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Directory/Independent Web Indexes/Brave Search API

Brave Search API

Editor's Pick

Programmatic access to the only independent Western search index at scale — 40B+ pages, adding 100M+ new pages daily.

Independent web indexes maintain their own crawl of the web, separate from Google or Bing. This independence is valuable for AI applications that need unbiased search results, want to avoid rate limits on commercial search engines, or need specialized coverage. Several of these indexes are open source, allowing full transparency into how results are ranked.

Visit Brave Search API →See pricing →

Features

—JS Rendering
✓Structured Output
—Open Source
—Self-Hosted Option
Pricing:FreemiumSee pricing →

Editorial assessment

After the Bing API shutdown, Brave is the last independent Western search index standing. 40B+ pages, powers the vast majority of top-10 LLMs, and backed by a 100M+ MAU browser. API pricing starts at $5/1K queries which adds up at scale. The index skews toward English content and popular sites. But for legal safety and data independence, nothing else comes close.

How Brave Search API compares

Exa

Exa offers embeddings-based semantic search but doesn't maintain a traditional web index.

Mojeek

Mojeek also builds its own index but at much smaller scale (~3.6B vs 40B+ pages).

Common Crawl

Common Crawl provides a massive open archive but requires significant processing infrastructure.

Frequently asked questions

What is Brave Search API?

Programmatic access to the only independent Western search index at scale — 40B+ pages, adding 100M+ new pages daily. It falls under the Independent Web Indexes category in our directory. Brave Search API is a commercial product.

How much does Brave Search API cost?

Brave Search API uses a freemium pricing model. There is a free tier available, with paid plans for higher usage.

What are the best alternatives to Brave Search API?

The top alternatives to Brave Search API include Exa, Mojeek, Common Crawl. Each offers a different approach to independent web indexes — see our comparison section above for detailed analysis.

Does Brave Search API support JavaScript rendering?

No, Brave Search API does not include built-in JavaScript rendering. For dynamic websites, you may need to pair it with a headless browser or choose a tool that includes JS rendering.

Does Brave Search API provide structured output?

Yes, Brave Search API returns structured output (typically JSON), making it straightforward to integrate into AI pipelines, RAG systems, and data processing workflows.

Can I self-host Brave Search API?

No, Brave Search API is a hosted service. You access it through their API or platform — there is no self-hosted deployment option.

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