Your agent needs web search. Brave's Search API gives you $5 in free credits every month, about 1,000 searches. Results come from Brave's own index, not Google or Bing, with LLM-ready context built in. Catch: you add a card to prevent abuse. Prepaid credits, no subscription. [media]
BraveBrave Search API free monthly creditsData and search APIs
$5 in free credits every month on the Search plan (about 1,000 requests at $5 per 1,000); the Answers, Spellcheck and Autosuggest plans each also include $5 in free credits a month
Brave runs an independent web search index and sells it as a search API for AI agents and apps, with LLM-ready context. Every account gets $5 in free credits each month, applied automatically; a card is required to prevent abuse.
LiveVerified Nov 5, 2026 against the official page
- Who qualifies
- Anyone who activates a Brave Search API plan with a credit card on file
- How to claim
- Sign up on the Brave Search API dashboard, activate a plan with a credit card and set the prepay amount to $0; the $5 monthly credit is applied automatically. Then create an API key.
- Expiry
- ongoing
Heads up. Card required at signup (refunded $0 or $1 hold). No standalone free plan; set prepay to $0 to use only the free $5. Free credits reset monthly and do not roll over. The marketing page at brave.com/search/api no longer shows the $5 free monthly line; the official docs FAQ still confirms it. Brave's February 2026 launch blog says you must attribute the Brave Search API on your project's site to use the free credit. Up to $20 a month in total across the four plans.
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Added Nov 5, 2026 · Updated Nov 5, 2026, 08:02 UTC
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