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There's a free plan; paid tiers are quoted.
Brave Search API has no traditional subscription in its pricing notes; they describe prepaid, pay-as-you-go credits. Brave applies $5 in credits each month to Search, Answers, Spellcheck and Autosuggest. Existing users of the former 2,000-request free plan reportedly keep that allowance, but new customers should not count on it. Once you use the credit, Search costs $5 per 1,000 requests; Answers adds query and token charges, while Spellcheck and Autosuggest are priced per request.
01Every plan, line by line
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Built for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search | — | Quote | Web search for AI applications |
| Answers | — | Quote | Applications needing generated answers |
| Spellcheck | — | Quote | Applications checking search text |
| Autosuggest | — | Quote | Applications adding query suggestions |
| Enterprise | — | Quote | Organizations needing a custom quote |
Add-ons and overages
- Prepaid Search credits: $5 per 1,000 requests; usage draws down credits at this rate.
02What the plan grid doesn't tell you
Answers token charges
Answers costs $4 per 1,000 queries, plus $5 per million input tokens and $5 per million output tokens.
Credit depletion
Usage draws down prepaid credits at the listed rates. The pricing notes do not publish what happens after credits run out; ask about billing and request behavior.
Unpublished monthly ceilings
Monthly request or query ceilings are not published for Search, Answers, Spellcheck or Autosuggest. Confirm account limits before forecasting volume.
Rate-limit constraints
Search allows 50 requests per second, Answers 2, and Spellcheck and Autosuggest 100 each. Design for the endpoint limits you use.
03Which plan should you buy?
| If you are… | Get | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Web search for an AI app | Search | $5 per 1,000 requests and 50 requests per second; the monthly request ceiling is not published. |
| Apps that generate answers | Answers | $4 per 1,000 queries plus input and output token charges; limited to 2 requests per second. |
| Organizations needing a custom quote | Enterprise | Contact sales for bespoke pricing; usage limits are not published. |
04Is Brave Search API worth the money?
The $5 monthly credit makes Brave Search API inexpensive to evaluate at low volume, and Search’s $5 per 1,000 requests is straightforward to model. Answers needs a closer estimate because input and output tokens are billed separately. The main budget risk is uncertainty: monthly ceilings and post-credit billing behavior are not published. Existing users reportedly retain the former free plan, but new projects should budget against the current credit and per-request rates. Ask Brave to confirm limits and credit-depletion behavior before tying a production service to the API.
Brave Search API pricing FAQ
How much does Brave Search API cost?
Search costs $5 per 1,000 requests. Answers costs $4 per 1,000 queries plus $5 per million input tokens and $5 per million output tokens. Spellcheck and Autosuggest each cost $5 per 10,000 requests. Enterprise pricing is custom.
Does Brave Search API give new users a free plan?
The pricing notes list $5 in credits applied automatically each month to Search, Answers, Spellcheck and Autosuggest. Reddit users report that the former 2,000-request free plan remains available to existing subscribers. Confirm the current credit and account terms with Brave.
What are the Brave Search API rate limits?
Search allows 50 requests per second, Answers 2, and Spellcheck and Autosuggest 100 each. Monthly ceilings are not published. Check with Brave for account-specific limits and confirm how requests behave if you exceed a rate limit.
What happens after the monthly credit runs out?
The pricing notes say usage draws down prepaid credits at the listed rates, but they do not publish what happens when the balance is depleted. Ask Brave whether requests stop, billing continues, or another credit purchase is required.