logging
- No data sold to advertisers
- Encrypted local storage
- Anonymous usage metrics only
- GDPR compliant
API Features
- Search endpoint (URLs, text, news, images)
- Answers endpoint with citations
- LLM-optimized context
- OpenAI SDK compatible
- Streaming support
- Search Goggles filtering
- Enterprise Zero Data Retention
How It Compares
| Feature | Brave Search | Google Search | DuckDuckGo | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent Index | Yes (40B+) | Yes (100B+) | No (Bing) | No (aggregates) |
| Privacy/No Tracking | Yes | No | Yes | Partial |
| AI Answers | Yes | Yes (AI Overviews) | No | Yes |
| Multiple LLMs | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Custom Ranking | Goggles | No | No | No |
| Free Tier | Full features | Full features | Full features | Limited |
| API Available | Yes ($5/1K) | Yes (expensive) | No | Yes |
| Best For | Privacy + AI | Comprehensive | Simple privacy | Research |