How it ended:effective 2026-02-12 — Free tier (2,000 queries/month) eliminated. Replaced with $5 prepaid metered credits at $0.003-$0.005 per query (pay-as-you-go). Credit card required, no spending cap Source ↗Full history ↓
A verdict here is not a fixed property of the vendor. A one-off pricing event demotes a vendor while its recorded date falls in the last 180 days and then lapses on its own, with nothing about the vendor having changed; a standing condition — a free tier withdrawn, a product retired — does not lapse with time. This one rests on a standing condition, so it does not lapse.
Limits, pricing history. Catalogue date August 2026. Last updated 2026-09-19.
Brave Search API's free tier offers $5 in free credits every month, applied automatically… Its free tier has ended — one recorded free tier removal, on 2026-02-12. We no longer rate it.
The day we last read the vendor's page. Our last read of it, on 2026-09-19, found a change we then refused to record, because it restated the terms we already publish. We hold no confirmation of the terms we publish — the 2026-08-19 beside this date is not one we can source to a read that confirmed them.
Free Tier Details
$5 in free credits every month, applied automatically. Search is $5 per 1,000 requests; Answers is $4 per 1,000 requests plus $5 per million tokens. Web search, news, videos, images, LLM context endpoints. 50 queries/sec. Credit card required. The earlier free plan (2,000 queries/mo) ended Feb 2026
We read that on 2026-09-19 from https://brave.com/search/api/, and our check recorded: the page names Brave Search API as "brave search api" and states "$5". A source check reads the cited page for the service's name and a price; the limits above are from our own record.
Free tier (2,000 queries/month) eliminated. Replaced with $5 prepaid metered credits at $0.003-$0.005 per query (pay-as-you-go). Credit card required, no spending cap Source ↗
Before: Free plan: 2,000 queries/month, no credit card required
After: Metered billing at $0.003-$0.005 per query with $5 prepaid minimum. No free plan. Credit card required, no spending cap
We do not push notifications. Every change we record is readable the moment it lands, and the JSON answer carries an ETag — send it back as If-None-Match and an unchanged answer costs one 304.
Yes, Brave Search API offers a free tier: Free. $5 in free credits every month, applied automatically. Search is $5 per 1,000 requests; Answers is $4 per 1,000 requests plus $5 per million tokens. Web search, news, videos, images, LLM context endpo...
What is Brave Search API's free tier?
Brave Search API's free tier is called "Free". $5 in free credits every month, applied automatically. Search is $5 per 1,000 requests; Answers is $4 per 1,000 requests plus $5 per million tokens. Web search, news, videos, images, LLM context endpoints. 50 queries/sec. Credit card required. The earlier free plan (2,000 queries/mo) ended Feb 2026
Is Brave Search API's free tier reliable?
Brave Search API's free tier has ended — one recorded free tier removal, on 2026-02-12: Free tier (2,000 queries/month) eliminated. Replaced with $5 prepaid metered credits at $0.003-$0.005 per query (pay-as-you-go). Credit card required, no spending cap Source: https://brave.com/search/api/ There is no free tier left to rate.
Is Brave Search API's free tier good for production?
Brave Search API's free tier has ended — one recorded free tier removal, on 2026-02-12: Free tier (2,000 queries/month) eliminated. Replaced with $5 prepaid metered credits at $0.003-$0.005 per query (pay-as-you-go). Credit card required, no spending cap Source: https://brave.com/search/api/ There is no free tier left to rate.
What changed in Brave Search API's pricing?
Brave Search API has had 1 recorded pricing change. Most recently: Free tier (2,000 queries/month) eliminated. Replaced with $5 prepaid metered credits at $0.003-$0.005 per query (pay-as-you-go). Credit card required, no spending cap Source: https://brave.com/search/api/ (2026-02-12).
When will I outgrow Brave Search API's free tier?
At 1,000 requests, you'll need to upgrade. When you outgrow the free tier, evaluate paid plans against alternatives — sometimes a competitor's free tier covers what you need.
What category is Brave Search API in?
Brave Search API is categorized under Search on AgentDeals.
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